Tokyo, May 23 (IANS) India’s expanding maritime outreach, including its ‘Necklace of Diamonds’ counter-strategy, logistics agreements with Australia, France and Japan, coastal surveillance networks, naval base arrangements in Seychelles and BrahMos missile sales to the Philippines beginning in 2024 signals the most “proximate and credible structural pushback” to Chinese maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.No other Quad members possess India’s geographic and strategic positionin…
Latest South Asia News & Updates
Ottawa, May 21 (IANS) A leading international advocacy group has expressed grave concern over reports of the Bangladesh government signing two major defence agreements with the United States, warning that the move could carry far-reaching geopolitical and strategic consequences.The remarks came after Bangladesh and the United States had reached a political-level understanding to deepen defence cooperation, with negotiations progressing on two long-discussed agreements — the General Security of …
United Nations, May 20 (IANS) India will remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy, recording a rise of 6.4 per cent this year, showing resilience in a world buffeted by Iran war’s fallout, according to the world organisation.”We have seen structurally very robust growth in India, which has been driven by consumer demand, by public investment, but also by strong performance in services exports”, Ingo Pitterle, the UN’s senior economist heading its Global Economic Monitoring Branch…
Washington, May 19 (IANS) The United States has approved two possible Foreign Military Sales to India worth a combined $428.2 million, covering follow-on support for AH-64E Apache helicopters and sustainment support for M777A2 ultra-light howitzers, the State Department said.The proposed deals were announced by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in separate congressional notifications issued on May 18.The larger of the two involves long-term sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howit…
Dhaka, May 15 (IANS) Bangladesh continues to face alarming levels of intimate partner violence, with global and national data analyses highlighting it as one of the most persistent and least addressed forms of abuse against women in the country, according to local media reports.As the world observes the International Day of Families on Friday, the findings from Bangladesh reveal a troubling reality– violence within intimate relationships remains pervasive, affecting women’s wellbeing and weak…
Berlin, May 11 (IANS) Shafi Burfat, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), accused the Pakistani military establishment of long-standing patronage of religious extremism and terrorism. He stated that the continued domination of the military over Pakistan’s political, economic, ideological, and social spheres poses a threat to democracy, regional peace, and long-term stability in South Asia.Taking to his social media platform X, Burfat said, “By repeatedly overthrowing elected represe…
Washington, May 9 (IANS) The United States wants countries in South and Central Asia, including India, to have access to “world class technology” while avoiding dependence on adversarial nations, a senior State Department official said, underscoring Washington’s push to expand AI cooperation with New Delhi.Addressing the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison said the focus is on ensuring technology access translates into tangible be…
Islamabad, May 8 (IANS) Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism has, for decades, fuelled instability in the wider South Asian region. At the same time, preserving regional stability remains essential for US strategic interests given South Asia’s proximity to Afghanistan and China, a report has stated. Writing for American media outlet PJ Media, Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut said that the fight against terrorism by the United States and India should also be supported by policies aimed at restor…
Islamabad, May 7 (IANS) A leading international human rights organisation on Thursday called on the Pakistani authorities to ban military trials of civilians and overturn all unlawful civilian convictions by these courts. Pakistan Supreme Court’s constitutional bench, on May 7 2025, had overturned a previous Supreme Court ruling from October 2023 that stated that the trial before a military court of civilians involved in the May 9 protest was unconstitutional.On the first anniversary of the ru…
New Delhi, May 7: There is a reflexive question that international observers tend to ask whenever military action occurs between India and Pakistan. Who escalated? The framing of the question is itself revealing. It assumes that escalation is the central issue. It assumes that the prior conduct, the planning, the funding, and the execution of terrorism are not, themselves, escalation. It assumes that the side that responds to a massacre with force is the side responsible for the conflict.Operati…