by Jahangir Shah inProthom Alo, December 20, 2023China has become the fourth largest source of foreign loans in Bangladesh thanks to the latter’s growing interest. Japan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) now precede China in terms of loan disbursements. Currently, Bangladesh sources nearly 10 per cent of its total annual borrowings from China, with at least $1 billion disbursed annually over the last two years. Bangladesh has registered a surge in…
Posts tagged as “development”
by Kamran Yousaf in The Express Tribune, Dec 1st, 2023ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sent a clear message to the Afghan Taliban government that any future attacks having links to the neighbouring country would evoke a strong response, sources familiar with the development have said. Sources said the warning was conveyed through diplomatic channels after the recent attack in Bannu carried out by an Afghan national. This was the 16th suicide attack carried out by a national…
Report in TOLOnews Online, Nov 07, 2023 at 9:26 PMMullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy PM for economic affairs, in his meeting with Energy and Agricultural Jihad ministers of Iran, emphasized the development of political, economic, and commercial relations with Tehran. The office of the Deputy PM for economic affairs wrote on X that Abdul Ghani Baradar in a meeting with Iran’s Energy minister mentioned the visit of the Iranian delegation from the Helmand River…
by Prithvi Man Shrestha in The Kathmandu Post,Nov 7, 2023Nepal continues to remain among the lowest-ranked countries in South Asia in terms of human development even though the country has made rapid progress in the last few decades, a United Nations report says. Nepal’s human development index (HDI) value in 2021 stood at 0.602 which is third worst after the war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is also facing an economic crisis lately, according to the…
Report in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 2, 2023Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that an understanding has been reached between the major parties on the transitional justice process. The development comes on the day United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres also strongly pitched for an early conclusion of the peace process during his four-day Nepal visit. Speaking to media persons at a tea reception organised by the CPN-UML on Wednesday, Dahal said that the…
By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Nov 1, 2023Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, yesterday (31) alleged that the country had been deprived of foreign exchange to the tune of billions of USD over the past three decades due to the failure on the part of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) to establish a system to sell hydrographic maps for ships entering Sri Lankan waters. Addressing the media at his office…
report in The Island, Oct 30, 2023Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has warned that the two housing projects funded by China for the benefit of low income families could be jeopardised over a continuing dispute between the Colombo Municipal Council and the Urban Development Authority (UDA). According to a spokesperson for the Urban Development and Housing Ministry, the Chief Government Whip has directed the CMC and the UDA to resolve their differences soon…
by Shahbaz Rana in The Express Tribune, Oct 17th, 2023.ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal development spending has come to a grinding halt as a mere Rs57 billion, or equal to 6% of annual budget, was spent during the first quarter of this fiscal year, which delayed the execution of some crucial projects but compensated for fiscal slippages in other areas. Half of the total amount, or Rs23 billion, was spent on parliamentarians’ schemes during the July-September quarter…
report in Colombo Gazette, Oct 8, 2023The Government is keen to go ahead with a systematic development plan for the Trincomalee Port prepared by a Singaporean company, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said today. President Ranil Wickremesinghe unveiled an ambitious 10-year initiative aimed at boosting agriculture and tourism in the Eastern Province, with a particular focus on the development of Trincomalee. He highlighted plans to harness the untapped potential of the Mahaweli A and B zones in…
by Mubarak Zeb Khan in Dawn, Oct 8th, 2023• Transit cargo grows in the second year of Taliban rule• Cargo flow jumps 39pc, number of containers up from 74,316 last year to 102,886 in FY23• Cargo value soars from $4bn to $6.7bn, up 67pc • Smuggling-prone items surge 63pc to $3.7bnISLAMABAD: In a significant development since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the flow of Afghan transit cargoes has witnessed a substantial surge in one year.…
Pakistan’s imperative for pragmatic diplomacy and economic resilience
by Sayyeda Aqsa Sajjad in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2023.The writer is a Research Associate at NUST Institute of Policy StudiesWithin the complex framework of international geopolitics, recent developments most notably the outcomes of the Xi-Biden summit highlight the necessity for nations such as Pakistan to reevaluate their economic and foreign policy approaches. The evolving dynamics within the Asia-Pacific region and the prominent competition between major powers, notably the United States and China, necessitate…