South Asia and Beyond

Subrat Nanda

At six feet and over, cool, calm and always collected. Never a hair out of place. He is the high priest of editorial facts, grammar is his baby and headlines are meat on the bone. Loves samosas and cricket, tracks Twitter and when in his cups, nothing better than Jagjit Singh’s ghazals.

After Sneakers & Shoes, Why Is Brand Trump Selling Bibles?

Former US President Donald Trump is now selling Bibles as he runs to return to the White House. In a video released on his Truth Social platform, Trump, who is the presumptive Republican nominee, has released a video urging supporters to buy what he called “God Bless the USA Bible,” which is inspired by country […]Read More

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Police Had 90 Seconds To Stop Traffic

BALTIMORE: It was the middle of the night when a dispatcher’s warning crackled over the radio: A massive cargo ship had lost its steering capabilities and was heading toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Within about 90 seconds, police officers responded that they had managed to stop vehicle traffic over the Baltimore bridge in both […]Read More

Why Has Japan Eased Weapons Export Rules?

Japan has green-lighted a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets to other countries, its latest move from the pacifist principles the country adopted at the end of the Second World War. The decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in a year-old project to develop a new fighter […]Read More

China Files Complaint With WTO Over Biden’s EV Plans

BEIJING: China has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the US over what it says are discriminatory requirements for electric vehicle subsidies. In a statement posted online, the Chinese commerce ministry said that the US formulated discriminatory subsidy policies for new energy vehicles in the name of responding to climate change. […]Read More

Moscow Attack: Two Gunmen Came To Russia From Turkey?

MOSCOW: A senior Turkish security official confirmed on Tuesday that two of the assailants involved in the Moscow attack had spent a “short amount of time” in Turkey before travelling together to Russia on March 2. One of the attackers entered Turkey on February 20, checked into a hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district the next […]Read More

Baltimore Adds To A Long List Of US Bridge Collapses

A container ship struck the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday, causing it to break and plunge into the river below. From 1960 to 2015, there have been 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from the […]Read More

Netanyahu Meets Blinken, Says Rafah Offensive Will Happen

On the last leg of his sixth visit to West Asia since the Israel-Hamas war began, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli War Cabinet in Tel Aviv on Friday. Blinken reaffirmed US commitment to Israel’s security and the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah. He discussed efforts to […]Read More

Rafah Offensive: Can US Persuade Netanyahu?

It is US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s sixth visit to West Asia in less than six months, since the Israel-Hamas war began. A trip to Riyadh, a meeting with Arab foreign ministers, Palestinian officials and of course destination Tel Aviv. The immediate priority is to bring about a ceasefire and release of hostages held […]Read More

Modi Receives Bhutan’s Highest Honour, Hails Gelephu Project

On Friday, Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit a foreign country in 15 years, after the dates for general elections were announced. On his third trip to Bhutan since he took charge nearly a decade ago, Modi was received by his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay at Paro and accorded a ceremonial […]Read More

Leo Varadkar, The Irish Doctor Prime Minister Who Quit

Not many had expected this announcement from Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar. My reasons for resigning are both personal and political, he said without any further clarification. It comes less than a week after he met President Joe Biden and spoke on the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages […]Read More

Why PM Narendra Modi’s Upcoming Bhutan Visit Is Special

For the first time in 15 years, in the middle of an election campaign, an Indian prime minister will embark on a foreign trip. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is off to Bhutan even though his Bhutanese counterpart Dasho Tshering Tobgay has just wound up a five-day India visit. The story is Tshering extended an invitation […]Read More

How US Sees North Korea And Nuclear Ambitions Of Kim Jong Un

As North Korea unveiled its new battle tank, Kim Jong Un was literally on top. The occasion was a training match involving the tank units of the Korean People’s Army. The match was aimed at strictly inspecting tankmen’s actual combat capabilities and making them familiar with combat methods on different tactical missions, state agency KCNA […]Read More