For the first time in the 70-plus year history of the Miss Universe pageant, a contestant from Saudi Arabia will be making an appearance. Rumy Alqahtani, 27, announced her selection as the Saudi representative on her Instagram page and shared images of herself in a strapless sequined gown. Rumy is a dentist by training, a […]Read More
A question doing the rounds in media circles: could the visit of Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba have been better timed given last week’s terror strike in Russia and Moscow indicating possible links with Kyiv. As a senior former diplomat told StratNews Global, “Seeking postponement would be helpful but will create controversy as it will […]Read More
For India, says Sushant Sareen, many of the Taliban's practices are abhorrent, notably their treatment of women, lack of respect for education, and their attitude towards minorities. But these are not deal breakers. "It underscores the point that India will deal with whichever government is in power in Kabul," he says.Read More
Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned atomic energy company, says it is in talks with its Indian counterpart to sell 200MW small modular reactors (SMR). An article in Businessline said Evgeny Pakermanov, chief of Rosatom Overseas, did not give details, only affirming Russia’s expertise in building SMRs, that these offered small building timelines (4 years) and consumed less […]Read More
In a rare accident of its kind, a Singapore-flagged container vessel Dali, rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge early leading to the entire bridge collapsing into the Patapsco RiverRead More
Pakistan’s problems in a nutshell: “I think the establishment has thus far always been able to succeed in having its own will prevail. And it seems that this time, too, they have been successful, although there is a large mass support for Imran Khan, I don’t think they are in a position to launch a […]Read More
In a rare accident of its kind, a Singapore-flagged container vessel Dali, rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge early this morning leading to the entire bridge collapsing into the Patapsco River. Authorities described it as a “mass casualty incident” with a search on for as many as 20 people who were on the bridge […]Read More
The loading of fuel into the 500MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam recently is a signal moment, says Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission. Speaking on The Gist show, he said it came on the back of over 20 years of effort by Indian atomic scientists. It will generate more […]Read More
They say the more things change in Pakistan, the more they remain the same. A new government is in charge with a prime minister who is a known friend of the army. But the thing with the army’s friends is, they don’t stay friends for too long. So while Shahbaz Sharif is prime minister, nobody […]Read More
As Russia mourned its dead in perhaps the worst act of terrorism in many years, speculation about the identities of the attackers mounted as Moscow questioned the US giving a clean chit to the Ukrainians. “The White House said it sees no indication that Ukraine or Ukrainians were involved … on what basis do officials […]Read More
At least 10 people were reported injured when Russian missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. A day earlier, five people died when the country’s second largest city Kharkiv was hit in a Russian missile strike that targeted an industrial area. But the attack on Kyiv, the first in 44 days, is seen as […]Read More
A special session of Hong Kong’s legislature has passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill that is widely expected to help the government suppress dissent and crush any opposition voices. Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, packed with China loyalists, took just about a week to pass the bill. It prescribes life imprisonment for threats to national security, […]Read More
It may seem odd that less than a week after hosting his Bhutanese counterpart Tsering Tobgay, Prime Minister Modi is packing his bags for two days (Mar 21-22) in Thimphu. A ready explanation offered by a former Indian diplomat was that “Any relationship requires tending, and back and forth visits are not only needed to […]Read More
Elon Musk has a vision of his Starship rocket journeying to Mars just five years from now. According to the online weather.com, Musk expressed confidence in Starship’s capabilities after its successful third test flight. He believes it is ready for crewed missions to the Moon by 2026. Starship, says weather.com, is the world’s most powerful […]Read More
This may not be widely known but Delhi is a refuge to as many as 6000 people from Myanmar who have fled their home country to escape repression by the military junta. But Mizoram has even more, around 60,000, says Soe Myint, editor of Mizzima News, and this is something which underscores the extent of […]Read More
The Myanmar army has suffered enormous reverses in recent months with rebel groups gaining ground. But the army still controls bulk of the country and it remains to be seen if it can reverse the tide and regain the initiative. One point is clear: junta chief Gen Ming Aung Hlaing miscalculated when he thought the […]Read More
Hezbollah’s leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, is clear in his mind that Israel cannot win the war in Gaza. In his view, the Israelis have suffered more casualties than they have admitted to and Hamas continues to fight on inflicting more and more casualties. At some point, he says this will unsustainable for the Israelis who […]Read More
“The Israeli army today is tired and exhausted on all fronts,” claims Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah movement, “the enemy’s senior experts acknowledge the strategic losses.” In a televised address on Wednesday on the occasion of Ramadan and reported by Press TV, Nasrallah said last year’s October 7 Hamas attack on Israel was […]Read More
CNN quoting a US intelligence report, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s viability as a leader is “in jeopardy”. “Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,” the report said. “A […]Read More
Here’s a word of advice from Ambassador Mohan Kumar, who was India’s lead negotiator at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or GATT, the forerunner of the WTO (World Trade Organisation): “Forty per cent of your GDP is trade. So if you have to become a $5 trillion, $7 trillion, $10 trillion economy and […]Read More