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Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday, in a satirical video, took a jibe at the BJP-led Haryana Government and said that the state government has been sleeping for 10 years. Kharge on his social media handle on X shared a satirical video, which showed that the public (primarily youth) of Haryana is trying to wake up the «sleeping» Haryana government, citing several issues including unemployment, inflation, kidnapping, murder, crime, and MSP, but instead of acting on the issues, the government remains impassive. In a social media post on X, Mallikarjun Kharge, while sharing a video, wrote, «The BJP government in Haryana has been sleeping for 10 years. Now we will get relief from inflation, unemployment, farmer oppression and crime...! Bring Congress, save Haryana!»

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The war in Iran has triggered the largest oil-supply disruption in modern history.The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is forcing governments to redefine energy security for an age of geopolitical fragmentation—one in which resilience depends not only on how much oil the world produces, but where it flows, who can get it and which countries are able to absorb the shock when it is interrupted.Nearly 15% of global oil supply has been removed from the market. Crude prices remain elevated above $100 a barrel after initially spiking higher. They will very likely move sharply higher as inventories run dry.But while the oil market is global and rising costs are felt everywhere, the consequences are not evenly distributed.Asia has been hit first and hardest.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Trump administration announced criminal charges, sanctions and multimillion-dollar rewards aimed at combating online scams coming out of Southeast Asia and targeting Americans.The measures—some of which were directed at a Cambodian senator featured in a recent Wall Street Journal investigation into cyber-scam operations in the country—are the latest attempt by the U.S. to stem the fast-growing illicit industry.Americans alone lost $10 billion to online fraud originating from Southeast Asian nations in 2024, according to U.S.

NEW DELHI: With a new duty slapped on solar module exports to the US, Africa may become an alternative destination for India-made solar power equipment, a government official said.To push solar module exports and project exports, Indian developers can also set up green energy projects through the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy, said in an interview."I believe Africa would emerge as a good destination for India. Not only module exports, but also for project exports, where people are able to go and set up projects as RESCO developers," the secretary said.Under RESCO, a company installs, operates and maintains a solar energy system on a consumer’s property.

After reaching a framework for a trade deal with India that raised the hope of bilateral ties settling down, Washington has thrown a fresh curve ball. On Tuesday, the US commerce department announced varying import duties on solar panels from three Asian countries, including a whopping 126% on those from India. The other two, Indonesia and Laos, also face similarly high tariffs.

renewable energy. "So, our companies will have to challenge that in the appellate forum; but until then, this will continue, this 126% which has been imposed," he said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: Smart supply-chain manoeuvres and assembling in the United States helped India’s top solar panel exporter Waaree Energies maintain its lucrative trade with the country in the face of steep 50% tariffs on India, even as the exports of its main domestic rival Adani New Industries Limited faltered. Waaree sourced solar cells, the building blocks of solar panels, from suppliers in Southeast Asia to escape the crippling tariffs levied on India, the company’s management said during recent investor calls, as the US tariffs on solar panel imports are levied based on the country of origin of the solar cells rather than the country where the panels are assembled.

In 2024, at the India-ASEAN Summit, Modi gifted a vintage brass Buddha statue to Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, symbolizing shared heritage and India’s commitment to cultural diplomacy. In the same year, India sent several sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples to Thailand. The relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples, Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Maha Moggallana, were taken to Bangkok by an Indian delegation and displayed for 25 days in four cities of Thailand . In 2023, PM Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the Bal Bodhi Tree at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi, reinforcing the deep-rooted Buddhism ties between India and Japan. India also hosted the first-ever Global Buddhist Summit, bringing together scholars and practitioners to discuss contemporary challenges through the lens of Buddhist philosophy, where Modi stressed that Buddha’s teachings provide solutions to global issues. In 2022, PM Modi visited Lumbini, Nepal, on Buddha Purnima and laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, a landmark project promoting Buddhist culture and strengthening Indo-Nepal spiritual ties.

Act East Policy is the reflection of PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policy marked by dynamism and action. With the changing dynamics of the world, PM Modi in 2014, introduced a new vigour in India’s foreign policy. He transformed the Look East Policywith a more dynamic Act East Policy (AEP). Introduced in 1992, the Look East policy focused largely on economic ties with the Southeast Asia region. This shift was not just symbolic but marked a significant strategic approach that emphasized deeper diplomatic engagement, stronger trade partnerships, enhanced security cooperation, and cultural exchanges with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. The Act East Policy placed India as an active stakeholder in regional affairs. Over the past 10 years, the Act East Policy has positioned India as an active and influential player in Southeast Asia. The Indian PM’s frequent engagements, high-profile summits, and strategic partnerships have strengthened India's presence in the Indo-Pacific, making India not just a participant but a leader in regional affairs. Modi has himself visited SE Asia multiple times. This include trips to Singapore (2015, 2018, 2024), which have strengthened economic and fintech collaboration, and visits to Indonesia (2018, 2022, 2023), where India expanded its maritime security cooperation.

Saina Nehwal and PR Sreejesh, have written a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential candidates, urging them to make climate action their top priority. As IOC members gather in Costa Navarino, Greece, to vote on the seven candidates next week (March 18-21), the Olympians called for stronger commitments from the IOC to cut carbon emissions, promote sustainability in host cities, set clear guidelines on polluting sponsors and use its platform to advocate for climate action. Climate impacts are «no longer a distant threat, but a current and growing harm to the sports we love and to the countries that make up our Olympic family», the letter said. The signatories include 57 Olympic champions and over 100 Olympic flag bearers. They represent some of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, including Argentina, Aruba, the Bahamas, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Cook Islands, Eswatini, Fiji, Ghana, India, Kenya, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Recognizing that extreme weather events are already disrupting the Summer and Winter Olympics and affecting athlete performance and safety, the letter urges decisive action to ensure the games remain accessible and safe for future generations. Earlier this year, massive wildfires burned large areas of Los Angeles, the host city of the 2028 Olympic Games. The fires killed about 30 people, destroyed thousands of buildings, and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

U Kyaw Soe Win delivered a speech at the Mekong-Ganga Food Festival, organized by the Embassy of India in Yangon in collaboration with the Indian Women’s Association in Yangon and the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Network, at the Secretariat Yangon in Yangon, last week.

China’s leader Xi Jinping and visiting Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra have vowed to crack down on the scam networks that plague Southeast Asia as the two met in Beijing

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Authorities in Beijing are ramping up pressure on neighbors to rein in cyberscams after the high-profile kidnapping of a young Chinese actor who says he was trafficked into a criminal enclave in Myanmar. Parts of war-torn Myanmar and other countries in Southeast Asia have become havens for sprawling scam compounds, where hundreds of thousands of people are forced to swindle billions of dollars out of victims in the U.S., China and elsewhere.

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled the proposed defense secretary over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asking him if he could name one member and how many countries were in the bloc

holiday shopping scams that one should watch out for this December. The social media giant has launched a worldwide anti-scam awareness campaign aimed at protecting users from fraudulent schemes during the holiday shopping season. The company, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, revealed it has taken down over two million accounts linked to scam centers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the UAE, and the Philippines this year. In another instance, Meta said its enforcement efforts have removed 15,000 phishing URLs in Vietnam and 9,000 in Singapore this year to save people from holiday shopping scams. Meta in a blog post said it has partnered with a top internet safety expert and ethical hacker, Rachel Tobac, to share how scammers might be targeting people online this holiday season and how to avoid scams. Meta disrupted scam campaigns targeting holiday shoppers outside of our platforms and took thousands of malicious URLs that impersonated Meta’s apps off the internet, it said in a statement.

Hyderabad by the Delhi police on Saturday for forcing several youngsters from India to commit cyber crimes through fake call centres on the promise of getting them jobs abroad after a 2,500-km chase. The accused, Kamran Haider alias Zaidi, carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his information by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Zaida, along with his associates, trafficked vulnerable young Indian men to the Golden Triangle Region in Southeast Asia, where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, and force them to work in Chinese companies. Then, their passports would be taken away and they would be forced into cyber crimes.

free trade agreement in goods in February, the commerce and industry ministry said Saturday, adding that the fourth round of the negotiations was concluded here this month.

Two Australian tourists are being treated in Thailand for suspected severe alcohol poisoning after apparently consuming tainted drinks in neighboring Laos

Rajnath Singh is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun at an event in Laos next week. Following the border patrolling agreement with China that led to disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh, Singh-Dong meeting would be the first high-level engagement between the two countries. Singh will visit Laos to attend ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus), where he is likely to meet his outgoing US counterpart as well. Sources said while the meeting with Dong has not been finalised yet, the interaction could take place on the sidelines of the two-day event.

Arhum Daga wanted to go on a foreign trip for his first summer break in college. He had planned to go to South Korea with his friend, but his visa application was rejected. They needed to find an alternative quickly.