Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, announced that his coalition government would provide parents with $312 for the birth of a third child and $416 for a fourth child, as part of the state’s proposed population management policy. This policy marks a decisive shift in the language of family planning toward what the government now calls “population care.” The concern behind this decision is not entirely unfounded. Andhra Pradesh’s fertility rate has fallen, with the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, which covers the period 2019-2021, estimating the state’s total fertility rate at 1.7…
Author: Frank M. Everett
European businesses in China may have reached an inflection point, with business confidence showing signs of improvement for the first time in five years. The last investigation published by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (European Chamber) found that 68 percent of respondents felt “doing business in China had become more difficult” – a high number, but with a notable drop of 5 percentage points year-on-year. Likewise, the proportion of companies reporting increased politicization fell 5 percentage points, to 47 percent. Other indicators also developed positively: optimism about the two-year profitability outlook rose to 17 percent, while the…
On May 8, Pakistan Interior Minister and Cricket Board Chairman Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi arrived in Dhaka for a two-day visit. His visit coincided with the Bangladesh-Pakistan cricket series, but it was not just focused on sports. It also conveys distinct political and strategic messages. In the South Asian political landscape, relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have always been both complex and emotionally charged. A political betrayal – Pakistan’s refusal to transfer power, ignorance of the massive Bengali mandate in the 1970 elections and memories of the genocide of the 1971 Liberation War – persisted and kept bilateral relations frosty…
The Philippine Senate has convened an impeachment court that will try Vice President Sara Duterte, accused of betrayal of public trust for alleged misuse of confidential funds, accumulation of unexplained wealth and involvement in a plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. What should we expect from the Senate and can it conduct a credible and speedy trial amid the intense bickering of its members? Under Philippine law, it is the House of Representatives that initiates impeachment cases and the Senate that acquits or convicts impeached officials. Duterte was impeached twice by House members. The first impeachment in February 2025…
India has signed a deal with Vietnam to equip it with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, while a similar deal with Indonesia is in the “final stages”, India’s defense secretary said on Saturday. Responding to a question from a Vietnamese delegate at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore, Rajesh Kumar Singh told reporters that a deal with Vietnam had been signed – the first public acknowledgment of a sale that had been rumored for several years. “My understanding is that with Indonesia and with Vietnam the deal is in the final stages and actually for Vietnam I understand…
The only thing plunging faster than the economy is Trump’s approval ratings. Donald Trump regularly fell asleep on camera during White House events, and his last medical examination raised more questions than it provided answers, because the document released by the White House and approved by Trump contained several absurd claims. The strangest claim was that the AI found that Trump’s heart was functioning at a level 14 years younger than his age. PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions. Support us by becoming a subscriber.The president sports strange bruises on the back of both his hands, and the White…
Last week’s confusion that led to the withdrawal of the majority of musical artists from the Great American State Fair can be attributed to a White House-led organization called Freedom 250. Freedom 250 emerged after Trump’s return to the presidency and is not the same as the official organization created by Congress, America 250.The difference between the two organizations could be confusing to someone who casually visits each website. Both websites welcome visitors with fireworks. Both are web domains (.org), but that’s where the similarities end. The official America 250 website features a list of board members with their photos,…
It’s normal for people to get older. In fact, staying alive is a good thing, but when a pathologically lying administration gets mixed up with a person who must one day return to the presidency, who is showing signs of decline, the physical exam goes from a simple disclosure of information to a wild document that denies reality.All presidents have final approval of the content of their medical reports. Ordinary people don’t have editorials about their doctors, but the President of the United States does.PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions that are unfiltered by billionaires, corporations, or political parties.…
All three federal decisions are sure to upset Trump, but the one I think will bother him the most concerns the Kennedy Center.PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Trump received the following order:ORDERED that Defendants, and their employees, agents, and any person acting in concert with them, are hereby preliminarily ENJOYED from enforcing or implementing the decision of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts dated March 16, 2026, to “halt” programming activities and “close” the “doors” of the Center entirely effective July 5, 2026, for the…
A plan by the United States, Japan, India and Australia to collaboratively invest in port infrastructure in Fiji is a step toward challenging China’s hegemony over supply chains in the region, while simultaneously signaling to Pacific island nations that the four regional powers can offer them a better deal than Beijing, experts told Radio Free Asia.The plan was unveiled earlier this week in New Delhi, after a meeting of foreign ministers from member countries of the Quadrilateral security dialogue alliance, or Quad. Fiji was likely chosen because of its strategic location as the convergence point of many global shipping lanes,…