COVID-19 and South Asia: Sequencing of policy options
The spread of COVID-19 infections in South Asia has not been uniform across countries; while some countries were successful in controlling the pandemic, others were not, writes Partho Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
‘Love jihad’ bills by BJP-ruled states against India's constitutional principles
The BJP governments in these states, in their quest to criminalize interfaith marriages, are going ahead with coming out with this law, despite not even a single case of ‘love jihad’ having been detected by the central investigative teams to date, writes Reeti Prakash for South Asia Monitor
With drastic troop cuts is US handing over Af-Pak to China?
Till the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are confident and sufficiently armed to stabilize the country, it would be prudent for the US to retain troop strength between 5000-8000 in Afghanistan, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Beyond Malabar: Quad needs to supplement military exercises with economic partnerships
The Malabar naval exercises could be seen as an obvious manifestation of the desire among members of the Quad to keep trade routes open, military confrontations in check and keep the Indo-Pacific Region open for legitimate rules-based economic activity, writes Raghbendra Jha for South Asia Monitor
Nepal Airlines comes up with options to get rid of six Chinese aircraft
Nepal Airlines has submitted four options to the Ministry of Tourism to get rid of the six inefficient Chinese aircraft in its fleet, five months after its board of directors unanimously decided…
25M couples in India couldn't access contraceptives due to Covid: UNDP report
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted contraceptive access for an estimated over 25 million couples in India, said a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
Vaccine will not be released for mass use unless proven immunogenic: India's Serum Institute
Vaccine development company Serum Institute, India on Tuesday said the Covidshield vaccine will not be released for mass use unless it is proven immunogenic, and safe
PDM's fifth power show calls for Pakistan PM Imran Khan's ouster
Despite the Pakistan government's ban on holding public rallies in the wake of the unabated Covid-19 pandemic, the PDM opposition alliance staged its fifth power show in Multan which called for…
Bangladesh to organise world peace conference next year
Bangladesh will organise a world peace conference next year, marking the 50th year of the country's Liberation War and birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as part of promoting a…
Sri Lanka appoints new state minister in charge of COVID-19
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a new state minister in charge of COVID-19 prevention, as the virus has infected over 23,000 people and killed 118 in the island nation, an…
Leaders opposed to Nepal PM Oli want him to quit
Nepal's Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barshaman Pun, who is close to Dahal, today said at a public forum in Rolpa district that second generation leaders of the party were…
Bhutanese plans to give e-tablets to students
Bhutan is exploring ways to provide an electronic tablet to each student of 12th standard in order to bridge the widening learning gap, especially after the COVID-19 situation, as per a report by…
Afghanistan poses a dilemma for NATO
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, said NATO is facing a dilemma over its future in Afghanistan as the Doha agreement, between the US and Taliban, warrants all foreign troops out of…
Maldives seizes illegally-fishing foreign vessel
The Maldivian coastguard seized a foreign fishing vessel and arrested six of its crew who were illegally fishing in the waters that lie in the Maldives’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Sun news…
A dozen joint trade markets to come up along Af-Pak border
In a major boost to Afghanistan-Pakistan transborder trade, Pakistan has proposed to open 12 Joint Border Trade Markets (JBTMs) along the border with Afghanistan, as per a report published in…
Biden-Harris greet Sikhs on Gurupurab, praise community's role
US president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris have greeted Sikh community on the occasion of Gurupurab commemorating the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of…
Marganlised and vulnerable should be on priority list for COVID-19 vaccine: CHRI
Urging the Commonwealth Secretariat to take a lead in ensuring that the marginalized and most vulnerable people in countries like India and Pakistan are kept in mind while producing and…
The sound of Indian music at the Grammys
Amid all the noise about snubs and transparency, there are a few Indian tunes that have struck the right note at the Grammy Award nominations this year
