News Archive

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has become one of the most important pillars of Eurasian diplomacy. Once created mainly as a security forum, it now holds an agenda and reach that extend far beyond its roots as a regional security union. Established in 2001, the SCO today has eight member states, including three global heavyweights—China, Russia, and India. Positioned at the crossroads of Asia, the SCO is directly involved in some of the continent’s most pressing concerns—economic growth, political cooperation, and strategic stability.

On 31st August, during the 125th episode of his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about a unique initiative called ‘Pratibha Setu’, a digital platform that offers a second chance to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants who fall just short of the final selection.

In recent weeks, the Ladakh administration’s decision to cancel the land allotment given to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL) has turned into a major controversy. What should have been seen as an internal administrative action has now been turned into a social media campaign, with several Pakistani handles extending their support to ‘activist’ Sonam Wangchuk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to India in December, according to a Kremlin announcement on Friday, 29th August. The timing of this visit is significant because it comes when Moscow and New Delhi are strengthening their partnership, even as the United States has imposed heavy tariffs on India over its continued purchase of Russian oil.

On Friday, 29 August, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi attempted to make headlines by attacking RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who had advised Indian families to consider having three children. Owaisi, in his trademark style, decided to dress up his outrage in the garb of feminism, declaring with great self-righteousness: “Who are you to enter into people’s family lives? Why are you trying to put a burden on Indian woman who might have their own different priorities according to their life?“

In a major legal setback for the Trump administration, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on Friday, 29th August, that most of Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal. The court’s strong observations challenged the very foundation of Trump’s trade policy. Reacting swiftly, the US President warned that lifting these tariffs would create chaos, calling it nothing short of a disaster for the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s back-to-back visits to Japan and China are taking place at a very important moment for the global economy. The administration in Washington, under Donald Trump’s presidency, is growing increasingly hostile as India experiments with a cautious reset in its relations with Beijing while also strengthening its supply chain and investment linkages with Tokyo.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to Japan, he received a Daruma Doll, a symbolic gift that carries deep cultural meaning in Japan and also links back to India. The doll was presented to him by Rev Seishi Hirose, the Chief Priest of the Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple in Takasaki. At first glance, the Daruma may appear to be a simple, round object. In truth, it holds centuries of history, and its story goes back directly to India’s Buddhist heritage.

History often remembers kings, generals, and rulers, but the truest heroes are sometimes ordinary people who rose when the nation needed them most. In dusty villages, far away from royal courts and armies, women with no training, no wealth, and no privilege chose to pick up arms for their motherland. Among them was Mahabiri Devi, a young Dalit woman from Mundbhar in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. She was not born to power, but she carried the fire of freedom in her heart. Along with 22 other women of her village, she stood against the British empire. Their story is not written in grand monumen…