Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lavished praise on US President Donald Trump at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, crediting him with preventing a potential India-Pakistan war — even as he failed to secure a bilateral meeting with the American leader during his Washington visit.Even his meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department could not materialize. It is understood that the visiting Pakistan…
Latest South Asia News & Updates
Washington, Feb 18 (IANS) China’s expanding military footprint, economic leverage, and technology dominance are sharpening India’s strategic anxieties, top American and Indian experts told a U.S. congressional commission on Tuesday, warning that New Delhi’s rivalry with Beijing remains structural despite a recent diplomatic thaw. Testifying before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, academics, think tank experts, and former officials stated that the October 2024 diseng…
Dhaka, Feb 17 (IANS) India must exercise its economic and political strength to pursue a strategy of soft deterrence, blending preventive and re-engagement diplomacy, allowing it to negotiate with Bangladesh from a position of strength on both fronts. From safeguarding its interests to advancing them, the responsibility should rest on Dhaka, a report said on Tuesday. “The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has returned to power after decades, with strong electoral influence and numbers in the …
New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) Bangladesh has been ranked as the 13th lowest in the world with a score of 24 out of 100 in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 released by Transparency International (TI).This rank is one step lower, counted from the bottom, compared to 2024 and two points lower than Bangladesh’s overall average during 2012-2025. The country also remains the second lowest in South Asia, better than only Afghanistan. Besides, Bangladesh is globally in the lowest quintile…
New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) Artificial Intelligence (AI) models are improving at an unprecedented pace and the sector is set to witness exponential growth over the next three years, Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India and South Asia, said on Monday.Speaking at the “AI for Disaster Management: Anticipatory, Hyperlocal, Scalable” session during the AI Impact Summit 2026 here, Chandok said the speed at which AI has advanced in the last few months clearly shows how quickly the technology i…
Dhaka, Feb 14 (IANS) Despite emerging as the second-largest political force in the recently concluded Bangladesh’s 13th Parliamentary election, Jamaat-e-Islami failed to convert its numerical presence into meaningful political success. The paradox extends beyond contemporary electoral dynamics rooted in the party’s historical choices, ideological rigidity, and its controversial role during some of the “most traumatic chapters” of South Asian Muslim history, a report said on Saturday.Accordin…
Washington, Feb 14 (IANS) Calling the outcome “a good day for Bangladeshi democracy,” former White House South Asia official Lisa Curtis said the largely peaceful conduct of Bangladesh’s elections offers hope, but warned that the rise of Jamaat-e-Islami and deep institutional damage leave “a lot of questions” ahead.“Well, I think today is a good day for Bangladeshi democracy,” Curtis told IANS in an exclusive interview as the results of the elections showed a remarkable victory for…
Washington, Feb 13 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Friday, congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its leader Tarique Rahman following their election victory, signaling Washington’s readiness to engage the new government in Dhaka. “Congratulations to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its leader, Tarique Rahman, as well as the people of Bangladesh,” Rubio said in a post on social media platform X.”The United States looks forward to working with the newly elected g…
Panaji, Feb 13 (IANS) Director General of Indian Coast Guard Paramesh Sivamani on Friday inaugurated a waterjet production and testing facility in Goa, marking a significant milestone in India’s pursuit of maritime Aatmanirbharta, a statement said. With this advanced production and testing facility under the Manufacturing and Transfer of Technology framework, India becomes the third country globally, after the US and South Korea, to host such a facility, it said.The newly inaugurated facili…
New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) India is in the first group of AI-ready nations, with systematic progress across all five layers of the AI architecture applications, models, chips, infrastructure and energy, an official document said on Thursday.India is at the forefront of an AI-led transformation, where technology is driving productivity, innovation, and job creation. “India has one of the youngest workforces in the world, with over 65 per cent of the population under 35. This large, tech savvy tal…