South Asia and Beyond

Surya Gangadharan

Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.

French Imam Deported To Tunisia For Describing Tricolour As ‘Satanic’ And Of ‘No Value to Allah’

France has expelled an Imam after he described the French tricolour as “satanic” and of “no value with Allah.”  France24 reports that Interior minister Gerald Darmanin announced his expulsion saying, “The radical Imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi has been expelled from the national territory, less than 12 hours after his arrest. We will not let people get away […]Read More

Canada: Police Arrest Two Teens In Shooting Incident, Reject ‘Foreign’ Role Claim

Police in Surrey, British Columbia in Canada have denied reports of “foreign interference” in a shooting that targeted the residence of one Simranjeet, associate of the late Khalistani extremist Hardeep Nijjar. Pro-Khalistani groups like the Sikhs for Justice had alleged an Indian hand given that Simranjeet had helped organize a demonstration outside the Indian consulate […]Read More

‘NYT Reports On Biden’s Age Upset White House’

“We are going to report fully and fairly, not just on Donald Trump but also on President Joe Biden. He is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office. We’ve reported on both these realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it.” That was AG Suzlberger, […]Read More

Is China ‘Stealing’ Taiwan’s Chipmaking Technology?

Taiwan’s top diplomat in the US has accused China of ‘cheating’ and ‘stealing’ technologies for making semiconductor chips. Alexander Yui in an interview to Reuters, picked up by Indo-Pacific News – GeopPolitics & Defense News, he was quoted as claiming that China was trying to rival Taiwan’s prowess in semiconductors through dishonest means, including intellectual […]Read More

Imran Tried To Create A Chasm Between Army And The People

The late ‘great’ Soviet leader Josef Stalin is known to have said: “It doesn’t matter who votes or how many votes, what matters is who counts.” In Pakistan the army ‘counted’ the votes in a limited number of constituencies to ensure the kind of divided result they have got, says Tilak Devasher in a conversation […]Read More