Representational Photo

Stricter H-1B visa rules, OPT Termination Will Make US Less Attractive for Indian and South Asian Students

It is not just Indian professionals, but this bill could result in a further drop in Indian students - the largest foreign student cohort in the US - showing interest in higher studies in the US. It is not just the H-1B visa by itself, but the proposal for ending the OPT which prospective students would be paying attention to. OPT helps students in drawing employment, gaining experience and potentially transferring to H-1B Visa status. In 2024-2025, over 140,000 Indian students were participating in the OPT program.

Musical Bridge-Building: A Cultural Challenge to the Cross-border Political Dynamics of India–Pakistan Relations

Le-Huu calls the Red EP “a bright exemplar of world fusion music… -- a folk duo blending South Asian and American traditions” layering “original Urdu, Hindi, and English lyrics over classical Indian ragas and beats borrowed from rock, reggae, and American roots music.”

Bulldozing War Memory: South Asia’s Selective Silence Over Desecration of Gaza's Commonwealth Graves

In the end, the need to remember our war dead transcends borders, alliances, and eras. These disturbed graves — British, Australian, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi in origin — call us to a solemn duty: To honour all who fell with dignity. Forgetting them, or allowing their memory to be selectively bulldozed, diminishes us all.

From Crisis Management to Crisis Prevention: South Asian Research Collective Working on AI-Driven Solutions

Together, the team conducts collaborative research and policy development initiatives across four  South Asian countries - Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Their work aims to strengthen national preparedness, improve crisis response systems, and support governments in building resilient, technology-enabled public safety infrastructure. Together, these researchers represent a growing national capability in applying Artificial Intelligence to real-world challenges.

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Dhaka Slums: Where Covid is curiously quiet

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Cinemas across India should be allowed to reopen in August, ministry recommends

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has recommended to the Home Ministry that cinema halls all over India be allowed to reopen in August

Nepali women turn their backs on misogyny

A video posted on social media depicting the backless top worn by a pillion rider on a government-plated motorcycle on the highway from Dhading to Kathmandu recently went viral

Bollywood event promoter in US has links with Pak army, ministers and a TV channel

US-based Bollywood event promoter Rehan Siddiqi has deep links with the Pakistan army and leaders of the countrys ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party

550,000 orders for chicken biryani received during lockdown: Swiggy

While many took to cooking and even baking at home amid Covid-19 pandemic, a new report on Friday revealed that Indians made 5.5 lakh (550,000) orders for chicken biryani during the nationwide lockdown

100 books banned for carrying blasphemous, anti-Pakistan content

The curriculum board of Pakistan's Punjab province has imposed an immediate ban on at least 100 books with a plan of banning many more being taught in private schools for carrying blasphemous and anti-Pakistan content

Theatre artists in Lahore protest against hall closures

Theatre artists across Lahore have taken to the streets to protest against the indefinite closure of halls in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic

US Embassy launches song to honour Bangladesh's frontline workers

The US Embassy, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), recently released a song, titled "Joy Hobe"  to recognise and thank Bangladesh's frontline workers who deliver essential services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Fashion for Good's South Asia Innovation Programme

Five Indian innovators have made it to the second batch of Fashion for Goods South Asia Innovation Programme, the organisation announced on Thursday

Himachal man sells cow to buy smartphone for kids' online studies

A poor family in Himachal Pradesh state in India had to sell their cow, a substantial source of income, for just Rs 6,000 to buy a smartphone so that their two children could stay connected with online studies amid the COVID-19 lockdown

BJP asks Bollywood to renounce its links with 'ISI agents'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday asked Bollywood to renounce its "links" with Pakistan's spy agency ISI after pictures of several film stars posing with known anti-India activists abroad surfaced on social media

73 years on, gurdwara restored to Sikhs in Quetta

The Baloch­istan government on Wednesday handed over a 200-year-old gurdwara to the Sikh community

Landmark Kabul hotel owes $168 mn to Afghan government

Afghanistan's Ministry of Information and Culture says that an international five-star hotel in Kabul owes them 168 million dollars

Afghanistan's popular wedding halls reopen amid coronavirus threats

Wedding halls in Kabul city are reopening for receptions even as the deadly coronavirus is still threatening lives across the country

Rs 50K reward for info about man who burnt kitten alive

The Humane Society International-India has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of an unidentified man who had burnt alive a kitten in Hyderabad