India has launched a Smart Cities Mission to reform delivery of services. Abhilash Borah, 23, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Assam, India, argues the plan must consider climate change and public health needs. Development has come at a cost, with a threat that the climate is challenging society at large. With increasing population, climate change presents …

“Hot cities affect climate change and health” Read More »

Working as a development practitioner led Mridul Upadhyay, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from New Delhi in India, to learn how to ensure that development provides the best solutions to local problems. Most of us are familiar with sustainable development goals (SDGs). I have been a development practitioner for few years, but so many thoughts used …

“Finding a definition: What is development?” Read More »

Swapnil Mishra, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from India, currently studying in the United States, writes that governments should consider investments in social and economic infrastructure as key ways to combat religious extremism.  The government of Tajikistan is going all out to curb religious extremism. Last year, the government outlawed Arabic-sounding names. It has also shut …

“Unearthing new ways to combat religious extremism” Read More »

Chinese aid flowing to Africa in the form of development and business deals has a controversial edge, writes Swapnil Mishra, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from India, currently studying in the United States. In the year 2010, China’s foreign minister of that time paid a visit to a small village called Yoni, the birth region of …

“Africa is on receiving end of aid from China” Read More »

A refugee crisis provides a hot topic for discussion, with viewpoints across the spectrum of the argument. Shiboni D’Souza, 23, a Correspondent from Bangalore in India, argues that a refugee crisis is a test of a host nation’s character.  The manner in which we treat the weakest amongst us is ultimately the basis on which we as …

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Time changes, and the meaning of the words changes with time, writes Mridul Upadhyay, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from New Delhi in India, as he explores the meaning of Dharma. ‘Dharma’ is an Indian/Hindi word, which is now usually translated as ‘religion’ in the Indian subcontinent, but the word has lost its pure meaning. There is …

“Dharma is explained for us by nature” Read More »

Among the talk about girls and women, gender equality and reduced inequality, Amit Jain, 26, a Correspondent from Pune, India argues there is one area where women are most harmed, yet few people are working toward innovative solutions. What I’m talking about here is the grave issue of the life of widows. Absent in statistics, unnoticed by …

“Invisible women, invisible problems: widows” Read More »

Mid-century notions of robots and technology were amusing, writes Ratika Singh, 25, a Correspondent from Bhopal in India, but the evolution of artificial intelligence must consider human and natural priorities. A world of robots and advanced technical machines, also known as artificial intelligence, accompanying human beings was good when it was limited to cartoons and …

“Artificial intelligence in our natural world” Read More »

A boycott and diplomatic freeze is adding to complications in the Middle East, writes Swapnil Mishra, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from India, currently studying in the United States. He predicts the impact will be far-reaching. In June 2017, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt decided to cut diplomatic ties and shut their …

“Boycott of Qatar is hurting its enforcers” Read More »

A simple gift of hospitality prompted Mridul Upadhyay, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from New Delhi in India, to consider how small minorities are affected by the pressures of global demand and development. What was the best thing offered to you to eat, as a gesture of hospitality, when you visited someone’s home? For me it …

“Tribal lifestyle is threatened by development” Read More »