Asia

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) sent a pre-recorded message to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence with threats to bomb Parliament and Red Fort, apart from from preparing a list of children of police officers and politicians studying in foreign countries to take revenge, the government has revealed. SFJ is facing a total of 104 cases – 96 filed by States/UTs police and eight by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Government of India has revealed shocking details about the unlawful activities of the SFJ. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal has upheld the ban on the SFJ imposed by the Government of IndiaThe Centre has stated that the Khalistani organisation, led by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is spreading anti-India propaganda by organising protests and pro-Khalistan ralli

Trump’s executive order halting US foreign aid funding flows for 90 days for review has caused global confusion and chaos. In south-east Asia, such funding provides humanitarian assistance to communities that are among the most vulnerable in the world to natural disasters, as well as support for pro-democracy activists who risk their lives to campaign against repressive regimes. It’s unclear how much of this will be affected, or what the long-term impacts will be. However, life-saving programmes in the region are already being cut back. MyanmarHealthcare centres serving tens of thousands of refugees from Myanmar, which has been gripped by conflict since a military coup in 2021, have been ordered to close by Friday. Secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that lifesaving humanitarian

Bangladesh's interim government head, Muhammad Yunus, met Alex Soros, son of American billionaire George Soros and chairperson of his Open Society Foundations (OSF). The meeting comes days after the Trump administration in the US halted foreign aid to Dhaka. After their meeting in New York, this is their second meeting since October last year. Yunus' office in a post on X said that the Open Society Foundations leadership met Chief Advisor Yunus to discuss Bangladesh's efforts to rebuild the economy, trace siphoned-off assets, combat misinformation, and carry out vital economic reforms. Notably, Soros' OSF has been accused of facilitating a regime change in several regions, including Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, while some allegations also pertain to the regime ch...

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to observe black day on February 8 to protest against its 'stolen mandate' in general elections held on February 8 last year and announced a plan to hold public gathering in Minar-i-Pakistan ground, Dawn reported. The newly appointed Punjab chief party organiser Aliya Hamza has given application to the Lahore deputy commissioner, requesting for "No Objection Certificate" for the political gathering. In her application, Hamza mentioned that she and opposition leader in Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar and Ali Ijaz Buttar from NA-117 will be the organisers for the "Jalsa" management. Aliya Hamza called PTI stakeholder of the political and parliamentary system of Pakistan and stressed that its leaders, members and supporters have ...

For over two years, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been relentlessly blaming India for Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder and New Delhi has been hitting back saying that his accusations were not backed by evidence. Now, a Canadian commission has found that there was “no definitive link” with a “foreign state” in the killing of Nijjar. The report is in stark contrast to what Trudeau had said in 2023 that Canada had “credible evidence” that Indian agents had something to do with Nijjar’s death in British Columbia in the same year. The outgoing prime minister, whose unpopularity within his own government forced him to resign, sabotaged the India-Canada relationship by pinning the blame for Nijjar’s death on India. Now it is up to the next prime minister to a

With the Donald Trump administration halting the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) funding to Bangladesh, the country’s ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina finds herself ‘validated’. A senior leader and an MP of Awami League, who does not want his name to be revealed called the decision as the one which “reflects the truth of the interim government" in Bangladesh. He told News18 that the party’s leaders, workers are still “united" and can “fight back" as and when the elections are announced. “Sheikh Hasina is our guide. We will not leave her, we will not leave our country in their (interim govt’s) hands. Our people know what she did for the country. She is still loved," the senior leader said. Eight months in exile, Hasina, the seasoned politician and the chi

What do we know about the bill?The law would target anyone who "intentionally disseminates" information they have "reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest." It would allow authorities to imprison social media users for up to three years for spreading disinformation and stipulate fines of up to 2 million rupees ($7,121, €6,822). The legislation would also create an agency with the power to immediately block content deemed "unlawful and offensive" from social media. Pakistan's media regulator blocked Wikipedia in 2023 over "blasphemous material," but the ban was lifted days later at the request of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Journalists walk out from controversial voteThe approval of the bill was accompa

For some time now, India’s eastern front has drawn the major part of the country’s strategic focus, especially after the dramatic meltdown in Bangladesh on and after August 5, 2024. Yet, a lot has been happening on India’s immediate west too—in Pakistan and Afghanistan—that merits attention, especially because, with several interlinked issues, there is hardly any clear geographical divide in India’s strategic interests on either side. A convergence of four challenges has considerably strained Pakistan’s strategic situation: the continuing internal political instability, severe economic challenges that constrain effective governance including national security, deteriorating security condition involving militant activities, particularly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the f

The government faces two formidable challenges: balancing Sri Lanka’s relations with China and India and balancing the budget for 2025. Today we discuss the formidable challenge of balancing relations with China and India, while the budget for 2025 will be discussed after its presentation next month.Balancing act The antagonistic character of the Sino-Indian relations makes Sri Lanka’s policy of friendship and dependence on both powerful neighbours an extremely difficult balancing act. India views our close economic links with the People’s Republic of China with suspicion and mistrust. This is especially so in respect of China’s access to Sri Lanka’s sea, which India considers as a vital security concern. Agreement The recent Sri Lankan agreement with China on 15 collaborative