Death and illness are inevitable. Immortality exists only in myths. We all have seen illness and death. And this is what Kisa Gotami realized when she looked for a handful of white mustard, desperately, from a household which had not seen death, ever.
The recent missile barrage launched by Iran against Israel marks a significant escalation in a region already fraught with volatility.
The division of Cyprus remains one of the most enduring geopolitical challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean. The island's complex history ~ marked by conflict, foreign intervention, and national aspirations ~ creates a convoluted backdrop against which any attempts at reconciliation must be assessed.
During the on-going presidential debates in the United States, there could be a sudden surprise from the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sending a strong message to the two candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
India can take a vital step towards the well-being of its citizens by increasing the retirement age of doctors employed in the services of the Central and state governments.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, against the backdrop of Russia’s market-rate GDP losing a third of its value between 2013 and 2020, represents a doubling down of Putin’s strategy to seek legitimacy from “great power status,” rather than economic performance. Yet the West’s unrelenting financial and economic sanctions have only accelerated Russia’s economic downfall.
Whatever may be the case, today in this high tech age, among the 150 calendars, the Gregorian calendar introduced in 1582 A.D. based upon the Julian calendar of 45 B.C. has become the de facto global calendar. It reckons time by determining the start of a New Year from the midnight of 31 December although in our country the New Year celebrations continue month after month.
Hostility between the long-time foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries. The attack triggered harsh condemnation from the Iraqi government, which called it a “violation of international law and norms” and demanded an explanation from the Iranian leadership. The United States also condemned the strike and said it was an unjustified outrage on a civilian residence.
What seems to have got the US Administration to up the ante on China is a report over the weekend that the Kremlin has asked Beijing for military aid, a claim derided as “fake news” by the Chinese. Russia’s outreach to India ~ offering an increase in its oil and petroleum product exports as well as Indian investments in the Russian oil sector ~ against the backdrop of the West-led ban on Russian oil and gas also has Washington worried.
Beyond the worsening US-China rivalry, there are internal pressures within South Koreas restive society, which is becoming increasingly suspicious of Chinas intent and trustworthiness. Majority of South Koreans now view China as the biggest threat to a hypothetically-unified Korea, and not Japan and a 2020 Pew Poll found 83 per cent of South Koreans distrusting Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the 'right thing in world affairs'
