Nepal’s Energy Dilemma: Hydropower Projects Run Into Citizen Protests
Nepal’s energy development roadmap signals bold ambitions and export agreements with India and Bangladesh, and international organizations say that Nepal is serious about becoming a regional energy powerhouse. From a macroeconomic perspective, for a landlocked country like Nepal, electricity has become its most viable strategic asset to improve trade imbalance, maintain foreign reserves and undertake infrastructure modernization. However, the backlash from provinces and local communities demonstrates that economic expansion alone cannot secure legitimacy
Argumentative Indian: Aiyar-Tharoor Debate Should Provoke Conversation Rather Than Separation
The Aiyar-Tharoor exchange has at least offered something rare in contemporary Indian politics: disagreement expressed in elegant prose rather than television shouting, screaming and even fistfights. In an age dominated by hashtags, studio debates and instant outrage, two politicians exchanging carefully argued letters feels almost like a throwback to a more civilised era. If Indian politics produced more such literary duels, readers/viewers might even begin to look forward to disagreements.
Will Bangladesh's New Government Shelve the July Charter?
Bangladesh stands at a decisive moment. The July Charter challenges the entrenched dominance that has defined its post-1991 political order. Whether it is implemented, diluted, or quietly sidelined will determine not only the balance of power among parties, but also the credibility of reformist politics in the country’s democratic future. If the BNP continues to delay or dilute implementation, and if tacit understandings emerge between the country’s two dominant parties, the reformist aspirations of the July movement may gradually lose momentum.
Witch-Hunting Persists in South Asia Targeting Vulnerable Women: Needed Stronger Protection Mechanisms
Social scientists argue that witch-hunting is a complex social phenomenon rooted not merely in superstition but in structural inequalities. Scholars studying rural India, including Surinder Jodhka, note that accusations of witchcraft often intersect with caste conflict, gender discrimination, and disputes over property or land. Elderly women, widows, and socially marginalized individuals frequently become easy targets because they lack protection within local power structures.
