Latest News & Analysis
View All
Indonesia’s digital shield: The bold rules reshaping social media for a generation
In the bustling neighbourhoods of Jakarta, where smartphones light up family living rooms late into the night, a significant shift in how young Indonesians experience the online world is quietly unfolding. On 28 March 2026, Indonesia began enforcing one of the most far-reaching attempts by any major nation to restrict children's access to social media and interactive digital platforms. The policy, rooted in Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 – widely known as PP Tunas ("Tunggu Anak Siap", or "Wait Until the Child is Ready") – and detailed in Ministerial Regulation No. 9 of 2026, prohibits children under 16 from holding accounts on platforms classified as "high-risk". These include global giants such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), Bigo Live and Roblox. With a population of roughly…
KONE’s €29.4bn acquisition of TK Elevator sets stage for a new giant in vertical transport
Finland’s KONE has agreed to buy German rival TK Elevator (TKE) in a cash-and-share transaction that would create the world’s largest elevator and escalator company by sales, underlining the relentless consolidation in an industry central to global urbanisation. Announced on 29 April 2026, the deal values TKE at an enterprise value of €29.4bn ($34.4bn), including debt. KONE will pay €5bn in cash and issue up to 270 million new class B shares, worth approximately €15.2bn at the reference price, to the consortium led by private equity firms Advent International and Cinven. The sellers, through their holding company, will end up with roughly 18.3 per cent of the voting rights in the enlarged group. On a pro-forma basis for the latest financial year, the combined entity would generate annual sales of…
Top Stories
View All
A costly journey to Mecca
The Hajj is meant to be a profoundly spiritual affair: a once-in-a-lifetime submission to the divine, stripped of worldly vanities.…
Two Jewish Men Stabbed in North London Neighborhood, Police Declare Terrorist Incident
Two Jewish men were stabbed Wednesday morning in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood known for its large Orthodox Jewish…
Editor's Choice
View AllDivided on the Hill: How America Views Trump’s Handling of the West Asia Crisis
With a fragile ceasefire in the West Asia conflict hanging by a thread and US negotiators preparing for another round…
The deadly shadow market feeding the world’s weight-loss drug obsession
They were supposed to be miracle injections: weekly shots that could tame type 2 diabetes and melt away stubborn kilograms…
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…
Government Decisions & Policy
View All
India notifies new rules to regulate online gaming
The Indian government has notified fresh rules that will bring greater oversight to the country’s booming online gaming industry, aiming to protect players — especially…
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…
India & Neighbourhood
View All
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…
Political Theatre
View All
Travel & Tourism
View AllIndian authorities warn travellers of harsh new drug penalties in Maldives, including possible death sentence
India's Narcotics Control Bureau has issued a strong advisory cautioning citizens travelling to the Maldives that even small quantities of…
A bumpy ride ahead
As summer 2026 looms, the travel industry is confronting an uncomfortable truth. Jet-fuel prices in America averaged $8.63 a gallon…
Trends
View All
KONE’s €29.4bn acquisition of TK Elevator sets stage for a new giant in vertical transport
Finland’s KONE has agreed to buy German rival TK Elevator (TKE) in a cash-and-share transaction that would create the world’s largest elevator and escalator company…
States & Cities
View AllFrom Workshop to Encrypted Chat: How Four Ordinary Men Allegedly Built a Toy Car Bomb Plot Targeting India’s Heart
In the dim glow of a private automobile workshop on the outskirts of Thane, just north of Mumbai, Mosaib Ahmad…
India’s Digital Underworld: How Jailed Gangsters Run Transnational Crime Empires via WhatsApp and Instagram
In a brick-kiln office on the outskirts of Jind in Haryana, businessman Anup Chaudhary was reviewing accounts on the afternoon…
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…
Life & Culture
View All
Trending Now
View All
Economy & Markets
View All
KONE’s €29.4bn acquisition of TK Elevator sets stage for a new giant in vertical transport
Finland’s KONE has agreed to buy German rival TK Elevator (TKE) in a cash-and-share transaction that would create the world’s largest elevator and escalator company…
