Sagar Rath

Maduro Captured: Power, Law, and Fallout in a Sharpening US–Venezuela Standoff

Ties between Washington and Caracas have been openly hostile for over a decade, defined by sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and competing claims of legitimacy. That friction escalated dramatically on January 3, 2026, when US special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a covert operation in Caracas. The move has pushed bilateral tensions into…

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Cricket, Controversy, and Control: The Mustafizur Rahman Episode Tests the IPL’s Boundaries

IPL–KKR Controversy: When Sport Collides with Sentiment The Indian Premier League has often reflected India’s social and political undercurrents, but the controversy surrounding Kolkata Knight Riders’ signing of Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has pushed that dynamic into sharper focus. What began as a high-value auction pick at the IPL 2026 auction quickly escalated into…

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Deadly Blast in Dhenkanal: Illegal Quarrying and the Cost of Regulatory Failure

Dhenkanal Quarry Explosion: A Sudden Disaster in Rural Odisha A powerful explosion at a dolomite stone quarry near Gopalpur village in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on the evening of January 3, 2026, turned a routine workday into tragedy. The blast triggered a massive rockslide, killing at least two workers and leaving others trapped beneath debris for…

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Swiss Nightclub Fire: Safety Gaps Cost 47 Lives—A Wake-Up Call

Switzerland is grappling with shock and grief after a devastating fire tore through Le Constellation nightclub in the alpine resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year’s Eve celebrations. The blaze, one of the deadliest civilian disasters in recent Swiss history, left 47 people dead and more than 115 injured, many with critical burns or smoke inhalation. What…

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Renewing the Lifeline: What the Ganga Water Talks Mean for India–Bangladesh Relations

India and Bangladesh have reopened negotiations on the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty at a moment of consequence, as the landmark agreement signed in 1996 approaches its December 2026 expiry. Talks formally commenced on January 1, 2026, with joint hydrological measurements on the Ganga–Padma system at Farakka—an early technical step that signals intent, but also underscores the political…

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Precision in Pairs: DRDO’s Pralay Salvo Test Signals a New Battlefield Edge

India closed 2025 with a notable advance in its missile capabilities when the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles off the Odisha coast. Fired in rapid succession from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, the missiles followed their intended flight paths and met all trial objectives. Multiple tracking systems—both…

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Modi’s Tribute and the Complex India Policy of Khaleda Zia

A Symbolic Gesture at a Sensitive Moment Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s condolence message on the passing of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was more than a personal tribute—it was a carefully calibrated diplomatic signal. In his message, conveyed to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leadership and delivered during Zia’s funeral in Dhaka, Modi described her…

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India on the Fast Track: Overtaking Japan, Targeting Germany

IMF Projections Signal a Historic Economic Shift The International Monetary Fund’s latest projections point to a defining milestone in the global economic order: India overtook Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy in 2025 to become the world’s fourth-largest economy and, if current trends persist, overtake Germany within the next three years. This anticipated reshuffling of rankings…

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Drones, Disinformation, and Diplomacy: Unpacking Russia’s Alleged Assassination Plot Claim

A Dramatic Claim Sparks Global Ripples Late in December 2025, Moscow jolted the international arena with a grave allegation: Ukraine had attempted a drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s private residence near Lake Valdai. According to Russian officials, dozens of long-range drones were intercepted before causing any damage. The claim, dramatic in both scale and symbolism, triggered…

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