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Nepal’s Rapper Prime Minister Faces First Tests: Arrests, Reforms and the Hard Reality of Power
Barely three weeks after being sworn in as Nepal’s youngest-ever prime minister on 27 March 2026, Balendra Shah – the 35-year-old former underground rapper known as Balen – is discovering that winning power is easier than wielding it.His Rastriya Swatantra Party secured a historic landslide in the 5 March election, winning 182 of 275 seats in parliament and delivering the first single-party majority in Nepal in decades. The victory followed months of turmoil triggered by Gen Z-led protests in September 2025, which toppled the previous government amid deadly clashes, widespread arson and deep public anger over corruption, youth unemployment and political nepotism. Shah’s swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace, conducted at an astrologically auspicious hour with Hindu priests and Buddhist monks in attendance, carried powerful symbolism. Just months earlier, the…
India in a Time of Global Energy Uncertainty: Confidence, Caution, and Course Correction
The global economy today stands at a critical inflection point. Geopolitical tensions, particularly in keyenergy-producing regions, have once again exposed the fragility of global supply chains and the deep interlinkages between politics and economics. Oil prices remain volatile—hovering in the range of $75–95 per barrel in recent periods—while inflationary pressures persist across continents and growth forecasts continue to be revised downward. For energy-importing nations, the situation is especially complex, demanding not only resilience but strategic foresight. India, as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies and the third-largest oil importer globally, finds itself at the centre of this unfolding global energy crisis. The country imports nearly 85% of its crude oil requirements, from around 41 countries making it inherently vulnerable to global price shocks. Yet, what distinguishes India in this…
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Ground mishap at Delhi airport leaves two Boeing 737s damaged as safety questions linger
A routine afternoon on the tarmac at one of the world’s busiest airports in New Delhi turned into an embarrassing…
Seaplane Ambition on the Ganga Faces Pushback Over Threat to Endangered Wildlife and Sacred Waters
In the shadow of the Himalayas, where the Ganga flows past the pilgrimage town of Rishikesh, a sleek 19-seater seaplane…
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Desire, Diversity and Distortion: India’s Enduring Gender Stereotypes
In offices, universities and political corridors across India, an unspoken belief continues to influence how people perceive and judge women:…
Is India Moving from an Assembly Hub to a Value-Added Manufacturing Economy – Can AI accelerate the shift
For decades, the narrative of Indian manufacturing followed a predictable, albeit limited, script. We were the "back office of the…
Economics of Demographic Change: Can India Turn Its Youth into Wealth
Where the world economies are struggling with declining birth rates, tight labour markets and an ageing population, India is standing…
Politics & Governance
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India’s parliamentary revolution
In the world’s largest democracy, where women make up half the electorate but have long been sidelined in the halls of power, a quiet constitutional…
India launches its largest-ever census, reopening a century-old debate over caste and equity
More than three million enumerators fanned out across India this week to begin the monumental task of counting the country’s roughly 1.4 billion people, launching…
Indonesia launches gradual ban on social media access for children under 16
Indonesia began phased implementation on Saturday of a new government regulation that bars children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts on major social media…
Hindu Seers Escalate Battle Against ‘Forced Conversions’ with Supreme Court Intervention, Igniting Clash Over Faith and Fundamental Rights
In a move that underscores deepening fault lines in India's fractious debate over religious freedom, the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, a powerful Hindu saints' body…
India & Neighbourhood
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From Rap Battles to the Prime Minister’s Office: Nepal’s Gen Z Revolution Delivers a 35-Year-Old Rapper as Leader
In the shadow of the Himalayas, a remarkable political earthquake has shaken Nepal. On March 27, 2026 Balendra Shah – better known as Balen, a…
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Nepal’s Rapper Prime Minister Faces First Tests: Arrests, Reforms and the Hard Reality of Power
Barely three weeks after being sworn in as Nepal’s youngest-ever prime minister on 27 March 2026, Balendra Shah – the 35-year-old former underground rapper known…
States & Cities
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Ground mishap at Delhi airport leaves two Boeing 737s damaged as safety questions linger
A routine afternoon on the tarmac at one of the world’s busiest airports in New Delhi turned into an embarrassing…
Seaplane Ambition on the Ganga Faces Pushback Over Threat to Endangered Wildlife and Sacred Waters
In the shadow of the Himalayas, where the Ganga flows past the pilgrimage town of Rishikesh, a sleek 19-seater seaplane…
From Bangkok to a Delhi courtroom: How CBI brought back a notorious Haryana hitman
When Sahil Chauhan stepped off a flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport on 10 April 2026, the most wanted hitman…
A Roadside Birth in India’s Uttar Pradesh
In the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where boasts of gleaming new infrastructure and “world-class” public services echo from…
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India’s Resilience in an Age of Crisis: Navigating Oil, Energy, and Economic Pressures
In an era defined by overlapping global crises—volatile oil prices, energy insecurity, and economic uncertainty—India stands at a critical juncture. As one of the world’s…
