South Asia and Beyond

Massoud Calls For New Anti-Taliban Political Front

Afghan insurgent group leader Ahmad Massoud has urged the diaspora to unite to find a “political” solution to end Taliban rule, describing his appeal as the beginning of a “new phase”. Massoud, who heads the National Resistance Front (NRF), an armed group waging an insurgency in Afghanistan’s northern Panjshir Valley, said it was time to […]Read More

Unacceptable: Islamic Emirate Blasts U.S. Move On Afghan Fund

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has reacted sharply to the U.S. move to transfer $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets into a new Swiss-based trust fund that will be shielded from the Islamic Emirate and used to help stabilize Afghanistan’s economy. The Afghan foreign ministry called the creation of the fund unacceptable, as reported […]Read More

Sri Lanka Ex-President Sirisena Named Suspect In Terror Case

A court in Colombo has summoned former President Maithripala Sirisena to appear before it on October 14 in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Based on a private complaint filed by Rev. Father Cyril Gamini and Jesudasan Nadesan, a victim of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued a notice naming […]Read More

Ignoring Afghanistan Would Be A Big Mistake: Pak PM

It would be a big mistake to ignore Afghanistan this time around, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif said at the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) heads of state in Samarkand. At the outset of his address, the premier deviated from the text of his speech as he talked about Afghanistan, reported ‘Dawn’. “As you know Pakistan […]Read More

Connectivity To Central Asia: PM Modi’s Jibe At Pakistan

SAMARKAND: The summit of the heads of state of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan has ended and the rotating presidency of the bloc has been handed over to India which will host the gathering next year. Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the import of land connectivity to Central Asia and, without […]Read More

PM Modi’s Signals To China, Pakistan, The World As India Takes Over 2023 SCO Presidency

New Delhi: On ‘Talking Point’, Ambassador P.S. Raghavan, Chairman, National Security Advisory Board and India’s Former Envoy to Russia in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi. For the first time since the deadly border standoff between China and India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came face-to-face with China’s President Xi Jinping at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Despite […]Read More

Can Jio Walk Its Talk And Deliver Affordable 5G To 100 Million Homes Without Compromising Quality?

NEW DELHI: Addressing the 45th annual general meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Mukesh Ambani, the company’s chairman, made a big promise: Launching Jio’s 5G operations by Diwali, And audaciously once again, Ambani promised to dare commercial boundaries and roll out “highly affordable fixed broadband services to hundreds of millions of locations in a […]Read More

‘SCO Will Be The Game Changer In International Politics’

SAMARKAND: The SCO heads of state summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan takes place at a time of enormous geo-political contestation. The Ukraine war, its economic impact and China’s seeming inexorable rise has severely tested the international order and long standing relationships are being questioned.   In this chat on The Gist, Prof. Ulugh Beg of the […]Read More

Another Round Of Disengagement At LAC: Why Now & What Next?

NEW DELHI: India and China announced last week that their troops will disengage from Patrolling Point-15 ((PP-15) in the Gogra-Hot Springs area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. This comes after a year-long impasse in talks between the two sides and a week before the SCO summit in Uzbekistan, which will be […]Read More

Japan’s Counter Strike Pledge During India 2+2 & Debate Over Nuclear Weapons A Clear Signal To China

New Delhi: On ‘The Gist‘, Professor Tomohiko Taniguchi, Former Special Advisor to Japan’s Ex-Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s Cabinet and the Former PM’s foreign policy speechwriter and Ambassador Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, Former India Envoy To Japan in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi. The panel discusses the Japan-India 2+2 meeting in Tokyo following […]Read More

From Security To Geopolitics: All About The SCO

NEW DELHI: On the 15th and 16th of this month, leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional bloc comprising eight member states, including India, Russia and China, will meet in person in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is scheduled on […]Read More

U.S. Halts F-35 Deliveries Over China-Made Component

The Pentagon has suspended deliveries of F-35 fighter jets after a component used in the plane’s engine was found to be sourced from China. Lockheed Martin, the U.S. company that builds the F-35s, said the component is a magnet on the plane’s turbomachine pumps which was made with a cobalt and samarium alloy that originated […]Read More

Up to $20 Billion: Pakistan Revises Flood Losses

The economic losses caused by the floods in Pakistan could range between $15 billion and $20 billion and the government fears up to 12 million more people will slip into poverty. According to a report compiled by the finance ministry, the losses could be more than double the initial estimates. While the direct loss to […]Read More

‘No Agreement Signed Between Sri Lankan Govt, IMF’

No agreement has been signed between the Sri Lankan Government and the IMF but an understanding has been reached, Leader of the House and Minister of Education Dr Susil Premajayantha has told Parliament. He was responding to questions by the Opposition on why the IMF agreement had not been tabled in the House. Discussions (with […]Read More

Pak Ex-PM Imran Khan To be Indicted In Contempt Case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will indict PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in contempt of court proceedings for passing controversial remarks against an additional district and sessions judge. A five-judge bench presided by Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued the verdict after calling Imran’s response “unsatisfactory”. Dawn reported that charges against the former […]Read More

Sri Lanka Begins Talks For $6 Bn Saudi Fuel Credit Line

Sri Lanka’s Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed has begun discussions with the Saudi government for a five-year credit line of US $6 billion per year for supply of fuel on a government to government basis, local media reported. Ahamed, who is also the Sri Lankan president’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, has proposed Saudi investments in Sri […]Read More

A Guide To Contemporary China

Ikea Bans Influencers From Store In a new fad on the Chinese internet, influencers have been dressing up like American high school students and posing in front of Ikea lockers in China. As more and more individuals hop on board the trend, the home furnishing retailer has allegedly banned all forms of photography in parts […]Read More

“Potent Projection Of Military Diplomacy, Make In India Tech, Battle Hardened Professionals”

New Delhi: On ‘Talking Point‘, Lt General C.P. Mohanty(Retd), Former Vice Chief of the Army Staff and Ex-Brigade Commander, MONUSCO, the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic(DR) of Congo in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi. Lt Gen Mohanty explains the background and context of India’s UN peacekeepers in the […]Read More