Friday, February 24, 2017

ISSUES

ISSUES

Jaishankar’s visit: Bringing BD back to the fold?


Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is on a short visit to Bangladesh. What messages is he bringing in for Bangladesh? Speculations abound. Indian sources say that his tour is mainly to formalize a date for the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister... More

Terrorists could use nuclear power plant material for ‘dirty bomb’


Bangladesh’s entrance into the sector of nuclear energy started many, many years ago. In fact, the Rooppur nuclear power plant site was selected even before Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. Dr Petr Topychkanov, made this observation while speaking at a recent seminar... More

India-China seeks mutual friendship with caution


India and China increasingly looking forward to trim the distance in bilateral relationship. Secretary-level strategic dialogue between the countries is scheduled to be held next week. Both parties have extensive interest in an improved economic ties despite having some deeply convoluted... More

SAARC assailed by fresh debate


Fresh debate has arisen over the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC. The SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad last November was postponed due to India and some other countries deciding not to join. This further strained... More

Indian Foreign Secretary rules out Indian pressure on Lankan North East...

Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary, S. Jaishankar Monday ruled out ‘going back to the past’ and distanced himself from committing to a possible Indian role in persuading the Sri Lankan government to re-accept the unification of the North and East brought about... More

A lull in the NGO movement


The NGO movement in Bangladesh is steadily losing steam.  Land rights, health awareness, AIDS, local government, arsenic contamination and media freedom as well as other issues pertaining to public interest, are no longer in the limelight due to the inertia among... More

Can India-China strategic dialogue reduce tensions?


The first China-India secretary level strategic dialogue begins this Wednesday in Beijing. India's foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will sit with his Chinese counterpart Zhang Yesui. India's Foreign Office terms this as the first strategic meeting between these two countries. Similar meetings... More

How important is Moscow Conference for peace in Afghanistan?


Many people are looking forward to the Six-party talks in Moscow this week and how successful it will be in ending the long-running war in Afghanistan. This is the first time that Russia, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and India all got... More

Rivalry with India: China wants to reduce the cost of commercial...


China plans to reduce 30 percent cost in commercial aerospace industry to compete with India. Although China is ahead in every other sector in aerospace industry they are falling behind in commercial satellite launch due to American restrictions. Of the record... More

Much-talked US Seventh Fleet will get service in India


Much-talked US Seventh Fleet which was deployed into Bay of Bengal during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, led by the USS Enterprise nuclear powered aircraft carrier to threaten India to withdraw its offensive, is now to get service in... More

Is Afghanistan heating up again? 


A string of incidents is making afghan situation volatile again after a seemingly stable period of time. Warning of a probable ISIS attack that was causing concern among the neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, China, and Russia has now become... More

India’s space ambitions food for thought


India breaking record for launching most satellites from single rocket is causing quite a buzz. India’s media is dubbing this one of the most unique achievements in the defense sector for the country. On the other hand, some are arguing as... More

BD-EU soon finalize SOP on irregular migrants


Bangladesh and the European Union will soon finalize the Standard Operating Procedures on the return of irregular migrants with no right to stay in the EU. It was agreed upon at the second Diplomatic Consultations held in Brussels on Wednesday. In the... More

China, India looking for new ways of cooperation?


Asia's two largest countries, China and India after intertwining themselves with various conflict now finally started looking new way to improve relationship. Chinese policy makers urged New Delhi to work together with matters of common interest primarily in economic and infrastructure... More

Bomb attacks surge in India, Govt’s claim questioned


The report of the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) saying that India witnessed maximum bombings in the world last year, has raised the question on claims of the country’s government about its success in containing the insurgency. Concern is raised as... More

Speculations of military intervention keep Suu Kyi silent


Speculations of military intervention in the political process of Myanmar are growing hard to ignore. This buzz is growing louder with the military operation against Rohingyas following the October attack on a Rakhine border post and later the assassination of U... More

Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi visit remains uncertain


Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s New Delhi visit might be postponed till April instead of February as was expected earlier. This date may even be shifted to later in the year if the two countries fail to reach a consensus on... More

West Bengal objects to BD’s Ganges Barrage too


West Bengal has been a major obstacle to the Teesta water agreement between Bangladesh and India. They are now objecting to the Ganges Barrage Project proposed by Bangladesh. Recently in a letter to the Indian government, West Bengal Chief Secretary Basudev Bandyopadhyay... More

5 State Election: Litmus Test For BJP And Modi


On the heels of demonetisation, the election of five states of India --Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur-- kicked off in seven phases starting 4 February, with final results due on 11 March 2017. In this mini general election an estimated... More

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh to be 2nd, 15th & 23rd largest economies...


IMF predicts that world economy will be centered on Asia by the year 2050, shifting from North America, Western Europe and Japan. And three large countries of South Asia- India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - are primed to lead this economic change. In... More

Afghan conflict: Blame vs Cooperation


Recent activities of the major powers centering on Afghanistan as well as accusations and counter-accusations have created new tensions in South Asian region. In this geopolitical game, the US is leading an axis involving India and Afghanistan, while the other is... More

COLUMNS

Chairing a high-level security meeting in Lahore on Wednesday (22 February) attended by... More

(Exclusive): The boycott of the SAARC Summit at Islamabad last year and hosting... More

(Exclusive):  Myanmar -- beset with a myriad of internal problems, including a host... More

In mid-January, a week before he resigned as U.S. Ambassador to India, Richard... More

EDITOR'S CHOICE

The Colombo-based Sunday Times published a lengthy article last weekend about a secret... More

At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, the Chinese President Xi... More

While Pakistan's fast growing economy has made it a darling for foreign investment,... More

The Trump administration has served notice that it intends to expand the Indo-US... More

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READERS' VIEWS

This week people in Myanmar were forced to confront the kind of country... More

Myanmar is currently in the throes of a massive humanitarian crisis. Thousands of... More