Opinion

Photo: Reuters By Aziz Inan Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Catholic Church, passed away on Monday, 21 April 2025—just one day after Easter. He was 88 years old. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina,

By Suvir Saran In the heart of Kashmir, where the air carries the scent of pine and prayers, where rivers glide like glass through valleys older than memory, a wound has torn through our peace. In Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley--where the mountains kiss

Photo: ice.gov By Shakeel Syed"The brave” of the “land of the free” is turning the U.S. of America into the U. S. of Abductions. The leaders of the so-called “land of the free” have been kidnapping international students and scholars as a way to

By Selen Ozturk With the House proposing the largest Medicaid cuts in the program’s history, the health care of 79.3 million enrollees is at stake. The budget resolution to slash at least $880 billion through 2034 in health care and nutrition programs

By Farwa Aamer, Asia Society Policy Institute's Director of South Asia Initiatives A high-level U.S. trade delegation, led by Brendan Lynch, the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, is set to visit India from March 25-29, 2025. The timing is particularly

By Selen Ozturk The Trump administration’s decision to end federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives is expected to have a major impact on small businesses across the country. Executive orders issued in late January have eliminated federal DEI and affirmative action

Photo: Twitter By Alex Counts, Executive Director, India Philanthropy Alliance Like almost any skill, philanthropy can be improved through practice and study. In the same way that Indian Americans have mastered the disciplines of spelling, medicine, hotel management, and coding, as their

HONG KONG  – The global standing of the United States took a severe hit on February 28 after President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance publicly rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a televised White House meeting. The biggest

By Selen Ozturk Three weeks into Trump’s second presidency, press freedom is in danger for newsrooms nationwide. San Francisco radio station KCBS is facing a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation after broadcasting information about an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation; Associated Press

By Selen Ozturk The weeks since President Trump’s inauguration has brought a near-daily slurry of executive orders — including one ending birthright citizenship. The order, issued on the first day of Trump’s presidency, January 20, argued that the policy granting automatic citizenship

By Karthick Ramakrishnan and Akil Vohra Recent actions taken by the Trump administration involving the removal and disruption of key federal public datasets have underscored a fundamental truth: Data is so essential, yet its value is not perceived until it is

HONG KONG, (ANI) - China’s domestic and international turbulence in 2024 has reinforced Chairman Xi Jinping's resolve to assert dominance, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continuing to wield its influence unapologetically. As 2025 approaches, challenges loom large for China

India-West News Desk WASHINGTON, DC - Indian students form a vital part of the U.S. higher education system, with nearly 269,000 enrolled in 2024, marking a 35% increase over the previous year. They are second only to Chinese students in numbers

By Aziz Inan Next year, 2025, is numerically a one-of-a-kind year! Why? 1.      2025 is a perfect square year since 2025 equals the square of 45. The last perfect square year before 2025 was 1936 (44 x 44) that occurred 89 years ago

Photo: EMS By Selen Ozturk The American education system is poised to be a battleground for funding, diversity, and immigration issues under President Trump. On his campaign trail, Trump has mentioned ending the U.S. Department of Education; rolling back federal funding of public

HONG KONG, (ANI) - The once-polished sheen of China's ascension under Chairman Xi Jinping has dulled significantly. Poor management of the COVID-19 crisis, a slowing economy, unfavorable demographics, domestic disillusionment, strained relations with neighbors, and growing international resistance have coalesced into

By Akhtar Badshah During my years working internationally from my longtime base in Seattle, I have come across many social entrepreneurs, activists, and others trying to do good for humanity. Among them, one stands out for his achievements, values, pragmatism, honesty,

By Hanna Skandera and Michael Carney In an era of political polarization and widespread civic illiteracy, an unlikely group is spearheading a movement to reinvigorate American democracy: middle school students. Over 6,000 students in 28 states devoted countless hours to preparing for

Representative Photo: Reuters By Caroline Praveen Blood-shot eyes, a patchy beard, and incessant quivering marked his appearance. Sitting across the young man in a local clinic in Kochi, Kerala, I found myself overcome with empathy rather than fear. He approached the counter,

By Victor Gomez, Executive Director, California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week is October 1 through 7. You must just love how using websites can make life so easy. You no longer must leave the house to shop for a

Photo: Reuters By Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives,Asia Society Policy Institute NEW YORK, NY - Anura Kumara Dissanayake's win marks a period of hope and change for the Sri Lankans who are still recovering from the political and economic crisis

Photo: Wikipedia By Emily McGinnis There's never been a more stressful time to be a teacher. I say that as someone who worked in K-12 schools for more than 20 years, first as a teacher and then as a principal. Educators enter the

NEW DELHI - China's arms exports have significantly declined over the past decade due to issues related to poor quality, compatibility problems, and substandard operational performance. Although many countries have been compelled to purchase military imports from China because of lower

Photo: Reuters/Annegret Hilse By Jonathan Guilford NEW YORK, NY - Google now shares an ignominy with Microsoft. Judged by the same legal yardstick, Alphabet’s web search colossus is a monopolist just as the software developer was deemed to be in 2001. It

NEW DELHI (IANS) - Pakistan, a country beset by a myriad of internal and external challenges, has often found itself teetering on the edge of security crises. These crises have not only shaped the nation's political landscape but have also played

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - In September 2023, China astonished the world by becoming the first nation to formally appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in 2021. Subsequently, in January 2024, China again led the international community by

The popularity of the T20 format of cricket has taken the sheen out of both the Test and the One Day versions. India, winning the T20 World Cup 2024 has further escalated it, as Indian fans are the base on

By Subhash Garg If these names Iyer-Kompanella-Narsude are not familiar to you, congratulations. You’re just like the lakhs of blissfully ignorant Hindus, rating your lives by where your kids go to college. But not by what they learn in college about

WASHINGTON, DC (REUTERS) - In a country already on edge, the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has enraged his supporters, paused the Democratic campaign and raised fears of further political violence in the run-up to November's election. Trump's Republican

NEW DELHI (IANS) - World War II with its crippling global devastation produced a lasting period of Cold War that was rooted in a sharp ideological division of the world in the competing philosophies of International Communism on one hand

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become pivotal in China-Pakistan relations in the past decade. Positioned as a focal point of President Xi Jinping's expansive Belt and Road Initiative -- a network of transcontinental connectivity projects

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Balochistan, a region of significant geopolitical importance, has been entangled in a complex and long conflict. Under the stringent control of a military regime led by Pakistan and its intelligence services, the inhabitants of Balochistan are suffering

By Ajay Bhutoria, Deputy National Finance Chair, Democratic Party While Trump faced felony convictions, Republicans stood united, defending him. Yet, a single poor debate performance by Biden leads to calls for his replacement. This is absurd. ATLANTA, GA - I was here

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), announced in 2015 after Pakistan engaged with China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, represents a considerable collaborative venture. Originally valued at $46 billion, the project focuses on sectors such

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the largest specialized agency of the United Nations focusing on agriculture, food security, and nutrition policies worldwide, is composed of 194 member countries. However, controversy has surrounded the FAO since

NEW DELHI (IANS) - On June 4, India’s 82-day election process concluded with the declaration of results. This is the largest democratic exercise in the world, conducted in a staggered manner through seven phases, allowing 969 million eligible voters to cast

BRUSSELS, (IANS/DPA) - The far right has significant gains in the European Parliament elections, with once-fringe parties growing in influence in the European Union. So how seismic could this shift be for the EU? For months, political analysts had forecast center-left and

Photo: @BJP4India By Rishi Gupta, Assistant Director, Asia Society Policy Institute, New Delhi. As the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) inches towards forming the government for the third consecutive time, here are some key observations: * The BJP-led NDA was

NEW DELHI, (IANS) - Since its inception in 1947, the Pakistani Army has been a dominant force in the nation's affairs. Over nearly eight decades, it has wielded power directly or indirectly, morphing into the most formidable economic and political

Photo: American Medical Association By Dr. Paul Berggreen Corporate juggernauts are coming to dominate the U.S. healthcare system. UnitedHealth now employs 10% of all physicians in the United States. Hospitals signed up more than 58,000 new physician employees and acquired nearly 5,000 private

By Nitin Sawant, Hindudvesha.Org  Bollywood is fast shedding its Leftist skin, and its new avatar is sending shockwaves through the old ecosystem of parochial filmmakers, actors, and critics alike. Bollywood is slowly moving away from its traditional leftist narratives to embrace nationalistic themes,

By Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, Asia Society Policy Institute As India gears up for its forthcoming elections, there's a prevailing confidence in the prospects of the ruling BJP, setting the stage for Prime Minister Modi's likely third term

By Preity Upala One of the most pertinent issues of our time is equality, specifically, gender parity and women’s rights. Despite enjoying more freedom and rights than ever before in the history of human existence, women today are struggling to fully embody

By D.C. Pathak The world is experiencing major developments - political, ideological, and combative, attributable to the projection of religion in international politics. The rise of Islamic radical forces symbolized by Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram and Palestinian Islamic Jehad, the

By Mahtab Javed Siddiqui, Mental Health Unit, South Asian Network, Artesia, CA As a child, I watched my mother meticulously prepare a paste of turmeric and black pepper over a hot flame. The sizzle of the paste and the aromatic scent

Photos: provided by author. Neera Sohoni By Neera Kuckreja Sohoni In 1945, freeing itself of Dutch colonial rule, Indonesia set up its own independent government headed by President Sukarno (Soekarno). It took barely a year for the Dutch to resume their invasion

By Parthiv N. Parekh The massive national wave of devotion to Lord Ram witnessed recently during the consecration of the Mandir in Ayodhya, was breathtaking—and inspiring. Even though I grew up in a family steeped in Krishna bhakti, the reverence for

By Ajay Bhutoria In the realm of leadership, President Joe Biden has emerged as a truly exceptional figure, earning recognition as one of the greatest presidents in recent history. Far surpassing the criteria of merely being a good leader or a

By Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, Asia Society Policy Institute As Pakistan braces for imminent elections in less than a week, the political landscape is marred by a series of dramatic events, most notably the sentencing of former Prime

By D.C.Pathak NEW DELHI - The anti-India remarks made by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on returning home from a five-day high-profile state visit to China on January 13, go beyond what could be considered as the consequence merely of India's known