V KuDoS

India's foreign policy, which was once praised for its strategic autonomy and smooth balancing act between great powers, seems to be facing a crisis of credibility. From strained regional relations to waning strength in multilateral platforms, the cracks are increasingly difficult to disregard. Historically, India enjoyed warm relations with its immediate neighbours under the Neighbourhood First policy. In recent times, however, a visible deterioration of goodwill can be observed. Nations such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh—hitherto regarded as close friends—have become increasingly cautious. Border tensions with Nepal, water-sharing issues with Bangladesh, and Bhutan's increasing courtship with China have caused concern. Critics hold that India's belligerent stance, hence frequently viewed as domineering, has pushed its smaller neighbours away. At the international level, India's balancing act between the West and Russia has grown more delicate. As New Delhi strength...

The creation of the atomic bomb stands as one of the most consequential scientific achievements—and moral quandaries—of the 20th century. Born from a fusion of theoretical physics and wartime urgency, the bomb’s development reshaped global politics, warfare, and humanity’s relationship with science itself. The tale starts in the early 20th century, when physicists such as Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr started peeling away the secrets of the atom. But it was the 1938 isolation of nuclear fission by German researchers Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann that really opened Pandora's box. When uranium atoms are split, they released staggering amounts of energy—energy sufficient, it was soon understood, to power a weapon of unimaginable destructiveness. As World War II heated up, worries that Nazi Germany was working on such a weapon led the United States to initiate the Manhattan Project in 1942. This secret program assembled some of the best scientific brains around, including Enrico Fe...

Over the past few months, a tempest has been brewing in India's digital content space, and at its eye is ANI (Asian News International), one of the nation's biggest news agencies. The controversy? ANI has been sending multiple copyright strikes to YouTube creators, even big names like Mohak Mangal, for employing short excerpts—sometimes as short as 9 to 11 seconds—of its news reportage. The creators maintain their use is under the exception of "fair dealing" in Indian copyright law. ANI, however, perceives it as infringement. According to India's Copyright Act, 1957, "fair dealing" permits restricted use in copyright material for purposes including criticism, review, reporting current events, or private study. But unlike the U.S. doctrine of "fair use," Indian law does not have a set checklist. Courts analyze each case based on context, intention, and economic effect on the copyright holder. The controversy grew when Mangal accused ANI of askin...

Vijay Mallya, who was once famously referred to as the King of Good Times, has recently surfaced in public life with a four-hour-long podcast conducted by influencer Raj Shamani. The episode that has already racked up more than 20 million views offers Mallya's account of his financial meltdown, loan defaults, and legal wars. But does his account stand the test of facts? Mallya's Claims vs. Reality Throughout the podcast, Mallya maintains that he has paid back more than he had borrowed, explaining that he had availed loans amounting to ₹6,200 crore but repaid ₹14,000 crore. Financial books, however, paint a different picture. As per reports, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) held that his total dues, including interest and penalties, had swollen to ₹17,781 crore. Banks may have recovered ₹10,815 crore through the sale of assets, yet Mallya still owes close to ₹7,000 crore. The Extradition Controversy Mallya left India in 2016 on charges of financial fraud and money laundering. He...

The Big Bang Theory is one of the most intriguing and accepted theories for the birth of the universe. The theory proposes that the universe started as a very dense and hot singularity about 13.8 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since. Although the theory has been modified over the years, it is still a foundation of contemporary cosmology. What is the Big Bang? The name "Big Bang," however, was first proposed by astronomer Fred Hoyle as a term of disapproval but ended up sticking ironically. The theory suggests that the universe began as an ultra-dense, high-temperature point and suddenly expanded. This expansion gave rise to elementary particles, stars, galaxies, and eventually planets, including Earth. Key Evidence Supporting the Big Bang Theory There are some strong evidence supporting the theory: Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): Found by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson in 1965, the CMB is residual radiation from the early universe, really a kind of "ec...

Nestled in Scotland's misty Cairngorms' peaks, a chilling myth lingers—the story of Am Fear Liath Mòr, or the Big Grey Man. He is said to haunt the second-highest British Isles' mountain, Ben Macdui. Climbers have been filled with terror from this spooky figure for more than a century. The First Encounter The myth grew to be well known in 1925, when J. Norman Collie, a well-known mountaineer and scientist, recalled a harrowing incident in 1891. Descending Ben Macdui in thick mist, he could hear crunching footsteps behind him—long, measured strides, considerably bigger than his own. Though he could see nothing, a crushing sense of fear compelled him to run for miles. What Is the Big Grey Man? Accounts of the creature are varied. Some say it is a giant humanoid, more than ten feet tall, with black skin, long arms and shoulders, and wide shoulders. Others describe only a presence unseen, coupled with heavy footsteps and an overwhelming sense of dread. The experience has a para...

Far in the deserts of southern Peru, the Nazca Lines traverse the landscape, etched into the sand in delicate geoglyphs that have been a source of intrigue to historians, archaeologists, and scientists for decades. These large-scale designs—animal and plant life, as well as geometric figures—were carved into the earth by the Nazca civilization from 500 BC to AD 500. But for what purpose? And how did an ancient civilization achieve such accurate, large-scale art without machinery? Discovery and Significance The Nazca Lines were relatively undiscovered until pilots in the 1920s flew over Peru and noticed the massive images from the air. More than 700 geoglyphs have since been discovered by researchers, including images of a hummingbird, monkey, spider, and even humanoid forms. Their enormity—some more than 370 meters (400 yards) long—implies they were intended to be seen from the air, fueling theories on purpose. Theories Behind Their Creation The enigma of the Nazca Lines has generated ...

The mythic love affair between Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony has enthralled chroniclers and historians for millennia. Their unfortunate demise, at the hands of Octavian (later Augustus) in 30 BC, signified the demise of Egypt's final great queen. Even so, since their (and by extension, Egypt's) actual burial sites have not been located, these two great historical figures continue to be one of archaeology's most profound enigmas. Historical Accounts and Theories Ancient accounts, such as those of Plutarch and Suetonius, indicate that Octavian allowed Antony and Cleopatra to share a majestic tomb. According to some accounts, Cleopatra walked between her palace and the tomb during the last days of her life, supporting the view that it was already being built prior to their demise. Theories regarding where the tomb is located range from near a Temple of Isis to being on the island of Antirhodos, which today lies beneath Alexandria's waters. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism ...

Stonehenge, the prehistoric wonder located in the rolling hills of Wiltshire, England, has intrigued historians, archaeologists, and travelers for millennia. Its massive stones, set in a circle, leave one pondering—why did someone build it, who built it, and how did they move these massive stones without machines? After much research, Stonehenge is one of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries. Origins and Construction Dating from 3000 BCE, Stonehenge was built in several stages over a span of 1,500 years. The outer circle is made up of sarsen stones, weighing as much as 25 tons, which were brought from Marlborough Downs, 20 miles away. The inner circle, being bluestones, was brought from Preseli Hills in Wales, almost 200 miles away. The transportation of these stones remains a mystery—some theories suggest sleds, rollers, and waterways, while others propose that glaciers may have carried them closer during the Ice Age. Purpose and Theories The real function of Stonehenge remains ...