A joint delegation of Turkish and Qatari officials is in Kabul as both countries try to explore the possibility of jointly running five airports in Afghanistan with the ruling Taliban
ISRO Needs a Rejig - Before Success Becomes its Biggest Constraint
India now has companies capable of manufacturing rockets, satellites, electronics, structures and other space hardware. New private space companies are developing technologies at a speed that would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago.
India’s First Private Orbital Satellite Launch: Need to Transform 'Private' Milestone Into Enduring Instrument of National Power
Beijing had regional dominance (e.g., the Shanghai Xingshu LEO projects). India has built a counter-weight. It now offers competitive, on-demand orbital routing through NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, and IN-SPACe, its regulator.
Closing South Asia’s Mental Health Gap With AI: It can Improve Access, Reduce Delay and Connect More People
For people with mild to moderate distress, an AI-assisted system could provide brief, structured support based on evidence-based psychological techniques. For high-risk cases such as suicidal thoughts, psychotic symptoms, or acute trauma, the system should immediately refer the person to a human professional or a trained community health worker.
AI for Every Nepali: Jobs, Prosperity and Nepal’s Next Development Leap
Nepal does not need to become Silicon Valley. It does not need to copy India, China, Singapore or Canada. Nepal needs an AI strategy rooted in its own realities: young talent, hydropower potential, local problems, growing IT services, tourism, agriculture, small businesses and a global diaspora.
More on AI, Tech and Innovation
Pakistan railways’ total losses touch $6 billion; political neglect, unprofessional heads, mismanagement behind slide
Once a lifeline for the people of the subcontinent, the part of railways that went to Pakistan now stares at a bleak future
World Bank approves $500 million loans to Bangladesh for modernising power distribution
The World Bank on Wednesday approved $500 million in loans to Bangladesh for expanding, modernizing, and sustainably transforming the country's electricity distribution system
Tea for oil: Sri Lanka signs deal with Iran to clear over $250 million oil dues
Sri Lanka has signed a tea for oil deal with Iran, allowing the former to settle its huge pending oil imports dues worth over $250 million, by exporting tea to Tehran over the next several months
Maldives inches closer to its 2021 target of 1.3 million tourists
The Maldives is all set to achieve its tourist footfall target of 1.3 million in the year 2021 as it witnessed remarkable growth in recent months
Pakistan to get $252 million in loan from Islamic Development Bank
Cash-strapped Pakistan, staring at a major economic crisis with mounting inflation and yawning fiscal deficit, will soon receive $250 million in loans from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) which has cleared two proposals for loans to be used for dam construction in Pakistan and vaccine procurements
Pakistan's current account deficit at a three-year high, records $1.9 billion in November
In what seems a troubling sign for the already struggling economy, Pakistan in November recorded a whopping $1.9 billion deficit in its current account—the highest in the last 40 months—as the authority struggled to contain ballooning import bills, which outpaced growth in exports and inward remittance flow
Fitch downgrades Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating to ‘CC’; Colombo says ‘hasty’ move
Fitch Ratings has downgraded Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating to ‘CC’ from ‘CCC’ and warned there is an increased probability of Colombo defaulting on its external debt obligations unless it receives additional external financing
Pakistan, China firms to bolster ties in agriculture, food processing and embroidery
Pakistani and Chinese enterprises have expressed their intention to cooperate in the deep processing of potato starch at an online business-matching meeting jointly held by the Ruzhou International Trade Enterprise Association and the trade mission of the Embassy of Pakistan, Beijing
Under SASEC, Bangladesh to boost capacities of land ports to increase trade with neighbours
To increase trade with its neighbouring countries at a sub-regional level, Bangladesh will upgrade three land ports--Akhaura, Sonamasjid and Tamabil-- to international standards, according to a plan made by Bangladesh Land Port Authority
HCL America accused of wage discrimination, law violation
The US Department of Labor has been asked to investigate claims that HCL America, a subsidiary of India’s third-largest IT outsourcing firm generating 63% of its $11 billion in revenue in the United States, systematically violated the law by paying its H-1B workers much less than its US employees with similar skills and doing the same work
World Bank approves USD 3.51M grant for Bhutan for climate resilience and better public service delivery
Bhutan and the World Bank have signed a USD 3.51 million grant financing agreement to improve risk-informed decision making and development planning in targeted sectors, leading to better public service delivery
Bhutan to expand agricultural export market
Bhutan, which currently exports all of its farm produce to India and neighboring countries, has been making efforts to expand export markets for its agricultural produce
India's Adani Group to develop 1,000 MW wind power project in Sri Lanka's Mannar
India’s Adani Group, owned by Ahmedabad-based business tycoon Gautam Adani, is to develop a 1,000 MW wind power project in Mannar in Sri Lanka, valued at over $ 1 billion
Pakistan receives $3 bn bailout from Saudi Arabia
The State Bank of Pakistan has received a much-awaited $3 billion deposit from the Saudi Fund for Development
