The geopolitics in the Bangladesh election results

  Bangladesh held its national elections on January 7, 2024 amidst violence and protests as the polls became embroiled in controversy. The ruling Awami League and allies achieved a resounding victory by getting 225 out of the 300 contested seats. The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose leader and former Prime Minister… Read More

Elections in Bangladesh: Why both India and China are backing Sheikh Hasina

    Fifty-two years after independence, Bangladesh is at an inflection point, both economically and geopolitically. Its increasing economic importance — a $400 billion economy that grew at 7.1% in 2022 — has attracted the interest of major powers who see the country’s growth and stability and partnerships with it as crucial to advancing their… Read More

Here’s how we can save the planet and keep the economy growing

    With Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the launch of the green credit initiative at COP28, the urgency of equitable and inclusive green energy transitions can hardly be overstated. Under this scheme, green credits will be attributed to pro environmental activities and treated as tradable commodities. These credits can then be sold on domestic market platforms…. Read More

2023 was the hottest in 125,000 years. But it won’t be the last

  Link:https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247836/2023-was-hottest-125000-years-it-wont-be-last _____________________________________ Last year was humanity’s hottest in at least 125,000 years. However, with warming trends predicted, it may turn out to be merely an average year rather than an anomaly. Last November, with the Cop28 UN climate summit commencing, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) affirmed what already seemed inevitable – that 2023 would… Read More

Elections shine a spotlight on Delhi-Dhaka ties

  As Bangladesh prepares for its 12th parliamentary polls on January 7, speculation abounds on the impact of the election outcome on Dhaka’s relationship with Delhi. From historic landmarks such as the 2015 land boundary agreement to lows during 2001-2006, when a coalition led by the current Opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was… Read More

A Delhi-Dhaka duet for the present and future

  In late November, Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen met his Indian counterpart Vinay Kwatra in Delhi for this year’s second Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). Since this is likely the last high-level meeting before both countries head for elections, a sober reflection of the past 15 years of Indo-Bangladesh relations — since the Awami… Read More

Climate change: water scarcity is fuelling new crises across Asia

Link: https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3242192/climate-change-water-scarcity-fuelling-new-crises-across-asia As climate change depletes freshwater resources critical for human and ecological survival, the world faces an escalating water crisis. Droughts, heatwaves and glacial melt are exacerbating water scarcity globally. According to Unicef, more than 2 billion people already lack access to safe drinking water and 4 billion face severe water scarcity for at… Read More

U.K. summit shows why the U.N. should take lead on AI issues

  Link:https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/U.K.-summit-shows-why-the-U.N.-should-take-lead-on-AI-issues# The AI Safety Summit convened two weeks ago by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was supposed to align interested international parties on questions of setting ground rules around the development of artificial intelligence. But while Sunak hailed the summit in Milton Keynes and its resulting declaration as “world first” breakthroughs and the summit included… Read More

Our AI-driven healthcare future needs one vital ingredient – the human touch

Artificial intelligence in healthcare is increasingly an important topic, and one that will be discussed at the World Health Summit next week in Berlin. AI has the potential to improve patient outcomes but it also poses risks – from data collection and use to biases that can skew patient outcomes. By 2025, more than US$30… Read More

Innovation and Competitiveness: GTIPA Summit, 2023