Washington, April 9 (IANS) Bangladesh’s economy is expected to see a gradual recovery after a period of slowdown, supported by improving domestic demand and stabilising conditions, the World Bank said.Growth is projected at 3.9 per cent in fiscal year 2025-26, reflecting the impact of earlier political unrest and external pressures on economic activity, according to the World Bank’s latest assessment.The report said the economy is recovering from disruptions linked to political instability i…
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Washington, April 9 (IANS) Pakistan is facing mounting debt pressures, weak growth prospects and persistent structural vulnerabilities, which risks its economic stability, the World Bank said.The report highlighted that economies with high public debt, limited fiscal space and heavy external financing needs remain particularly exposed to global shocks such as rising energy prices and tighter financial conditions.Pakistan, now assessed under a broader regional grouping rather than South Asia, fal…
Washington, April 8 (IANS) India’s economy is projected to grow 7.6 per cent in FY2025/26 before moderating to 6.6 per cent the following year, anchoring South Asia even as regional growth slows to 6.3 per cent in 2026, the World Bank said on Wednesday. The latest South Asia Economic Update said India remains the primary engine of regional expansion, with its growth underpinned by strong domestic demand, trade reforms, and new agreements, including a free trade pact with the European Union….
Washington, April 8 (IANS) The World Bank on Wednesday said India is expected to clock a 7.6 per cent GDP growth in the financial year 2025-26, while it has raised the country’s growth forecast for 2026-27 to 6.6 per cent from 6.3 per cent earlier.The World Bank Group, in its twice-a-year regional outlook report, stated that “the growth outlook is driven primarily by India’s performance, underpinned by robust domestic demand as well as tariff cuts and recent trade agreements, including the f…
New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Pakistan-linked disinformation networks are actively targeting Bangladesh through coordinated digital campaigns, leveraging social media platforms, artificial intelligence tools and local amplification channels to shape public narratives and geopolitical perceptions, according to a recent investigation.The report, highlights how actors linked to Pakistan are systematically pushing narratives that portray India as a destabilising force while projecting Pakistan as a favo…
New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Nepal’s first billionaire, Binod K Chaudhary, has said that Bangladesh and Nepal could strengthen economic ties in energy and cross-border trade, with closer regional cooperation involving India.”We would like to enter into a much bigger economic engagement with Bangladesh, but without India playing a positive role, that’s not going to happen,” Chaudhary said on Saturday at a press conference organised by the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (ICCB) in Dhaka,…
Taipei, April 4 (IANS) With the rise of new political leadership in Kathmandu and growing strategic constraint on China’s engagement with Nepal, there is hope that the stronger democratic institutions would enable the Nepali people to comprehend Beijing’s expansionist ambitions in Nepal and the wider South Asian region, a report highlighted on Saturday. “This year’s parliamentary election in Nepal — the first after the Gen Z-led violent protest that toppled the previous government in Sep…
New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) China has stepped up efforts as a global peace broker with initiatives on a possible stop to the United States-Iran war and the Afghan-Pakistan armed conflict, even as Islamabad’s offer to host players involved in the West Asian theatre gains ground, raising questions over current relations between the “all-weather friends.” It was perhaps not a coincidence that Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar rushed to Beijing two days after b…
Kathmandu, April 1 (IANS) Nepal has witnessed the impact of the ongoing West Asia crisis as the number of foreign tourist arrivals from Europe, the Americas, West Asia, and Africa has dropped sharply in March, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said on Wednesday. The conflict has been ongoing since February 28, when the US and Israel launched a military attack on Iran. Its fallout is being felt across the world, with travel restrictions and rising prices affecting the entire global economy.Usually, N…
Kabul, April 1 (IANS) UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has criticised the continued ban preventing Afghan women from accessing United Nations offices, terming the policy discriminatory and unjustifiable, local media reported on Wednesday. Bennett on Tuesday called for lifting restriction on Afghan women’s access to UN premises, warning that it showcases a serious attack on women’s rights and ability to work. Bennett joined 27 other UN expert…