Columnists | The Asian Age

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. (PTI File Image)

Farrukh Dhondy | Of ‘clowns’ and politics in UK: When a joke isn’t a joke any more

Controversial Banter: UK Home Secretary's Ill-Advised Joke Sparks Outrage and Calls for Resignation

30 Dec 2023 1:53 AM

For us, here in India, 2024 is likely to be the single most significant year in the nation’s history. (Image by starline on Freepik)

Shobhaa De | 2024 is almost here… Are you ready for it?

What happens in April-May will set the country on a course which some believe may mark a journey of no return for the next 50 years.

30 Dec 2023 1:24 AM

India’s general election, the world’s largest, is likely to be held sometime in the first half of 2024. (Image by Freepik - pikusuperstar)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Several questions as we look back at 2023, ahead to 2024

Looking ahead necessarily means factoring in the country’s contradictions and working much harder on the problem areas

28 Dec 2023 11:33 PM

Retired Punjab IAS officer Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh. (WHO)

Dilip Cherian | Bhutan’s Order of Merit to ex-IAS showcases India-Bhutan ties

Her pivotal role in advancing transformative healthcare in Bhutan has elevated India’s status as a key partner in Bhutan’s development

27 Dec 2023 11:22 PM

Sanjeev Ahluwalia | What lies ahead: India to grow, inequality will rise

India will continue to enjoy the benefits, and suffer the downsides, of political stability

27 Dec 2023 11:10 PM

People wearing face masks as a precautionary measure after cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 were detected in the country, at a hospital in Chikkamagaluru, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Chandrakant Lahariya | New variant of Covid-19, JN.1, is here, but no need to panic…

JN.1 is not a new virus but a sub-variant of BA.86, which itself is a subvariant of the Omicron variant of SARS CoV2.

26 Dec 2023 11:50 PM

Construction work in progress at Ayodhya Railway Station, on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr | The lesson from Ayodhya: How power eclipses piety

The Supreme Court judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Majid case had decided the issue in terms of a property dispute.

26 Dec 2023 11:47 PM

Even in 2023, the Indian Penal Code and the Pakistan Penal Code remain almost identical. (PTI File Image)

Aakar Patel | IPC gets junked: Why do we try to ‘fix’ problems that don’t exist?

Almost all of post-1947 Pakistan’s laws have remained the same that the British had left behind and are common across the subcontinent.

25 Dec 2023 11:00 PM

Army soldiers pay their last respects to four Army personnel killed in a recent militant attack during a wreath laying ceremony, in Rajouri, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Syed Ata Hasnain | The Rajouri encounter: It’s about Pakistan’s relevance

The security forces take much more risk to achieve while the terrorists minimise their own risk to survive and thus revive.

25 Dec 2023 10:54 PM

I am sure that the “woke” police will find something wrong and cancel Santa — but till then let’s enjoy our childhood fantasy! (DC File Image)

Kishwar Desai | Are Santa Claus' days numbered? Britain in midst of shoplifting fever

Some academics are now trying to find out the exact age when children actually begin to doubt that Santa exists

25 Dec 2023 12:05 AM

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. (PTI File Image)

Sanjaya Baru | The power and legitimacy of nations and leaders

Henry Kissinger was a phenomenal student of history, a master of diplomacy and an engaging author.

25 Dec 2023 12:05 AM

'Modi and India: 2024 and the Battle for Bharat' by Rahul Shivshankar and Siddhartha Talya. (Image: Twitter)

Pavan K. Varma | Road to Bharat is riddled with pitfalls of Hindutva

Cultural colonisation takes decades after that to be erased, and India is a good example to illustrate this.

24 Dec 2023 12:09 AM

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. (PTI Image)

Anita Katyal | BJP put caste in Dhankhar saga; Uddhav’s honesty impresses press

Prime Minister Narendra Modi BJP leaders called up Mr Dhankhar while others were asked to express their solidarity with him on social media

24 Dec 2023 12:05 AM

“Fairytale of New York” is a Christmas classic that many music aficionados will turn to this year not least because it is by Shane MacGowan (above), the Irish singer-songwriter who died on November 30 this year. (Image by Arrangement)

Palash Krishna Mehrotra | Fairytales of Christmas

Christmas Echoes: A Melodic Blend of Nostalgia and Tradition, Harmonized with Shane MacGowan's 'Fairytale of New York.

24 Dec 2023 12:00 AM

All supermarkets spend literally millions of pounds on Christmas advertisements on hoardings and TV. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Farrukh Dhondy | Christmas is here… It’s a time for festivity, but a holy season too

The national census tells us that Christianity is in decline in Britain.

22 Dec 2023 11:24 PM

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders during a protest over the suspension of MPs amid the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (PTI Photo/Vijay Verma)

Shikha Mukerjee | Will MPs’ suspensions jolt INDIA into anti-BJP unity?

Mr Kharge, groomed in the Congress culture of consensus building, is a natural for the job of convenor of the INDIA collective

22 Dec 2023 11:21 PM

Traditionally, remittances have come from the Middle East but this scenario is changing. (Photo: AFP)

Patralekha Chatterjee | Remittances at a new high, but there’s a dark side too

India’s inward remittances may account for only 3.4 per cent of the country’s GDP but it is the highest recipient of remittances globally.

21 Dec 2023 11:04 PM

Madhya Pradesh Chif Minister Dr Mohan Yadav. (File Image: PTI)

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Of religion, myths, food as ‘New’ India flexes muscles

Uneducated, unemployed and under-nourished folk are not alone in swallowing these tales

21 Dec 2023 12:00 AM

In the aftermath of the security breach, there was a presumption among officers across services that the executive director (security) would be promptly replaced. However, it was discovered that the vacancy had persisted since mid-November, following the departure of Raghubir Lal, a 1997-batch IPS offer to Uttar Pradesh as ADG (security) after completing an extended one-year tenure. (File Image: PTI)

Dilip Cherian | New Rajasthan CM hits the ground running

The recent security lapse at the Parliament has highlighted the inherent risks associated with prolonged vacancies in critical positions