Author: Samrod Langra

A Pakistani delegation arrived in Jammu on Sunday evening as part of Neutral Expert proceedings to inspect two hydroelectric power projects in Jammu and Kashmir under the Indus Water Treaty, officials said. This is the first visit by a Pakistani delegation to Jammu and Kashmir in more than five years under the dispute settlement mechanism of the 1960 Treaty. India and Pakistan signed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory of the pact which sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use…

The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warned the country’s leading research universities on Thursday that foreign states are targeting their institutions and imperiling national security. “We know that our universities are being actively targeted by hostile actors and need to guard against the threat posed to frontier research in the most sensitive sectors,” said the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, who also attended the briefing. The threat requires “further measures,” said the deputy PM, who announced that the government was launching a consultation with the sector so it could “do more to support our universities and put the right…

Explanations beginning to emerge after worst terror attack in Israel’s history They might as well have been sitting ducks. They are the tatzpitaniyot, mostly female soldiers stationed on the IDF bases near the Gaza Strip, their eyes glued to security cameras and other feeds of the border. Last Saturday morning, the Hamas terrorists who entered some of those bases with hang gliders shot at cameras and jammed some communications systems. They shot at the combat soldiers who were stationed at those bases, as well as at the tatzpitaniyot. “Yes, they surprised us, and we weren’t ready for it,” said a female soldier…

Shares in Donald Trump’s media company soared as the firm made its formal debut on the stock market. Shares surged past $70 in early trade, giving the firm a market value of more than $9bn. They ended the day at about $58, still up more than 16%. The long-awaited moment will inject more than $200m into Trump Media & Technology Group and hands the former president a stake worth more than $4bn. Analysts say that is far more than the firm’s performance warrants. Trump Media’s Truth Social, a Twitter-like service, brought in just $3.3m in revenue in the first nine…

Nepal, a landlocked country between two Asian giants China and India, is one of the richest countries in terms of hydropower potential. As fast-growing economies, it is only natural that both of Nepal’s neighbors have high-energy demands. This is where Nepal’s huge water resources and immense hydroelectric potential come into play in the geo-strategic equation between its two neighbors. Due to Nepal’s misgivings about Indian intention vis-à-vis its water resources, hydropower sector remains an extremely sensitive topic in Nepal-India relations. In the past, hydropower agreements between the two countries have been a victim of over-politicization. Nepalese leaders especially in the opposition camp have…

Scientists in the UK and Belgium think they have figured out how brain cells die in Alzheimer’s disease. It has been a mystery and a source of scientific debate for decades. But the team, writing in the journal Science, connect the abnormal proteins that build up in the brain with “necroptosis” – a form of cellular suicide. The findings have been described as “cool” and “exciting”, as they give new ideas for treating the disease. Long-awaited clues It is the loss of brain cells, called neurons, that lead to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, including memory loss. And if you look…

A Nepali Congress MP from Kathmandu was arrested, on Thursday, for allegedly possessing fake academic certificates by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).  Sunil Sharma, who was elected from the Morang-3 constituency, was arrested on charges of forgery related to his educational certificates, Nepal Police spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General Kuber Kadayat said. As per local media reports, Sharma who is also a medical professional and runs a hospital, was charged with a similar case nearly seven years ago. The ruling party in Nepal, Nepali Congress, opposes his arrest. “He was arrested because he demanded the resignation of Home and Finance Ministers…

In perhaps its most extensive display of operational capability in recent years, the Indian Navy conducted what it described as, “a coordinated deployment of more than 35 aircraft in the Arabian Sea” early last month. The mission included two aircraft carriers, multiple warships, submarines, and in excess of 35 frontline planes amidst China’s increasing forays into the Indian Ocean. The exercise represented a major milestone in the Indian Navy’s quest for heightened maritime security and power projection capability in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond. To truly appreciate its strategic significance, however, it must be viewed against the backdrop of…

“After a few days, he told me the woman is from Pakistan… and insisted he would live with her. He then said he was going to Vaishno Devi and left home. Now we have come to know that he actually went to Nepal to meet the woman,” he added. Birbal Meena is still in shock over the events that have transpired over the last three days. He and his family found themselves in the middle of a police investigation and were subjected to multiple rounds of questioning over how a Pakistani woman came to be living with them. His elder…

The increasing trend of globalization, coupled with political infightings and instability, has resulted in a significant number of Nepalese youths seeking employment abroad as their only viable option. Additionally, the failure of Nepal’s leadership to implement effective job employment opportunities and modernization in the agricultural sector has further exacerbated this trend.  This has had far-reaching and detrimental long-term consequences for the country, as relying solely on a remittance-based economy without a skilled and motivated workforce of youths at home can severely hinder the overall development and sustainability of, for example, the agricultural sector. This article draws on examples from various…