At present, there is a debate in India about the action to be taken against the Naxalities/Maoists who have increased their operations against the Indian government and civilians over the last few months. In the month of May, Naxalite attacks killed around 175 people including 29 security personnel. Prior to that in April, they carried […]
This is an update to an earlier blog post concerning the Burmese Junta’s nuclear ambitions and the aid it might be receiving from North Korea. Last year, the Japan Times ran an article on this topic, now Al-Jazeera has aired an investigative report. In the strategic footsteps of North Korea, Myanmar’s leaders are also building […]
Using data from population surveys from 1982 to 2005, an international group of researchers estimated that in Bangladesh, losing a mother implies that a child has about a 25% chance of reaching 10 years of age. The numbers speak for themselves. Those who did not lose their mothers had an 89% chance of reaching the […]
After 25 years and an alleged human toll of 25,000, an Indian court today convicted seven former Union Carbide (UC) officials of negligence for their role in the Bhopal gas tragedy. The former employees, all of them Indian, were sentenced to two years in prison and fined more than $2,200 each. The verdict has enraged […]
Jamaat-e-Islami has hitched up with the BNP again and has endorsed the much bandied program of strikes and protests against the sitting government. Jamaat has agreed to join the June 9th sit-in and has promised full-throated support of the planned late June “peoples” strike. Though the ostensible reason that a Jamaat spokesperson offered was “to […]
The government of Bangladesh has decided to unblock Facebook access. Even though the government has been more militantly aggressive with its stance on critical media projects and outlets, this outcome was inevitable. Facebook has no interest in witnessing more Muslim majority countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan block access to tens of millions of users–really, […]
The Daily Star reports that a little more than half the funds allocated for the annual budget has been spent in the nine months of the current fiscal year. The reason? The government had lower subsidy and interest payments this fiscal year than was projected. The Daily Star fails to report the reason why this […]
Bangladeshis observed a day of national mourning on Saturday to remember the 117 people who died in Thursday’s blaze in Dhaka’s old town. With the national flag flying at half mast, Bangladeshis of all stripes and beliefs joined in prayer and commemoration, unified in quiet and mannered grief. Now is the time for searching and […]
After all the pretty words, is the Obama Administration actually willing to walk the talk with some concrete policy choices when it comes to India?
The Daily Star reports the following grim news: At least 87 people, mostly women and children, were burned alive and scores more wounded in a blaze in the densely-populated Old Dhaka last night. The death toll may rise sharply, as rescuers early today were pulling out bodies from eight houses and 20 shops that had […]
The BNP is using the government shut down of the daily newspaper Amar Desh to good affect. Using a calculated show of protest against recent government actions, the BNP delegation joined a budgeting session only to walk out to signal disfavor of the government’s actions against the newspaper. Amar Desh often joins with the BNP […]
The government of Bangladesh recently announced that along with making secondary and tertiary education free for students in public institutions, it will put together a trust to provide scholarship stipends for high achieving students. This move, directed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ensures Bangladesh’s future as an innovating economy and stabilizes its export market for in-demand labor […]
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