With temperatures already topping 40 degrees Celsius in many places and a weak monsoon forecast, southern Asia is likely to suffer through yet another recording-breaking summer
April, 2017
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2 April
Pakistan Ranked Happiest Country in South Asia
Pakistan is ranked as the happiest country in South Asia. Israel in Middle East, Uzbekistan in Central Asia, Costa Rica in Central and South America and Algeria in Africa are ranked happiest countries in their respective regions in the 2017 World Happiness Report.
April, 2016
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25 April
Tough Time Ahead for Bhutan’s Hydropower
Flash floods, sediment deposits and low river levels could make trouble for the Himalayan country’s dam plans – the bedrock of its green economy.
February, 2016
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16 February
Bhutan Diversifies its Renewables with Wind Turbines
Bhutan is developing wind and solar to reduce its reliance on hydropower and reduce electricity imports every winter.
July, 2015
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19 July
Democracy Still Taking Roots in Bhutan
From the very beginning, Bhutan took an unusual path to democracy. It was decreed by the Fourth King as his ‘gift’ to the nation. But although his citizens could not refuse the gift, the question of whether they have fully accepted it remains unanswered.
January, 2015
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3 January
Bhutan’s Restive Indian Neighborhood
Political turbulence and separatist violence in the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal are impacting the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, notes one Bhutanese analyst.
November, 2014
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8 November
South Asia’s March Towards Ultra-populism
In each South Asian country, the no-go areas of discourse are proliferating rather than decreasing as the state establishments deploy ultra-populism. In response, the intelligentsia cowers, the “opinion-makers” are dehumanized as they take to weighing what to say and what to leave unsaid.
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6 November
Bhutan: The Indian Army’s Front Line
Strategically located, the tiny Himalayan country is at the center of growing tensions between India and China.
September, 2014
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6 September
South Asia Needs to Face up to Water and Energy Dilemma
South Asia’s water and energy crises are deeply intertwined. Growing energy demand drives water shortages and lack of water fuels power outages. Regional cooperation – such as power trading between countries – could ease tightening resource constraints but such solutions have been largely scuppered by political suspicions.
May, 2014
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31 May
Minorities’ Future in Bhutan’s Emerging Democracy
Bhutan’s ethnic minorities have suffered profound mistreatment. The country is at the start of a long path towards democracy. It is too early to predict if that path, even if straight and smooth, will permit a space for reflections on the wrongs done to Nepali-Bhutanese and other ethnic minorities and, even more importantly, ways to remedy them.