Washington, Feb 11 (IANS) The United States called India the anchor of South Asia and the western Indo-Pacific, as the Trump administration outlined an “America first” strategy built on trade deals, defence cooperation, and targeted investment across the region.Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Paul Kapur, in a written testimony submitted before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, said President Donald Trump’s National Secur…
Latest Bhutan News & Updates
New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries widened sharply by 44.42 per cent to $7.683 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2025-2026 (July-December), compared to $5.32 billion during the same period last year, according to the latest data from the State Bank of Pakistan.The surge in the deficit is largely attributed to a decline in exports, particularly to China, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Pakistan has suspended all trade with Afghanistan, including …
Guwahati, Feb 7 (IANS) Indian Railways plans to build a new underground railway line to improve connectivity in the Northeastern states. The line will pass through the Siliguri corridor in North Bengal, known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’.Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma stated that the underground route will run from Tinmile Hat to Rangapani and Bagdogra in the Darjeeling district, West Bengal.Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has emphasis…
New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) The Unified payments interface (UPI) is now live in over eight countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar, positioning India as a global leader in digital payments, the Parliament was informed on Friday.UPI’s growing international adoption is boosting remittances, promoting financial inclusion, and strengthening India’s position in the global fintech landscape.Moreover, the government has signed MoUs/agreements with 23…
Dhaka, Feb 5 (IANS) As Bangladesh heads to elections next week, radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, in its election manifesto, pledged to pursue peaceful and cooperative relations with neighbouring countries, including India, rooted in “mutual respect and fairness”.“Constructive relations with neighbouring countries: Peaceful, friendly, and cooperative relations will be built with neighbouring and nearby countries — including India, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Tha…
Pokhara, Feb 4 (IANS) The Indian U-17 women’s team produced a dominant all-round display to defeat Bhutan 8-0 in their final round-robin match of the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship 2026 at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium on Wednesday, securing a place in the tournament final. Pearl Fernandes starred with a first-half hat-trick, while Pritika Barman scored twice as the Young Tigresses overwhelmed their opponents with relentless attacking football. Alisha Lyngdoh, Abhista Basnett and Divyani Lin…
Guwahati, Feb 3 (IANS) The Northeastern region have received a significant boost to rail connectivity and infrastructure development in the Union Budget 2026-27 under the Viksit Bharat vision, with an allocation of Rs 11,486 crore for railway projects, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday. In a post on X, Sarma expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sustained support to railway expansion in the region, stating that the enhanced allocation would accelerate…
New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Adaptive and more country-specific, India’s neighbourhood policy is no longer limited to historical goodwill as it responds to diverse political realities while safeguarding the regional stability, opined top policymakers, industry leaders, and domain experts at an insightful discussion. At the high-level dialogue organised by the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) and titled ‘Perspectives From and Within India and Its Neighbourhood’, analysts deliberated on the evolution …
New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Bhutan’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lyonpo Gem Tshering, held discussions with Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal, at a meeting here on Tuesday which focused on strengthening the longstanding cooperation between the two nations in the power sector.During the discussions, both sides deliberated on the commercial optimisation of power output from the Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project (1020 MW). Emphasis was also placed on the early commissioning of th…
Pokhara (Nepal), Feb 2 (IANS) The India U17 women’s national team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Bangladesh in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship 2026 at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium in Pokhara, Nepal, on Monday.Bangladesh scored both their goals in the first half through Arpita Biswas (29’) and Alpi Akter (40’).The India U17s, who are participating in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship, a higher age-group tournament, as part of their preparation for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, saw …