"Chinese dam concerns raise fears of future water conflict" SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 05 September, 2013Beijing's coyness over hydro plans for Tibet's Yarlung Zangbo sparks mistrust from India over downstream impact on Brahmaputra.The sensitive issue of water sharing between China and India is again under the spotlight.India raised its longstanding concerns about Chinese dam construction on rivers that start in China and flow into the sub-continent at the 5th round of the India-China strategic dialogue in New Delhi last month.
The acceptance of feasibility of BRICS Development Bank at recently concluded Fifth BRICS Summit at Durban has sent a shivering effect on a certain section who criticise the very idea.
On August 26, a prominent jihadist ideologue affiliated with al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mufti Abu Zar al-Burmi (hereafter Abu Zar), issued a congratulatory statement praising the Taliban for reestablishing Islamic rule in Afghanistan. While he vehemently criticized Islamic State (IS) for its hasty and brutal method of establishing the caliphate, he complimented the Taliban for its battlefield prowess, strict adherence to religious principles, and dedication to Islamic Sharia.
Infectious disease and related health concerns have rarely found a place in the national security discourse in the past. Of late, the issue has assumed prominence and managed to enter into the national security debate. Disease spread poses a threat to human security and national security.
Against the backdrop of ineffectiveness of the UN in diffusing West Asia and Eurasia conflicts, failure to adopt a global pact on plastic pollution, and over and above all, the rise of unilateral trade protectionism, the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has concluded its two-day (August 31 - September 1) high-profile 25th Summit in Tianjin, China.