Habitat III: New Urban Agenda and the importance of civil society Close on the heels of the UN adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015 the HABITAT III conference offers the international community a timely opportunity to revisit and revision its commitments to putting human rights at the heart of sustainable urban development. The global context is adverse, marked by growing inequity, rising levels of homelessness and landlessness, forced migration, environmental degradation and climate change. By Poonam Joshi
Civil society in Russia – Where external support is vital Russian NGOs are under pressure: They are hindered in their work with laws and checks by the authorities, paralyzed and driven to close down. External support is not only helpful, but vital. By Johannes Voswinkel
Authoritarian repression under the pretext of sovereignty The repression of civil societies activites in countries like Egypt and Russia are justified with the "protection of the states sovereignity" and the "principle of non-intervention". When unwelcomed critique is silenced, activists need all our solidarity and support. By Wolfgang Kaleck and Simon Rau
Crimea: will a new conflict take place? Within the last days, Russia has accused Ukraine in “state terrorism” and started massive military drills along Ukrainian border. Our office in Kiev answers the most pressing questions on the recent escalation in Crimea. By Sergej Sumlenny and Eugenia Andreyuk
After Brexit: India's solidarity with Britain and Europe Great Britain has a rich history. Leaving the EU also affects countries that are part of the Commonwealth. India will redefine its economic and political strategy with both the UK and the EU. By C. Raja Mohan
Editorial: Behind the Rio Games Parallels between the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016: does the society always pay the bill in international sport competitions? By Barbara Unmüßig
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2016 In addition to the usual, global overview of status and trends in reactor building and operating, as well as the traditional comparison between deployment trend in the nuclear power and renewable energy sectors, the 2016 edition of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) provides an assessment of the trends of the economic health of some of the major players in the industry. By Mycle Schneider
Why the Brexit referendum gives Trump fresh hope Hillary Clinton should be warned by the British referendum: Similar to the Brexit movement, Trump’s campaign benefits from anti-immigrant sentiment and anger over the “political elites” and “mainstream media”. By Dominik Tolksdorf
Putinist trolls in Hungary are a threat to objective journalism Putinist trolls are having a good time in Hungary these days. Articles published by pro-Kremlin, anti-immigrant news sites are shared by thousands of readers, often mistaken for actual news stories. Objective journalism has thus been degraded to just one of many possible narratives for interpreting the world around us.
NATO Summit in Warsaw – the Polish perspective What are strategic expectations of Member States to be addressed during the forthcoming Summit in Warsaw? Which major challenges will it face? What marks the Polish position vis-a-vis NATO and EU issues? Analysis by former Polish diplomat Piotr Łukasiewicz. By Piotr Łukasiewicz