Japan Awaits Hostages’ Fate After Islamic State Deadline Passes
Japan’s government and public await the fate of two Japanese captives threatened with execution, 24 hours after the passing of a deadline on Islamic State’s demand for a $200 million ransom. The government considered the cutoff point to have been 2:50 p.m. Tokyo time on Friday. Islamic State... read more »
In Gujarat, all schools asked to perform ‘compulsory’ Saraswati...
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad School Board has whipped up a controversy with its circular asking all schools to hold ‘Saraswati Vandana’ on Vasant Panchami on Saturday, drawing accusations of promoting ruling BJP’s Hindutva agenda and warnings of legal action and protest by... read more »
Death of ‘reformer’ King Abdullah: Why Saudis will remain frene...
The death yesterday (23 January) of Saudi King Abdullah – widely acclaimed as a “reformer”, albeit a one only in the context of the glacial pace of change in this semi-mediaeval kingdom – changes nothing for anybody anywhere. While the optics of geopolitical political correctness... read more »
US and India Appear Ready to Try to Hash Out Differences
Differences that the United States and India have been grappling with for years are expected to dominate talks between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they meet in New Delhi next week. Climate Change India is the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases,... read more »
Jammu and Kashmir: 5 security personnel, 3 militants killed in attack at army artillery ca...
Five members of the Indian security forces were killed in a suicide attack on an army artillery camp in northern Kashmir early on Friday as militants step up violence in the disputed region... read more »
Russia’s Putin calls for Russians to be self-reliant
Speaking to both chambers in the Kremlin, Mr Putin condemned Western governments for seeking to raise a new iron curtain around Russia. Russia has been hard-hit by falling oil prices and by... read more »
Protests After Grand Jury in Eric Garner Chokehold Case Doesn’t Indict Officer
A Staten Island grand jury on Wednesday ended the criminal case against a white New York police officer whose chokehold on an unarmed black man led to the man’s death, a decision that... read more »
Hong Kong student leaders mull protest retreat
Members of the Hong Kong Federation of Students said on Thursday that they’re mulling whether to stay or go, with spokeswoman Yvonne Leung telling a local radio station that the group... read more »
India votes against UNGA resolution on nuclear weapons
India, along with the US and Pakistan, has voted against a provision in a UN resolution calling on to “promptly” accede to the NPT as non-nuclear- weapon nation “without... read more »
