Monthly Archives: January 2018

India launches third Scorpene class submarine Karanj

The Indian Navy on Wednesday (Jan 31) launched the third Scorpene class submarine Karanj. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba’s wife Reena Lanba launched the submarine, which has been constructed by...

India’s Asian strategies are distinctly passé

The meeting between the foreign ministers of China and Japan – Wang Yi and Taro Kono – on Sunday in Beijing signifies the resumption of high-level exchanges after an interlude of...

General election in Bangladesh in Dec next

Mentioning that the next general election in Bangladesh will be held in December next, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday (Jan 30) sought vote  for ’boat’, the election symbol...

Pakistan undertakes all-out efforts to strengthen economic ties with Malaysia

Pakistan is undertaking all-out efforts to reap huge existing market potential by strengthening its bilateral ties with Malaysia. Pakistani High Commissioner to Malaysia Mohammad Nafees Zakaria identified the areas that...

India inaugurates bridge to Nepal

Chief minister of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Mahesra Bridge on Sonauli-Gorakhpur road which would connect Gorakhpur and its adjoining districts to Nepal and also...

Bilateral relations based on necessity and new principles: Oli

CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has opined for maintaining the bilateral relations with neighbours on the basis of necessity and new principles instead of past practice. Speaking in a programme...

Maldives urged to ‘restore and uphold’ constitution

Maldivian authorities must take immediate steps to restore and uphold the principles enshrined in the constitution in the interests of its people, the European Union Delegation to Sri Lanka...

India has imposed certain redlines on China’s BRI: Expert

India has effectively imposed certain redlines on China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia, a US expert has said. India is the only major country of the world...

Rights groups call on Sri Lanka to repeal ‘draconian’ counterterror law

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Sri Lankan government of using their counterterror legislation as a shield to commit human rights abuses, including arbitrarily detaining and torturing suspects...

Taliban and IS creating chaos in Kabul

The Taliban and the Islamic State group are creating a perfect storm of carnage in Kabul, adapting to ramped up security in the war-weary capital to strike again and...

US still aims to push Taliban into Afghan peace talks

The United States aims to press the Taliban on the battlefield to convince them that they will have to negotiate peace, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Tuesday, a...

Afghan pilots drop Laser-guided bombs for first time

The US effort to step up the fight against the Taliban and other so-called terrorist groups in Afghanistan has now seen a new first: a laser-guided bomb dropped from...

China should increase in nuclear deterrence capabilities, urges military paper

China must strengthen its nuclear deterrence and counter-strike capabilities to keep pace with the developing nuclear strategies of the United States and Russia, the official paper of the People’s...

Further delays expected in refugee return from Bangladesh

Amid intense international and domestic interest, the repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh to Rakhine State was due to begin on January 23. It turned out to be a non-event. Myanmar...

Lankan parties go hammer and tongs against each other ahead of polls  

Sri Lankan political parties are going hammer and tongs against each other ahead of the crucial local bodies’ elections slated for February 10. The no-holds barred competition which has been...

New Delhi shies away from confrontation with Beijing

China has become an increasingly influential driver of India's foreign policy decisions. Four of the last five foreign secretaries were formerly India's ambassadors to China and one of them...

India-Russia 5th generation fighter jet program: road to nowhere

The co-development and production of the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), also known in India as the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF), one of the most high profile joint...

Maldives witnesses provocative politics ahead of Presidential poll

The Maldives is known as an idyll of tiny islands surrounded by a placid, deep blue sea – an ideal retreat for those in search of peace and quiet....

Growing up with a Muslim name, these are stories I recognise

Having grown up with a Muslim name in New Delhi, the stories in NaziaErum’s Mothering a Muslim: The Dar Secret in Our Schools and Playgrounds did not surprise me. Incidents of...

First Briton crosses Bangla Channel

A journalist became the first British citizen to cross the 16-kilometre Bangla Channel, stretching from Teknaf to Saint Martin's Island in Bangladesh. Becky Horsbrugh, who is also a swimming instructor,...