Author: Karnavati Bakshi

Reasons varied: From stabilising demand post-Covid to stricter visa norms to more overseas options. After driving the post-pandemic rebound in international student numbers on American campuses, India is now seeing a sharp downturn, with US State Department data showing a 38 per cent drop in F-1 student visas issued to Indians in the first nine months of 2024 as compared to the same period last year. An analysis by The Indian Express of monthly non-immigrant visa reports available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website shows that F-1 visas issued to Indian students have hit their lowest post-pandemic level. From January to…

The internet business has all the trappings of false advertisement. Quick riches and easy bucks. But what is not clear is the hijacking of your intellectual property by refusal to release the accounts is unheard. Offender par excellence Godaddy.com with its new “customer care” department. Despite flashy customer-oriented software, with all the bells and whistles, since the company going public and killing the racing queens from the program, the customer service culture has deteriorated. Hours of long waiting, bot generated responses and rude staffing cutting off the inquiries is the norm. The Indian located call center is described as the…

On the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, President Xi Jinping awarded Bayika Kalidibek, a 72-year-old veteran border guard, the national honorary title of “People’s Guard.” Bayika, an ethnic Tajik from the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang, has spent 37 years patrolling China’s remote borders with Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor. His recognition by Xi has raised questions about whether the award signals a broader message of solidarity to the Pamiri peoples living in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, who have faced significant repression and human rights violations in recent years. A Lifelong Guardian of China’s Border Bayika…

The Tajikistani authorities are perpetuating systemic discrimination and severe human rights violations against the Pamiri minority, according to new research by Amnesty International. The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in East Tajikistan is home to several ethnic groups forming the Pamiri minority, mostly practicing the Shia Ismaili branch of Islam. Denied official recognition as a minority and regarded as ethnic Tajiks by the central authorities, Pamiris face systemic discrimination, suppression of cultural and religious institutions, political oppression, and brutal reprisals for defending their rights. “The ongoing persecution and human rights violations against the Pamiri minority in Tajikistan reached an alarming scale…

The Border Security Force on Wednesday said it thwarted a “significant” infiltration attempt by a large group of Bangladeshis along the International Border in West Bengal, amid an ongoing “high alert”, announced due to a turmoil in the neighbouring country. Officials said the personnel of the force stopped about 120-140 Bangladeshi citizens who were attempting to cross over to the Indian side from multiple locations in the eastern state. The force has been on a “high alert” mode since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka earlier this week. The North Bengal Frontier of the force issued a…

New York. (11 June – 31) US federal agents have arrested eight Tajikistan nationals in the US on terrorism charges. The arrests, carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spanned across Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. These actions coincide with recent alerts from US intelligence officials about a terrorist plot. ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is designated as a terrorist organization by numerous countries and international organizations, including the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union. The ability to surveillance certain foreign targets has been a subject of intense debate in Congress,…

Most dismissed retired IDF general Yitzhak Brick’s warning earlier this year of a Hamas invasion. Now Netanyahu wants his advice on how to win. Yitzhak Brick might be the only Israeli military official to see what was coming. And he’s been warning of it for some time. He also does not see a ground invasion of Gaza as the only option. And Israel must prepare for a multi-front war given the situation in the north. Brick cautioned, among other things, of problems with the competence of ground forces and made it clear that the ground invasion does not have to be…

Indian Defence Company Bharat Forge Kalyani Group has confirmed a major export deal with Armenia. The agreement includes the sale of the advanced MArG 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzers and ATAGS 155mm towed guns, marking a new chapter in India-Armenia defence relations reports Army Recognition. This deal follows Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan’s visit to the DefExpo-2022 in Gandhinagar, India, in October 2022, where India showcased its locally manufactured armaments and defence systems. The visit underscores the deepening military ties between the two nations, which have been on an upward trajectory. The recent arms deal is part of a series of defence…

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won three of the four key state elections in India ahead of the crucial general elections next year. The BJP retained power in Madhya Pradesh and took Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The main Opposition Congress ousted a regional party to win the southern state of Telangana. More than 160 million people or a sixth of India’s electorate were eligible to vote in the polls held in November. Counting of votes for a fifth state, Mizoram, is due on Monday. Did these elections serve a litmus test for Mr Modi’s prospects in securing a historic…

The US has raised an alleged plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil at the “senior-most” levels with India, the White House says. According to the Financial Times, the target was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-Canada dual national. Mr Pannun is a vocal advocate for an independent Sikh homeland and has been designated a terrorist by India. The report comes weeks after Canada said India may have been behind the murder of another Sikh separatist. The Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that US authorities thwarted a conspiracy to kill Mr Pannun and have issued a…