India’s announcement that it will soon offer free 30-day e-tourist visas and 30-day group tourist visas to Russian citizens marks one of the most significant people-centric policy moves in the recent history of India–Russia relations. Revealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his joint press conference with President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, the unilateral waiver—covering…
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi for their 2025 summit, the spotlight quickly shifted to a domain long central to the India–Russia partnership: civil nuclear energy. After reviewing progress at Kudankulam—India’s largest operational nuclear project—the two leaders advanced discussions on an even more consequential step: identifying and approving…
US legislators are sharpening their criticism of Pakistan, portraying the country under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir as an escalating “human rights crisis” with disturbing cross-border implications. This shift—driven by concerns over repression affecting US citizens and residents—has catalysed a bipartisan push for targeted sanctions aimed squarely at Pakistan’s civil-military leadership. A…
A Landmark Pledge That Reframed a Policy Debate Michael and Susan Dell—among the wealthiest figures in U.S. tech and long-standing champions of children’s welfare—shocked the philanthropic world with a $6.25 billion commitment to bolster “Trump Accounts,” the child-asset program created under President Donald Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts Act. What began as a policy tool designed…
From Help to Humiliation: How the Aid Backfired What was meant to showcase solidarity after Cyclone Ditwah battered Sri Lanka instead spiralled into a diplomatic fiasco. Images released by the Pakistani High Commission depicting cartons of food and medicines — marked with an “October 2024” expiry — triggered a wave of public outrage when they surfaced…
A Timely Move Before a High-Profile Visit Russia’s formal clearance of the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS) agreement with India—finalised just ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi—cements a logistics framework that significantly upgrades bilateral military cooperation. The timing is deliberate: it signals that despite Western sanctions and political pressure, Moscow and…
A New Push for Recovery Funding When Donald Trump signed a sweeping addiction-recovery law on 2 December 2025—authorising several billion dollars for treatment, prevention and long-term support—he reframed the early contours of his new “war on drugs.” The initiative signals a renewed focus on the public-health side of the overdose crisis, even as his broader strategy continues to…
A Crisis Sparked by Rumour Rawalpindi has again become the nerve centre of Pakistan’s political volatility, as unverified rumours about Imran Khan’s deteriorating health—and even claims of his death in custody—circulate widely online. The claims, though unsupported by evidence, triggered anxiety among Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters and prompted calls for a “mega protest” outside Adiala Jail….
The latest Open Doors 2025 data paints a portrait of an international education system that is expanding—but not from its traditional source of strength. Growth is increasingly driven not by newly arriving students, but by those already in the United States progressing through multi-stage academic and work pathways. Country trends are evolving unevenly: India continues to…
A Province Shaken in 24 Hours Balochistan, Pakistan’s most volatile province, was rocked by seven explosions within 24 hours between November 29 and 30, 2025, in what appears to be a coordinated surge in insurgent violence. The blasts—spread across Quetta and Dera Murad Jamali—targeted police posts, security patrols, and critical infrastructure. Although no fatalities were reported,…
