A disturbing trend of polarization and the use of incendiary politics by Imran Khan has been the mainstay of the political affairs in Pakistan. Imran Khan’s constant attacks on his rivals can be seen as one of the contributing factors to Pakistan’s deep polarization today. Imran Khan’s political strategy has relied heavily on stoking divisions among various segments of Pakistani […]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration dramatically increased Japan’s 2023 defence budget by 26.3 per cent in 2022 to 6.82 trillion yen (US$52 billion). During former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s leadership, the defence budget steadily increased to 5.3 trillion yen (US$39 billion) but stayed between 5–5.2 per cent of the whole government budget. Kishida has now increased the defence budget […]

The 42nd ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Indonesia remain the most critical crossroads for the immediate and long term relevance and fate of ASEAN’s role in the region and beyond. It exposes the most consequential crossroads with the lingering Myanmar debacle that bears the futility of ASEAN’s approach, unchecked tensions in the South China Sea, futile efforts for conflict […]

There is not a day that goes by without breaking news on escalating tensions in the South China Sea, as regional powers like Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia increasingly contest China’s efforts to exert dominance of the strategic waterway through which moves a fifth of global trade. Yet beneath these rising tensions, the spectre of European colonialism lurks undetected. The […]

The security situation in Afghanistan has been a cause of concern for many years. Since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the country has been embroiled in conflict and instability. The Taliban, which was ousted from power, has made a comeback in recent years, and the security situation in the country has deteriorated. The situation has led to calls […]

Not so long ago, political analysts were speaking of the “G-2” — that is, of a potential working alliance between the United States and China aimed at managing global problems for their mutual benefit. Such a collaborative twosome was seen as potentially even more powerful than the G-7 group of leading Western economies. As former Undersecretary of the Treasury C. […]

Security forces pipped two terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Jani Khel area of district Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday, The ISPR stated that the IBO was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists in the area. “During the conduct of [the] operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops […]

Afghanistan’s Taliban confirmed Wednesday they had appointed a caretaker prime minister to oversee daily affairs, saying the incumbent, Mohammad Hasan Akhund, is unwell and needed time to recover. The new head of the all-male Taliban cabinet, Abdul Kabir, is under terrorism-related United Nations sanctions, along with several other senior members of his hardline government. He was elevated from serving as […]

Financial inclusion — which aims to provide access to financial services for all individuals and businesses regardless of their social and economic status — has gained significant attention globally. The COVID-19 crisis increased the need for contactless financial products and services, accelerating financial inclusion and the evolution of digital finance. Globally, there has been a great increase in formal bank […]

I’m not sure if the victory in the state elections in Karnataka is solely because of the Indian National Congress providing a breathing alternative to the electorate. To a fair extent, yes. We need to however, also bear in mind that the Kannadigas are a self-respecting people who take pride in their language and culture, cutting across the social and […]