Singapore, July 25 (IANS) Bangladesh has witnessed a rise in hardline religious rhetoric across online platforms and public discourse following the 2024 protests that ousted the country’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, paving the way for greater political space for Islamist actors, a report has stated. The repatriation of two Bangladeshi construction workers from Singapore earlier this month over extremist social media posts has brought renewed attention to concerns over the spread and w…
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Islamabad, July 25 (IANS) Pakistan enters FY2026 still classified by the World Bank as a lower-middle-income country, and it sits within the Bank’s “blend” category, a status that gives Islamabad access to both concessional financing from the International Development Association (IDA) and near-market lending from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), according to an analysis.On paper, that dual access should give Pakistan more room than most developing economies to i…
Kathmandu, July 24 (IANS) Nepal’s public debt has increased more than fourfold over the past decade as the country borrowed heavily to cope with the impact of two major crises — the 2015 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic.According to statistics released by the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), Nepal’s public debt reached NPR 2.974 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2025-26, which ended in mid-July, up from NPR 697.68 billion at the end of fiscal year 2016-17, representing a 4.26-fold in…
Chennai, July 21 (IANS) The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has ordered a comprehensive review of the cost estimates for 90 projects announced in the Greater Chennai Corporation’s 2026-27 Budget after finding that the projected expenditure for several schemes may have been significantly higher than actual market costs.The move follows a preliminary examination of a procurement proposal involving printers for Corporation-run schools.The civic budget had earmarked Rs 60 lakh to purchas…
Islamabad, July 20 (IANS) The future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) hinges on Islamabad’s readiness to build genuine trust, abandon terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and pursue constructive engagements with India, a report has stated. India placed the IWT in abeyance following the heinous Pahalgam terror attack last year by Pakistan-backed terrorists that killed 26 innocent civilians.According to a report in The Global Kashmir, durable agreements endure not merely because they are …
Islamabad, July 19 (IANS) The water dispute between Pakistan’s provinces of Sindh and Balochistan escalated as three Balochistan ministers participated in a farmers’ protest at Sukkur Barrage, accusing Sindh of diverting their allocated share of water and stressed that farmers are facing financial stress due to prolonged shortages, local media reported on Sunday. The ministers called on the Sindh government to act against what they termed the theft of Balochistan’s water share through unauthoris…
Chennai, July 19 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has initiated an independent environmental and social audit of 28 major water supply and underground sewerage projects being implemented across 21 urban local bodies, while also commissioning a dedicated study on manual scavenging and hazardous sewer-cleaning practices as part of its urban infrastructure reforms. The projects are being executed under the Tamil Nadu Climate Resilient Urban Development Programme (TNCRUDP), a six-year World Bank-ass…
Pune, July 18 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that Pune is on track to become a premier global hub for Deep Tech and Global Capability Centres (GCCs), positioning itself as the country’s leading modern city and “Growth Engine” by 2030. Speaking at the foundation stone‑laying ceremony for three major elevated corridor projects, Pune–Shirur, Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur, and Hadapsar–Yavat, at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, the Chief Minister emphasised the…
Kathmandu, July 18 (IANS) The Nepali government has prepared a draft amendment to the Public Debt Management Act that would allow it to issue government debt instruments denominated in foreign currency for the first time. “The Public Debt Management Office may issue government securities, through auction or other prescribed methods, denominated in either domestic or foreign currency, in a manner that allows them to be purchased by domestic or foreign individuals or entities,” the draft bill …
Dhaka, July 17 (IANS) Bangladesh cannot achieve its goal of becoming an upper-middle-income , investment-driven economy while keeping education sector out of the national development strategy, a report has detailed citing various analysts. Recently, Bangladesh’s Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said that around 70 lakh students are currently enrolled in nearly 25,000 Qawmi madrasas in the country. Furthermore, around 14 lakh students study in more than 9,000 Alia madrasas, while signif…