Amid simmering border tension over Dokalam in Sikkim, China state-controlled media has said that Hindu nationalism risks pushing India into war with China. An article published in China’s Global Times has hit ou at Prime Minister Narendxra Modi saying, “Nationalist fervor that demands revenge against China has taken root in India since the border war. The election of Indian PM Modi has fueled the country’s nationalist sentiments. Modi took advantage […]

The government in the southern Indian state of Karnataka recently set up a panel to explore if the state can have its own separate flag. The BBC explains why it has become such a contentious issue. A ‘Kannada flag’ The state has had an unofficial ‘Kannada flag’ since the 1960s – the red-and-yellow flag is popular with the local people and many Kannada activists also wear it as a scarf. […]

India has overtaken the US to become Facebook’s largest country audience with a total 241 million active users, compared to 240 million in the US. The change at the top of the platform’s country rankings comes just a few days after Facebook announced it has more than two billion monthly users around the world, a report in The Next Web on Thursday said. The portal was quoting figures that the […]

Reiterating that India has violated the 1890 treaty between Britain and China, Beijing on  Friday accused New Delhi of having “ulterior motives” in including the tri-junction with Bhutan in the Sikkim standoff . In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that New Delhi’s acceptance of the 1890 Sino-British treaty on the boundaries in the area should not change with the passage of time. “The so-called tri-junction point […]

An indefinite strike has paralysed life in India’s tea-producing region of Darjeeling. A local party is demanding a separate state for the area’s majority Nepali-speaking Gorkha community. The protests have followed a recent decision by the West Bengal government to introduce Bengali as a compulsory subject in schools across the state, including in Darjeeling. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha or GJM (Gorkha People’s Liberation Front), which is spearheading the protest, has […]

China’s official media has said Beijing should reconsider its stance and support Sikkim’s “independence”, ratcheting up its rhetoric amid  a row with India over a road being built by the Chinese army in the Sikkim sector. “Beijing should reconsider its stance over the Sikkim Issue. Although China recognized India’s annexation of Sikkim in 2003, it can readjust its stance on the matter,” says an editorial in the hardline Global Times, run […]

Global commerce has been changing since the late 20th century. Rather than trade finished products, such as cars, countries now exchange parts and components that, together, produce a finished commodity. Facilitated by lower transportation and communication costs, the inputs of production can be sourced from the most economical place. Every country that participates in world trade today has its place in this global value chain. For emerging nations, engaging in […]

India should learn lessons from its defeat in 1962 and stop clamouring for a war, China warned on Thursday, saying the precondition for settling the current stand-off in the Sikkim sector is that New Delhi withdraws its troops immediately. China said its troops were building a road in its own territory and not on land that belonged to Bhutan. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) spokesperson Wu Qian was reacting to Indian […]

Hailed to be one of the four pilgrimages of India – Jagannath Temple of Puri is famous for its years-long spiritual mysteries, sacredness and massive tourists from all parts of the country. Built in the 12th century, the temple is located in the eastern coast of India at Puri, Orissa. Every year, thousands of pilgrims throng to the holy land of Puri to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and […]

It is said that the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. And while travelling, wouldn’t it be great if we can take a step in saving the environment? The concept of sustainable tourism points towards a considerate way to travel the world, ensuring that the natural, social and artistic environment of any place is not disturbed, and that there is minimal or […]