A Tomb Stone of a Jewish serviceman served in Ceylon

Jewish Footprints and Connections that Shaped Sri Lanka’s History

Today, the Chabad Houses in Colombo and on Sri Lanka's southern coast have attracted considerable attention amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and rhetoric. It is noteworthy that Colombo once had an active synagogue, which served as a regular place of worship for British Jewish servicemen World War II

Repositioning India as the Capital of Buddhist Tourism: A Blueprint for a Global Destination

Buddhist tourism as an important tool of India’s soft power. The shared Buddhist heritage can help develop cultural ties with Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Mongolia, South Korea, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and several other Buddhist-majority nations through cooperation in archaeology, monk-to-monk dialogues, youth programs, academic exchanges, and cultural festivals

Mohenjo-daro’s ‘Dancing Girl’: The Silence Surrounding Women in Public History

Mohenjo-daro offers South Asia an opportunity to look backwards without dividing the past into national possessions, and to recognise that the region’s cultural memory is older and more interconnected than its modern inheritors.

How a Film by a Boston-Based Immigrant is Dismantling the Model-Minority Concept

Jam Boy represents a much-needed question for the South Asia diaspora, about why it takes a third aggressor for us to see the common struggles that we share, and why it is only in these situations that we remember that our ideas of home are the same.

More on Soft Power, Culture and Society

Cross-border literary exchange: When Indian and Pakistani teen authors met online

Pahal Wasu, 15, from Noida near New Delhi, who now lives in Sydney, and Aminah Alavi, 17, of Karachi turned teen authors after attending schools with good libraries, backed by families which enouraged them to read

Pakistani journalist who visited Israel fired by state broadcaster

The controversy grew this week soon after the opposition party PTI led by ousted prime minister Imran Khan accused the government of trying to attempt to normalize ties with Israel, which remains an extremely emotive issue in the Muslim country of 220 million people. 

No exams till 3rd grade; Bangladesh government seeks to reform primary and secondary level education

The Education Ministry after holding the meeting of the National Curriculum Coordination Committee (NCCC) approved the new education policy, officials said. The policy states no exams will be conducted till grade third and the number of books for grade fourth and grade five have also been reduced to reduce the education burden on children.

India Post delivers by drone, opens up future possibilities in a far-flung nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday inaugurated what was described as the country's biggest drone festival, where he said the use of drones will rise in sectors such as agriculture, sports, defence and disaster management.

Bhutan aims to become free of stray dogs by 2030

Last year, authorities launched the Accelerated Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Programme (NADPM and RCP) with the twin aims of achieving 100 percent sterilization of stray dogs, register, and vaccinate all pet dogs, and control feral dogs.

One in four Bangladesh's health workers who treated Covid patients suffered from stress disorder

Even nurses and technologists, often working for abnormally long hours, were affected during the pandemic. The risk and fear of contracting Covid and lack of protecting gears compounded the impact.

African swine fever outbreak in Nepal; over 900 pigs have reportedly died

The virus, however, is “not a danger” to human health, but it could have a devastating impact on the pig population, according to the World Health Organization. The spread, if remains unchecked, could wipe out the entire population of pigs in the affected areas.

Separated at Partition, Sikh woman in Pakistan has emotional reunion with brothers at Kartarpur

Iqbal and his wife did not tell Mumtaz that she was not their daughter. Two years ago, when Iqbal's health suddenly turned bad he told Mumtaz that she was not his real daughter and she actually belonged to a Sikh family.

India offers seamless possibilities to filmmakers, says Modi as India is 'Country of Honor' at Cannes

Top personalities from India's entertainment business including A R Rahman, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nayanthara Pooja Hegde, Prasoon Joshi, R Madhavan, Ricky Kej, Shekhar Kapur, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vani Tripathi and folk singer Mame Khan are part of the delegation at Cannes led by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur

Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to Italy dismissed from service for sexually harassing a colleague

The penalized diplomat retired from the service last year and is now the president of the Institute of Regional Studies, a think tank of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry

Wildlife in Pakistan under threat from climate change and government apathy

“Natural pastures are depleting which has led to many species of animals, birds, and moths becoming extinct,” Ashiq Ahmed, a Pakistani wildlife expert, was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. “Butterflies used to be common but they are rarely seen now.”

Music has no barriers: Coke Studio’s ‘Pasoori’ by Pakistani artists is much loved in India too

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty was seen endorsing a designer outfit with a song from Pakistan playing in the background. Other actors who have shared posts with the song on the photo and video sharing site are Rhea Chakraborty, Bhumi Padnekar and Tejaswi Prakash

Of barefoot priest-footballers and girls training under nonagenarians: Indian state’s passion for football goes global in FIFA+ documentary

Delhi based director Misha Kumar brings six gripping stories from Kerala in FIFA’s first Indian sports documentary

Barred from schools, Afghan girls face psychological problems as career dreams crash

Tragically, the trend of early and forced marriages is growing across Afghanistan, aided by the ongoing ban on girls' education and escalating humanitarian crisis. There are several reports indicating the selling of children, particularly girls, by desperate parents.

Failure to cover PM visit cost jobs to 17 employees of Pakistan’s state broadcaster

Usually, the visits of the prime minister are covered by a specialized crew equipped with high-end gadgets and computers. However, during the Lahore visit, the local team was asked to cover it. The headquarters failed to provide them with the necessary equipment in time.