Archives: Shortcuts

Mullah Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy chief and head of its political office in Doha, Qatar, is in Iran leading a delegation to “talk about relations between the two countries” and “the current political and security situation,” Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem announced on social media. Iran “has informed the Government of Afghanistan about the visit and […]Read More

When a 122 member strong tri-services contingent (it includes a band) from the Bangladesh armed forces participates in the Republic Day parade, its march down Rajpath will be redolent with nostalgia and a sense of deep bonding. It marks 50 years of Bangladesh’s liberation in which the Indian army fought alongside the Muktijoddhas. The Bangladesh […]Read More

As Joe Biden took charge as the 46th U.S. President, stock markets around the world soared, riding on his promise to rebuild the world’s largest economy and his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. Wall Street hit new records, with the three indices (Dow Jones, Nasdaq and S&P 500) posting all-time highs. Adding to the bullish sentiment was […]Read More

At the ripe old age of 91, former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur goes on trial over charges he used more than $3 million in kickbacks from an arms deal in 1991 to fund his presidential campaign. The case is known as the “Karachi Affair” as it involved the sale of submarines to Pakistan and […]Read More

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposed further sanctions on Iran, China and Cuba at a time when president-elect Joe Biden is looking to normalise ties with Iran and Cuba. With regard to China, Pompeo stated that the sanctions were in response to the massive round-up by the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong of 55 […]Read More

The announcement of elections by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas – after a gap of 15 years – come as no major surprise. According to a decree issued by Abbas’s office on Friday, the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, will hold legislative elections on May 22 and a presidential […]Read More

Less than a week before he takes over as U.S. President, Joe Biden has revealed a $1.9 trillion plan to boost the pandemic-ravaged economy. Called the ‘American Rescue Plan’, it includes direct payment of $1400 to each American. We have no time to waste when it comes to getting this virus under control and building […]Read More

Don’t go Merkel! That’s the message that Europe seems to be giving the German Chancellor as she enters the last year in office after which she will be stepping down. A Pew Research survey found that she polls 75 percent in the last year across nations – much higher than any other European or world […]Read More

The Coronavirus is back with a vengeance in China. Over 100 cases have been recorded, the highest daily rise in over five months. And that’s official in a country notorious for revealing less and concealing more, as was the case when it put out its first Covid infection a year ago. The National Health Commission […]Read More

Acceding to a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the Malaysian king has imposed a nationwide emergency till August 1. The government put forth the view that the move was needed to tackle a spike in Coronavirus cases that has strained the public health system. Imposition of emergency means Parliament and state legislatures have been […]Read More

Surprise, North Korea’s leader for life Kim Jong-Un has another addition to his expanding portfolio of titles: on Monday at the congress of the ruling Workers Party, he was anointed general secretary, a title also held by his later father Kim Jong-Il and his grandfather Kim Il-Sung. He is seen as consolidating his grip on […]Read More

The U.S. Congress will take up a resolution to impeach President Donald Trump later on Monday, the second time in less than two years, unless Vice President Mike Pence invokes the 25th amendment to remove him from office. The resolution will call upon Pence to convene the Cabinet, invoke the amendment and declare Trump “incapable […]Read More

Touted as the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, the Space Launch System (SLS) is all set for its final ‘hot fire’ engine test this Sunday. The rocket will one day take astronauts to the Moon and beyond, into deep space. In the final test before an uncrewed test flight later this year, the […]Read More

Saudi Arabia is already looking to a future beyond oil. Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman who has made no secret of diversifying the Kingdom’s economy away from its oil revenue has now – in the midst of the pandemic – introduced plans for a car-free, road-free city. The project which is called THE LINE is […]Read More

China’s state-controlled media bristled with indignation and anger as the U.S. lifted decades-old curbs on diplomatic contacts with Taiwan. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who made the announcement was accused of “seeking to maliciously inflict a long-lasting scar on China-U.S. ties”. A report in Xinhua said Pompeo “is only interested in stoking unwarranted confrontations, […]Read More

He has lost the elections and now Donald Trump has lost one of his favorite modes of communication. Twitter has permanently suspended his account “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” after his supporters stormed Capitol Hill earlier this week. On Thursday, Twitter suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours after he put up […]Read More

Is China-made Sinopharm vaccine unsafe? Shanghai-based Dr Tao Lina alleged in a post on Weibo (since deleted) that the vaccine had 73 side effects including “pain around the injection area, headache, high blood pressure, loss of vision and taste, urinary incontinence.” Dr Tao later apologised to the nation and his countrymen for his “imprudent comments”. […]Read More

It took Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan six days to travel to Quetta the capital of Balochistan province, to condole with the families of 10 miners belonging to the ethnic Hazara community who were slain, allegedly by the ISIS. Some say he was six days too late. He’s accused of being “heartless” and ‘callous” in […]Read More