Autor: pacifista

By: Genevieve B. Kupang and Ma. Ditas A. Fernandez Calasiao, Pangasinan, July 12, 2026. In the fertile plains of Pangasinan, one name has come to stand for resilience translated into an institution: Dr. Lourdes S. Fernandez, founder and President of the Philippine College of Science and Technology (PhilCST) in Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines, now a first-class municipality at…

When I saw Sister Aida Velasquez OSB without a veil, I thought it was someone else impersonating her. We both had given our talks the day before. And that morning in Mindanao (Philippines) in 1991, she had just finished breakfast when I arrived. Ready to visit remote project sites, the activist nun was wearing jeans…

A Sustainable Future and Human Rights By Rita Bhowmick (Dhaka Bureau) The core foundation of a nation’s sustainable development and human dignity rests upon safeguarding the rights of its women, girls, and young people. Rooted in this vision, the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), organized a vital orientation…

Seeking Legal Battle and Democratic Rights By Asif Showkat Kallol (Dhaka Bureau) Bangladesh is navigating a period of profound political uncertainty and unresolved human rights equations. In the midst of this, a dramatic shift has emerged following a recent announcement by the country’s former Prime Minister and Awami League President, Sheikh Hasina. Despite facing a…

By Asif Showkat Kallol (Dhaka Bureau)  A catastrophic flood crisis is rapidly unfolding across Bangladesh, driven by relentless monsoon downpours and unprecedented upstream hill runoff. In a matter of days, breached embankments and overflowing river basins have submerged entire districts, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded, compounding food insecurity, and cutting off vital regional…

By Mynul Hasan Sohel (Dhaka Bureau) The global reputation of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b)- the institution that saved millions of lives worldwide by developing the life-saving Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) for cholera and diarrhoea treatment- is facing a severe crisis. On March 1, 2021, Dr. Tahmid Ahmed took charge as…

Introduction: The Cycle of Attrition and the Strategic Deadlock Since the end of the Second World War, nuclear deterrence has become one of the fundamental pillars of the international security order, but its effectiveness in addressing regional crises remains a subject of intense debate. For more than two decades, Iran’s nuclear dossier has been trapped…

“We’re used to people saying ‘fuck no’ and doing it anyway.” These words were seemingly spoken by our very own Governor Gretchen Whitmer earlier this month, caught on a hot mic chatting with Oracle executive Clay Magouryk. The two were celebrating breaking ground on the controversial new AI data center in rural Saline, Michigan —…

The growing convergence between their countries could create a dual pole of economic, political, and security influence between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently concluded a three-day trip to Indonesia, which was his second time there since 2018 and the first under new President Prabowo Subianto, who entered office in late 2024.…

In her essay entitled “Comparison between the Eschatology of Paradise of Abu l-‘Ala al-Ma’arri and Dante Alighieri”, published this year also in its English and French translation, the author Milena Aziza Rampoldi presents some parallels as well as some differences between two great works of universal literature: the “Divine Comedy” of the Florentine poet Dante…