The 2021 survey of the critically endangered white-bellied heron in Bhutan indicates numbers have fallen compared with 2020
Erasing Colonial Symbols Won't Feed India's Families: A Call for Economic Pragmatism
But tearing down a clubhouse will not lower a family's grocery bill or write a line of exportable code. India's chance to close the gap with the economies that outran it will not wait for a hearing date in September, and neither should the country's attention.
Taslima Nasrin’s Return and the Politics of Selective Protection
Taslima Nasrin’s homecoming deserves to be welcomed. A writer should be able to return to a city she considers home without fearing violence. The harder test will come when the symbolism fades. Will the government protect her if her criticism becomes inconvenient to the people now celebrating her return?
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
More on Soft Power, Culture and Society
Husband's alleged porn film racket: No media trial please, respect my privacy, pleads Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, whose husband Raj Kundra was arrested last week for alleged production of pornographic films in a case that became titillating news fodder for television and social media, broke her silence on Monday as she pleaded against a "media trial" and asked them "to respect our privacy for my children's sake"
Cricket politics: Two former international cricketers accuse Indian Cricket Board of trying to scuttle a tournament in 'Pakistan Occupied Kashmir'
Two former international cricketers have accused the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) of issuing warnings to other cricket boards for allowing their players to take part in a twenty20 tournament in a region governed by Pakistan but claimed by India as its territory
Bollywood remake of old Pakistani song triggers angry Twitter exchanges
A new Bollywood remake of an old Pakistani song is currently being dragged on Twitter for ironically being part of an “anti-Pakistan” film
Covid effect: Shortage of turbans and kirpans leave Pakistani Sikhs frustrated
Sikhs in Pakistan are facing an acute shortage of turbans and kirpans – the cultural symbols of Sikhism – as they are unable to import them from Amritsar, India due to the Covid pandemic related trade restrictions and suspension of religious tourism
Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus inscribes Bangladesh's name in Olympic history
When Nobel Peace Laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, received the coveted Olympic Laurel award at the opening ceremony of the 32nd Games of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, organized under the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic with no audience on the ground, his motherland in South Asia incorporated its name in the history of the Olympics
Sri Lanka to host Afghanistan-Pakistan ODI series; venue shifted from UAE
The three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which was earlier scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will now be held in Sri Lanka, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed
"India Is Elated": PM Modi cheers Indian woman weightlifter's Olympic silver
Within minutes of Indian woman weightlifter Mirabai Chanu bagging the country's first medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in celebrating the achievement, the country's first medal on the first day of competition at the Olympic Games
Going against IOC directive, Pakistan’s Tokyo Olympic Games contingent have not followed SOP for biosecure bubble
Virtually violating the instructions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), none of the Pakistani athletes and officials taking part in the Tokyo Olympic Games have fully followed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set for the bio-secure bubble, though they underwent multiple testing for Covid-19
India-UK naval drill a 'homecoming' for this Royal Navy technician
As the UK's Carrier Strike Group enters the Indian Ocean to conduct maritime exercises with the Indian Navy, Jagjeet Singh Grewal is more excited than the others in the crew
Growing human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka worries government, animal lovers
Sri Lanka is often seen as an elephant country and is home to over 5000 elephants
Maldives to host AFC south group D and playoff matches
The AFC Cup 2021 Playoff and Group Stage-South matches will be held in the Maldives, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on Monday
Afghan girls bag award at international astronomy competition
Even as the future of their conflict-ridden country hangs in the balance, a group of Afghan girls from the western city of Herat gave their war-weary people something to cheer about when they won an award at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition hosted by Poland which was held online early in July
Cultural sites in Afghanistan threatened by war
Hundreds of ancient sites and artifacts in Afghanistan are vulnerable to damage and trafficking due to the conflict and ongoing instability in various parts of Afganistan, Qasim Wafaeezada Afghanistan acting minister of information and culture said warned, saying the risk in even more in areas held by insurgents
Danish Siddique, Pulitzer winner Indian photojournalist, is killed in Afghanistan
Danish Siddique, an award-winning Indian photojournalist who was Reuters’ chief photographer for India, was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Thursday while on a reporting assignment in the conflict-ridden nation. For the last few days, he had been covering the war in Afghanistan and was embedded with Afghan security forces
