Category : As We Heard

It’s been a blink and miss kind of tenure for British high commissioner to India Sir Philip Barton. Less than a month since he presented his credentials to President Ram Nath Kovind, he’s now packing his bags to return home not because of any diplomatic spat or ‘illness’. The reason is a happy one—he’s been […]Read More

The Covid19 pandemic which has forced many nations to curtail international flights has come with its own set of challenges for Indian diplomats headed for postings abroad or back home to headquarters. How do you reach the city where you’re posted if there is no special flight of Air India under the government’s Vande Bharat […]Read More

Beards come in all shapes and sizes. There was a time in India when actor Kabir Bedi’s beard was sought to be emulated. In the present day, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s sparse scraggy beard is known to be widely admired. Not so in Bangladesh, where the luxuriant beards Muslims are known to cultivate now […]Read More

The crackdown on Chinese apps knocks off $18 billion from their revenue flow. Add to that Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari’s threat that he will ensure Chinese companies are kept out of highway projects, it could add up to the loss of another $20 billion. To those who warn that India could lose out on Chinese […]Read More

There is a view that India’s decision on Chinese apps does not hurt the Chinese state, which is the real enemy. ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is a private Chinese company with other investors who will lose out. But again it doesn’t hurt the Chinese state. The other view is that private firms in China are […]Read More

Noted Pakistani scientist and activist Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, who has often been at odds with the state over his views critical of Islamic extremism, will lose his job as professor at Lahore’s Forman Christian College. The Pakistani media reported that his contract will not be renewed from next year. This comes at a time fundementalist […]Read More

China will not seek Pakistan’s aid in any conflict with India, say senior military officers who have served on the northern and eastern frontiers.  That would amount to a “severe loss of face” for a power like China to be seeking Pakistani help in taking on India. Nor will China come to Pakistan’s aid in […]Read More

Residents of Pak Occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been denied the right to information, says a petition filed in the Mirpur High Court. It faults the local government for not constituting an information tribunal and for not appointing information officers in government departments and public undertakings. The petition filed by Zafar Mughal claiming to be […]Read More

China’s insecurity over the Xinjiang-Tibet highway may be one of the reasons that triggered the standoff in Ladakh. Sources told StratNews Global that the 2000-km highway which runs through Aksai Chin is about 70-80 km from the current Line of Actual Control (LAC). China’s military brass is reported to believe that given the flat terrain […]Read More

Nepal’s grandstanding over a constitutional amendment that would ‘incorporate’ Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura has impressed no one in Delhi. The view is Nepal can go ahead with its amendment but the territories will continue to remain in India. Lipulekh/Kalapani is important because these provide entry into Tibet (apart from facilitating pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash). […]Read More