Have you ever seen a takin? Chances are an overwhelming majority of people will meet the poser with a baffled look
The Iran Conundrum, Trumpian Dilemma and the Shifting Sands of West Asia
Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the CFR believes that the West could have got much better dividends without this war. He says that Araghchi had tabled proposals that called for the suspension of uranium enrichment for several years before allowing it to then resume at low levels. Linda Robinson, CFR’s senior fellow, also feels that there will be mass American casualties if special forces are deployed. Already Arab States are upset with these joint operations with Israel. The consensus among CFR experts is that Trump’s ambitious objectives cannot be achieved merely with joint assaults by air or sea.
Custodial Killings with no Judicial Remedies: A Sad Tale Across Two Punjabs
Was this the legacy that the great freedom fighters from Punjab – or extend that logic to rest of India and Pakistan where custodial deaths are common – would have wanted their land and its future generations to inherit? As if the breakdown of the country and its gory partition with a divided Punjab were not enough to torment them in their graves, wouldn’t this thought leave them completely shattered and desolate: this divided land is united in its conviction to perpetuate the very colonial mindset they fought.
Bangladesh's Recent Election was Neither Free nor Fair
The Interim Government arranged extensive state protocol and privileges to the government-sponsored party, National Citizen Party (NCP), parties close to IG like Jamaat e Islami (JI) and their alliances, almost as if they were the government themselves. Similar privileges were given to the BNP and its allies. But no such facility was extended to the JP.
Competitive Populism vs Economic Development: When Forests are Monetised to Fund Revenue Expenditure
A democracy that is cutting down forests for votes risks mortgaging its ecological future for an electoral present. Welfare is essential; appeasement is corrosive. The difference lies in fiscal discipline, transparency and respect for citizens, who are not beneficiaries, but are owners of the republic. If we do not draw that line now, next year’s burden will demand another forest.
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An American petroleum engineer in love with his adopted home Bangladesh
If you chance to visit Meherpur – a remote village in Bangladesh – you may come across a lanky American national in local attire who has made the country his home for the past 12 years
Modi, Afghan envoy and the 'fragrance' of 'brotherly' India-Afghanistan ties
It is common for doctors and surgeons working in India’s National Capital Region to get Afghan patients
Maldives beckons India’s glamour and affluent set once more
Ending a two-month ban on travelers from South Asian nations following the surge in coronavirus infection in the region, Maldives is to open its borders to these countries from July 15
Law must be tempered by justice: CJI Ramana’s observations will restore Indians’ faith in higher judiciary
The Chief Justice of India (CJI), N.V. Ramana, struck a resounding note about the interpretation of the understanding of law per se, when he observed that “It can be used not only to render justice, it can also be used to justify oppression.”
Female genital mutilation: Controversial tweet reignites debate in the Maldives
A tweet by a university professor in the Maldives, detailing the benefits (sic) of female genital mutilation (FGM) - a regressive socio-religious practice where the clitoris of a female is removed physically for non-medical reasons-- has sparked controversy in the Indian Ocean archipelago, with many calling for banning the professor from using social media platform
Pakistan's culture wars: Liberal-conservative faceoff over PM Imran Khan's alleged sexist remarks
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, once known as a "ladies' man", continues to draw flak over comments perceived as sexist, but party’s women leaders have sprung to his defense calling him a "symbol of women's empowerment"
Sad plight of Afghan refugee children in Pakistan
Pakistan hosts around 2.8 million Afghan refugees, the second biggest refugee population after Syrians in Turkey
Bright Bangladeshi business graduates now head multinationals, leading big brands
There was a time when multinational companies and big brands used to only employ foreign nationals to lead the organization in Bangladesh
Nepali Army Inc. - from catering to education
The Nepali Army’s foray into the education sector for running a course in agriculture for the public has drawn criticism with observers saying there has to be a line drawn on what the defense forces should and should not do
Containing Covid: Need for global vaccination effort
Even as the Covid pandemic numbers are declining in India, there is growing concern that new mutations of the virus – particularly the Delta variant, with its super-spreader qualities, could soon pose a global challenge later in the year
'Hidden agenda' behind low Christian and miniority numbers in Pakistan?
Pakistan’s Christian community leaders have voiced their doubt about the results of the sixth population and housing census-2017 about the population of minorities in the country
Lockdown woes: Child marriage, sexual violence on rise in Nepal
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of humans in unprecedented ways
An environmental disaster off Colombo: Possible lapses in shipping protocols need investigation
The slow sinking of the fire-stricken Singapore-registered container ship X-Press Pearl off Colombo port, almost on the eve of World Environment Day June 5, has the potential to turn into a major environmental disaster for Sri Lanka and neighbouring India
Children had quarrel with neighbors; Christian parents in Pakistan spend eight years in prison for blasphemy
Having spent eight years in prison for a crime they never committed, for this Pakistani Christian couple justice has finally was served, but after a long, grueling wait, and at a heavy cost
