Repurposing Religion: How China uses Buddhism to expand Its reach

The global promotion of Buddhism as a form of soft power by the Chinese state is unprecedented in the modern world. Recent efforts to integrate Buddhism into Chinese foreign policy build on decades of work by the Communist Party of China (CPC) through its state religious system.

36 dead after overcrowded bus skids into deep gorge in northern India

A poorly maintained and overcrowded bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing at least 36 people and injuring several others, officials said.

China has risen to challenges and turbocharged its economy

“The Chinese economy is intricate, yet one of the most straightforward ways to assess it is through agricultural and industrial output,” stated Yao Jingyuan, former Chief Economist of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, during the 2024 annual meeting of Harvard Business Review in Beijing.

Marriage registrations in China drop for the first nine months of 2024

China, which has been releasing a slew of measures to bolster its sagging population levels, recorded a drop in marriage registrations for the first nine months of 2024, according to official data from Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Spain’s king and queen pelted with mud in flood-hit Valencia

The King and Queen of Spain have been pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to flood-hit Valencia.

Iranian woman detained after taking clothes off at university in Tehran

A female student stripped to her underwear outside her university in Iran in what some student and rights groups say was a protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

MEA Condemns Canada’s ’’Baseless References’’ Against Home Minister Amit Shah

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday strongly protested against recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s purported involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

EU raises concern over Chinese aggression in Taiwan

The European Union (EU) has warned of the ’’staggering’’ impact on its member states of potential Chinese aggression against Taiwan, calling for the bloc to adopt ’’a major contingency in the Indo-Pacific.’’

Trump vows to protect Hindu Americans from radical left; strengthen ties with India

Ahead of the upcoming presidential elections, former US President Donald Trump vowed to safeguard the interests of Hindu Americans, protecting them from the ’’anti-religion agenda of the radical left.’’

Iran’s supreme leader says enemies will receive ’crushing response’

The US and Israel ’’will definitely receive a crushing response’’, Iran’s supreme leader has said, following an Israeli attack on Iran a week ago.

Pakistan’s 7 billion USD bailout deal with IMF in doldrums

The key assumptions used to finalise Pakistan’s USD 7 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund ( IMF) has gone haywire within a month of its approval, leaving the authorities concerned with an option either to renegotiate the package or keep suffocating the economy through more taxes, the Express Tribune reported.

Kenya’s new deputy president to be sworn in

The softly spoken Kithure Kindiki is due to be sworn in as Kenya’s new deputy president on Friday, after senators ousted Rigathi Gachagua in a dramatic series of impeachment votes a fortnight ago.

India’s External Assets Grew Faster Than Liabilities: RBI Report

India’s external assets grew faster than its liabilities between June 2023 and June 2024, according to the latest report from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

US finalises curbs on investing in Chinese tech

The Biden administration has said it is finalising rules that will limit US investments in artificial intelligence and other technology sectors in China that could threaten US national security.

Canada alleges Indian minister Amit Shah behind plot to target Sikh separatists

The Canadian government alleged on Tuesday that Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was behind the plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.

Chinese hackers collected audio from unnamed Trump campaign adviser: Report

Chinese state-affiliated hackers intercepted audio from the phone calls of US political figures, including an unnamed campaign adviser of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Washington Post reported on Oct 27.

India sends 30 tonnes of essential medical supplies to Palestine

The Indian government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the people of Palestine with a recent shipment of 30 tonnes of medical supplies amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

TikTok founder becomes China’s richest man

The surging global popularity of TikTok has seen the co-founder of its parent company, ByteDance, become China’s richest person.

BRICS Summit 2024: A new era of cooperation and growth

The 2024 BRICS summit hosted in Kazan, the beautiful city of Russia has marked a pivotal moment for member countries that signifies the strengthened commitment towards shared growth, global influence and economic stability.

150 injured in Kerala cracker tragedy, eyewitnesses recall ’’Ball Of Fire’’

More than 150 people were injured, 10 of them seriously, in a fireworks accident at a temple in Kerala’s Kasaragod district late last night. Shocking visuals from the spot showed crackers triggering a massive fire and a cloud of smoke as people gathered on the temple premises ran to safety.

China building ‘counter-stealth’ radar on disputed South China Sea reef, satellite pictures suggest

The Chinese military is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests.

British parliamentarians press UK govt to intervene for Imran Khan’s release

British parliamentarians have called on the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP to intervene in Imran Khan’s release from Adiala Jail and engage with the Pakistan government, Geo reported.

Japan’s government in flux after election gives no party majority

The make-up of Japan’s future government was in flux on Monday after voters punished Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s scandal-tainted ruling coalition, leaving no party with a clear mandate to lead the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Huawei uses TSMC loophole to bypass US chip ban

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chip maker, has been urged to improve its end-user checks after a 7-nanometer artificial intelligence (AI) chip it produced was found in a product of the heavily-sanctioned Huawei Technologies.

12 Chinese aircraft, five naval vessels spotted near Taiwan

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) reported Chinese military activity near the island on Thursday and said that by 6 am (local time), 12 Chinese aircraft and five naval vessels were detected in the region.

Growing faction within Liberal Party urges Trudeau to resign

Internal pressure is mounting on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down as leader of the Liberal Party, as dissent among his own caucus intensifies. On Wednesday, a significant number of Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) gathered for a closed-door meeting on Parliament Hill, signaling a deepening rift within the party, according to CBC News.

PM Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on sidelines of BRICS Summit in Kazan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

New Zealand airport puts three-minute cap on farewell hugs

An airport at the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island has found itself at the center of a polarizing debate after introducing a time limit on hugs in its drop-off zone.

Twelfth monkey dies in HK zoo amid bacterial outbreak

A twelfth monkey died at a Hong Kong zoo, with tests underway to determine if it succumbed to the same bacterial infection that killed 11 other monkeys in the past 10 days.

Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86

US actor Ron Ely, best known for playing the role of Tarzan in the 1960s television show of the same name, has died aged 86.