South Asia and Beyond

Ashwin Ahmad

Traveller, bibliophile and wordsmith with a yen for international relations. A journalist and budding author of short fiction, life is a daily struggle to uncover the latest breaking story while attempting to be Hemingway in the self-same time. Focussed especially on Europe and West Asia, discussing Brexit, the Iran crisis and all matters related is a passion that endures to this day. Believes firmly that life without the written word is a life best not lived. That’s me, Ashwin Ahmad.

Attacks On Tajiks Rise In The Aftermath Of Moscow Terror Attack

Tajik-born migrants are facing increased attacks in Russia in the aftermath of the Moscow terror attack which killed 140 people last week. The attack was traced to four Tajik nationals who were believed to have been working for the Islamic State (ISIS) which has claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, while President Putin has claimed […]Read More

Hungarian PM Rocked By Public Protests Over Grafts Leak Case

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban faced a show of public dissent as thousands of people took to the streets demanding that he resign. According to a Reuters report, the protests come after a foreign government insider accused Orban’s senior aide of trying to interfere in a graft case. The crisis erupted after Peter Magyar, a […]Read More

Are US Sanctions Finally Crippling Russia’s Oil Payments?

Russia may now be facing a payment crisis regarding the delivery of its crude oil according to a Reuters report. The report states that US sanctions on Moscow are now making banks in China, Turkey, and the UAE more cautious resulting in pending payments for Moscow. The US, EU, and the UK, have issued new […]Read More

New Zealand Accuses Chinese ‘State-Sponsored’ Hackers Of Targeting Parliament

New Zealand’s security minister has claimed that the Chinese government launched a state-sponsored hacking operation targeting its parliament in 2021. The allegations come just one day after the US and UK had accused China of hacking journalists, officials and pro-democracy activists among others. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and […]Read More

Baltimore Maritime Disaster: How Did This Catastrophe Happen?

The worst maritime disaster of 2024 and could four Indians be responsible?  That’s the million-dollar question as emergency crews, fire-fighters and diving teams struggle to contain the disaster caused by the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali ramming into the Francis Scott Key bridge sited over Maryland’s Patapasco River early this morning.  The entire bridge collapsed. According […]Read More

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh Visits Iran Post UN Resolution On Gaza

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is visiting Tehran on Tuesday, said Iran’s official news agency IRNA. This is only his second visit to Tehran since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on Oct 7. Local reports say he is scheduled to meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Haniyeh’s visit comes after the recent UN Security Council resolution […]Read More

India Supports Philippines In Upholding Its Sovereignty, Says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India “firmly supported” the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty. The remarks by the minister came in response to a question during a joint press conference with his Filipino counterpart Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Enrique Manalo. “We are also convinced that the progress and prosperity […]Read More