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Nepal map on currency note stirs up border row with India
10 May 2024, 12:00 am
AFP :

The boundary dispute between India and Nepal has heated up once again after the Nepali government last week announced a new currency note featuring a map that shows three border areas claimed by New Delhi.

The dispute involves the territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, which are currently under Indian control.

The new map adds 335 square kilometres of land to Nepal, and the country's central bank is expected to take up to a year to print and issue the new note.

India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar slammed Nepal's decision, saying it will not change the reality on the ground.

"Our position is very clear. With Nepal, we are having discussions about our boundary matters through an established platform. In the middle of that, they unilaterally took some measures on their side," Jaishankar told media persons.

"But by doing something on their side, they are not going to change the situation between us or the reality on the ground," he added. The boundary dispute between the two countries began to escalate after New Delhi issued a political map in November 2019 that placed the contested area within India's territory.

Relations became more strained when India inaugurated an 80-kilometer-long roadway that passes through Lipulekh, a disputed area that lies at the strategic Nepal-India-China tri-junction.

The unilaterally built motorway links India's Uttarakhand state to Tibet's Kailash Mansarovar via the Lipulekh Pass, a territory historically claimed by Nepal and considered one of the shortest and most practicable trade routes between India and China.

The small Himalayan nation challenged India's inauguration of the road by publishing a new map showing the contested areas – including the areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura – as lying inside Nepal's borders.

Nepal, which was never under colonial rule, has long claimed these areas in accordance with the 1816 Sugauli treaty with the British Raj following the Anglo-Nepalese (Gurkha) War.

The treaty recognized the Kali River as Nepal's western boundary with India and the land lying east of the river is Nepalese territory. However, these areas have been under India's administrative control since the early 1960s.​

Imran Khan meets wife, sister for 1st time this year after court order
New Age Desk 19 August, 2026, 22:42


Imran Khan | File photo

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan met his sister and wife for the first time in nine months at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after the country’s Supreme Court allowed weekly family meetings for the jailed leader amid concerns over his health, NDTV reported on Wednesday.

Khan, who is the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party, has been in Adiala Jail since 2023, facing several cases. He is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.

His sister, Noreen Niazi, met him for the first time this year for 15 minutes, according to a Dawn report. Quoting jail sources, the Pakistani publication reported that the two met in the jail’s conference room, where they discussed his health and other issues.

Noreen also informed him about the Supreme Court’s earlier order to shift him to Shifa International Hospital for a medical checkup, they added.

More details regarding the meeting were not issued, as the Supreme Court, in its order, had warned the concerned parties that using the meeting for political gain would result in withdrawal of relief granted to Khan.

Khan’s other sisters, including Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan and his cousin Qasim Zaman, were not allowed to meet him. Also, political leaders from his party were barred from the meeting.

Separately, Khan’s jailed wife Bushra Bibi also met with her family on Tuesday in a conference room in the jail. Jail sources told Express Tribune that Khan’s meeting with his wife lasted around 30 to 35 minutes.

Bushra Bibi, also imprisoned at Adiala Jail, met with her family as well. Her meeting with her children Musa and Mubashara Maneka and sister-in-law Mehrunnisa lasted 40 minutes.

Earlier, the top court ordered the government to shift Khan within two days to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment and keep him there till September 16, when the court will again hear petitions for his treatment at a private hospital.​

India’s ‘Cockroaches’ movement emerges as major youth-led challenge to Modi government

A protestor carries a poster with a message in Hindi which translates as ‘Save Our Constitution’ as he participates in a protest movement led by Cockroach Janta Party, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Source: AP Photo/Vipin

A youth-led protest movement that began as an online response to a controversial court remark has grown into one of the most significant public challenges to India’s ruling government, expanding from demands for education reforms to broader calls for accountability and institutional change.

The movement, known as the “Cockroaches,” was sparked by widespread anger over alleged leaks of highly competitive entrance examinations for medical colleges and government jobs, which are seen as critical pathways to employment and social mobility for millions of Indians.

The protests gained momentum in May after India’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant, during an unrelated court hearing, reportedly compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches.” The remark triggered a backlash on social media, leading Boston University student Abhijeet Dipke to launch the Cockroach Janta Party, or Cockroach People’s Party.

Many young people embraced the label as a symbol of resilience, rapidly turning the movement into a social media phenomenon. Supporters shared satirical content criticizing the government over unemployment, limited job opportunities and economic challenges.

The campaign moved from online platforms to the streets in June when Dipke returned to India and organized demonstrations in several cities and university campuses. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reforms to the examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide following alleged exam paper leaks.

Initially drawing only a few hundred participants, the protests have since attracted thousands. The movement gained further attention after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the demonstrations and launched a hunger strike lasting more than three weeks before police transferred him to a hospital.

As the campaign has expanded, it has evolved beyond student concerns to reflect wider public frustration over government accountability, unemployment and confidence in institutions, including the education system, political leadership, judiciary and media.

The protests have also drawn support from professionals, families and volunteers across the country, many of whom have contributed through donations and social media campaigns rather than traditional political organizations.

The Indian government initially dismissed the protesters’ demands. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said authorities had addressed the examination controversy by ordering fresh tests and accused demonstrators of acting against national interests.

However, the government’s stance softened after police used tear gas and batons to disperse protesters attempting to march to Parliament earlier this week. The crackdown triggered public criticism and prompted government representatives to hold talks with protest leaders, although no breakthrough was reported.

The movement has also received backing from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and several rights groups, who describe it as a broader campaign for democratic accountability and the right to peaceful protest.

Political observers say the decentralized youth movement presents an unusual challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, particularly as India’s large population of young voters could play a decisive role in future elections.​

When will the US gain 'independence' from Israel?

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin during a meeting in New York City, US on September 20, 2023. FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

In a video recorded in 2001, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said, "The main thing, first of all, is to hit them [Palestinians]. Not just one blow, but blows that are so painful that the price will be too heavy to be borne." Dismissing the possibility that the United States would be an obstacle to the perpetration of such gruesome crimes, he added, "I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won't get in the way."

When the above statement was first reported in various media outlets in 2010, Netanyahu's claim of Israeli influence over the US was met with disbelief and, in some quarters, with ridicule. Many thought it was inconceivable. How could Israel exercise such control over a country like the US?

More than a decade on, if we unpack the intricacies of US-Israel relations, we may not characterise Netanyahu's statements as hyperbolic or counterintuitive. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear understand that the US-Israel relationship is asymmetrical and lopsided in favour of the latter's interests. Successive US governments have been acting against the stated values and principles of their country in order to offer unconditional support for inhuman Israeli policies against Palestinians. US governments—both Democratic and Republican—have been routinely ignoring their own human rights stance by using the veto power at the UN Security Council to protect the Israeli state from criticism of its gross violations of human rights and international laws.

The US's acquiescent submission to Israeli authorities has become more conspicuous, and the magnitude of its catastrophic consequences more evident, since early October 2023 when Israel launched its ongoing genocide against Palestinians. At the expense of its domestic and international interests as well as its global standing, the US has been providing Israel with economic incentives and military munitions, which the latter has been using to slaughter innocent Palestinian children, women, and men and to demolish educational institutions and other critical facilities—all designed to trigger a mass exodus of the surviving Palestinians from their land.

There are instances when the US government treated its own citizens' lives as less valuable than the interests of Israel.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link below.​

Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
AFP Washington
Published: 02 Aug 2025, 09: 59



US President Donald Trump and deputy chairman of Russia's security council Dmitry Medvedev. Reuters file photo

US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs.

Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, have been sparring on social media for days.

Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real -- and rarely publicised -- sphere of nuclear forces.

"Based on the highly provocative statements," Trump said he had "ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that."

"Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances," the 79-year-old Republican posted.

Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military.

But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were "closer to Russia."

"We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," he said.

"I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that."

Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end.

The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions.

Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold at full bore.

An AFP analysis Friday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July.

Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said.

Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were "unchanged".

Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO.

Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists "have chosen a place for future positions" of the Oreshnik missiles.

"Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year," he added.


This handout photo released by the Colombian National Navy shows a view of a US nuclear submarine during military exercises 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers) off Cartagena, Colombia, on 28 February, 2022. AFP

Insults, nuclear rhetoric

The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons.

Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's "nuclear" reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines.

"When you mention the word 'nuclear'... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat," Trump said in the interview.

Medvedev had criticised Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the "fabled 'Dead Hand'" -- a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country's nuclear weapons.

This came after Trump had lashed out at what he called the "dead economies" of Russia and India.

Medvedev had also harshly criticized Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Accusing Trump of "playing the ultimatum game," he posted Monday on X that Trump "should remember" that Russia is a formidable force.

Trump responded by calling Medvedev "the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President."

Medvedev should "watch his words," Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. "He's entering very dangerous territory!"

Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war -- and generally antagonistic to relations with the West.

He served as president between 2008-2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power.

The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging.

But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited.

In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block torn open by a missile.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders.

"The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness," he wrote on X.​