Author: Cory Robbins

Tajikistan officially banned the hijab, imposing hefty fines in its latest move to curb Islamic influence. The Central Asian nation of Tajikistan officially prohibited the wearing of hijabs and other “alien garments” this week, as the country’s parliament passed a new bill regulating Islamic clothing and Eid celebrations. The bill, approved by the upper house of parliament, Majlisi Milli, on June 19, comes after years of an unofficial clampdown on the hijab in the Muslim-majority country. Under the new law, individuals wearing hijabs or other banned religious clothing could face hefty fines of up to 7,920 somonis (approximately $700). Companies…

A picture of an Indian man being kissed by his father after he was rescued from a collapsed tunnel has won many hearts. Manjit Chaudhary was among 41 workers trapped in the tunnel in the Himalayas after a landslide on 12 November. Manjit’s mother pawned her jewellery so her husband could afford the 600km (372-mile) trip from their village. Another of their sons had already died on a Mumbai building site. When Manjit emerged to safety, his dad was waiting to welcome him with a hug. As soon as he saw Manjit, he pulled him into an embrace and gave…

Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Sunday that “as we march into the 100th year of the Indian Air Force”, the level of indigenization will grow by leaps and bounds. Addressing the conference commemorating 75 years of the Aeronautical Society of India, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said, “The industry definitely plays a very vital role, and we, as the customers of most of the products of the Indian industry, are quite confident of the leaps and strides that have been taken in the indigenization of a huge number…

The United Arab Emirates is negotiating the purchase of South Korean helicopters, with the aim of signing a deal by year’s end, according to an official with the manufacturer. The Emirati military is seeking an undisclosed number of KUH-1E helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries, Cho Seok Joon, a senior manager with the company’s rotorcraft division, told Defense News during the Dubai Airshow, which runs Nov. 13-17. The KUH-1E is an export version of the twin-engine KUH-1 Surion. The former can carry 18 people, including two pilots, whereas the latter can accommodate 18 total. The UAE is seeking a maritime variant. “Instead of the…

The Philippines has received a surveillance radar system from Japan as part of the first major equipment transfer since the Japanese government lifted its post-war defense export ban in 2014. The delivery comes amid clashes between the Philippines and China over contested territory in the South China Sea. Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency announced the delivery Nov. 2 on social media, the same day Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed the Philippine Congress during a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation. The new warning and control radar system, FPS-3ME, can detect multiple fighter jets and ballistic missiles. The…

The office of the President of Ukraine sees no signs of a split between the military and political leadership of Ukraine after the interview of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny to The Economist magazine about the situation at the front. Bloomberg writes about this, whose journalists spoke with Ukrainian officials. Speculation about significant differences emerged after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky publicly disputed Zaluzhny’s remarks. In particular, The New York Times published an article about signs of a “growing split.” In an interview with The Economist, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, among other things, said that the war with…

Ukraine and Russia will not be able to achieve their goals by military means – reaching the 1991 borders and defeating the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively. According to him, as quoted by the Ukrainian media, many in Russia believe that they have another year and a half to two years for the war in Ukraine, after which “unpredictable processes” may begin within the Russian Federation under the weight of problems. Russia understands that they will not be able to capture the entire territory of Ukraine within this period, judging by the current rate of advance of the Russian army. Therefore, in…

Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna has called a deepfake video of herself, which has gone viral on social media, “extremely scary”. Ms Mandanna’s face was morphed onto an Instagram video posted by a British-Indian woman named Zara Patel. India’s information technology minister has called such deepfake videos a more “damaging form of misinformation”. The 27-year-old actress has worked mostly in Telugu and Kannada films and won a number of awards for her roles. She will be next seen with actor Ranbir Kapoor in the Bollywood film Animal, which is due for release on 1 December. Abhishek Kumar, a journalist who works…

Popular Punjabi rapper Shubhneet Singh has asked people to stop spreading “hate and negativity” after a controversy broke out over a hoodie he held up at a concert in London. Some Indian social media users claimed the hoodie had imagery supporting the Sikh separatist movement. The Canada-based singer said a fan threw it at him and he did not see what was on it before displaying it. The issue of Sikh separatism is a sensitive topic in India. The rapper – known to fans as Shubh – has previously been in controversies over the issue. In September, his India tour was…

Until recently, the United States did not officially confirm the transfer of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in order to maintain the element of surprise used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to attack Russian positions. The publication writes that the path to transferring missiles to Ukraine was long and difficult, but the decision to provide the missile was made on August 30. It was decided to transfer missiles of the ATACMS APAM type, capable of firing cluster warheads at 165 km. The administration’s decision to send the missiles was kept secret for weeks after President Joe Biden made the final decision, according to two…