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‘How many children does Elon Musk have?’ is old-hat. The question tagging this fellow now is ‘how many more children does he plans to have?’ On world population day, a camera panned the faces of 19 Indian children born of two women and their common hubby. Ranged against the father of 19, Musk still has some way to go.

The four-day visit of the eight-member team of the Communist Party of China in Kathmandu, led by Liu Jianchao, the new head of CPC’s international liaison department, as well as a meeting with the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center),Pushpa Kamal Dahal, at the latter’s residence in Khumaltar both constitute the unmistakable message that CPC looks forward to a left (read pro-Beijing)-leaning combine to win in the national elections. However, it must be noted that before meeting the CPN (Maoist Center), Liu had separate meetings with Prime Minister SherBahadurDeuba and the minister of foreign affairs, Dr Aryan Khaki, in addition to the CPC team’s dialogue with the President of National Assembly of Nepal, Biddy Devi Bandar, chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) Madhya Nepal and the party’s senior leader, Jalap Nat Chanel. Suffice to say that Beijing isn’t putting all of its eggs in one Nepalese basket.

At the core of a US policy debate over the merits of President Joe Biden's pilgrimage to the Middle East lies the question of how best to ensure regional stability and protect United States interests.

BOSTON: Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Roe v Wade judgment of 1973. SCOTUS issued its decision with regards to the case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Centre (Mississippi). Abortion rights will cease to be a federal affair from now and it will be left to the individual states to decide. States like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Mississippi have already passed or introduced strict laws banning abortion after six to fifteen weeks of conception, thereby criminalizing abortion. At least 26 states, all governed by the Republicans, are ready to follow suit.

An unprecedented political crisis has arisen in Sri Lanka, leading to the breakdown of constitutional governance. Unorganised angry protesters, who are deeply affected by economic meltdown, have forced two Prime Ministers Mahinda Rajapaksa and his successor Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign, and have driven out the executive President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to high sea before storming the presidential residence in Colombo.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s bravado and brinkmanship turned fatal last Saturday. Not only was he reported missing from his office and residence, but the palatial President’s house in Colombo was also invaded by the protestors. Twitter is flooded with amusing pictures and videos of the incident. Protestors taking a plunge into the swimming pool at the President’s house and some showing his dirty undergarment were instant hits on social media.

The European Commission’s decision just ahead of last month’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Germany to mobilise Euro 300 billion (US$340 billion) by 2027 to invest in public and private infrastructure around the world is most welcome though it came several years after a similar initiative by China. With US President Joe Biden committing another $200 billion in aid of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) programme as the global gateway in the next five years, the total fund mobilisation will be in excess of half-a-trillion dollars.

Number of the claimants for the office of the prime minister in Britain is quite alarming. Every fourth law maker of UK is striving to grab the post. If the present trend is any indication, it can safely be said that Conservative leadership election is quite open with candidates from almost every ideological wing of the party in the race. But one aspect of the election is quite significant and it is the trial of strength between the Brexiters and Remainers.

It is symptomatic of the ultra-nationalistic indoctrination of China under Xi that news of the attack on former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was greeted with celebrations on their internet social media.

The weather is hot, tempers are short and, once again, government is in crisis. It normally is — and this one will not be settled while Italians are heading for the beaches. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has split from the populist Movimento Cinque Stella (Five Star Movement, M5S) taking 60 of the party’s 227 members of the country’s Chamber of Deputies.