author-image

Bhagyashree Garekar

US Bureau Chief

Bhagya is US bureau chief at The Straits Times. She was foreign editor at the newspaper from 2020 to 2023 and served as its US correspondent during the Bush and Obama administrations. She produced ST’s first e-book, Myanmar Sunrise, which won an award in 2013 from the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association. In 2015, she wrote Living History, an e-book marking the 170th anniversary of ST and Singapore’s 50th anniversary. Bhagya began her career at India’s top financial daily, The Economic Times, with positions in New Delhi and Mumbai. She is a Jefferson Fellow. 

Latest articles

First Venezuela, now Iran: Americans befuddled by Trump’s power moves

As protests raged in Iran against the clerical rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Donald Trump said the US is exploring military options.

After Venezuela, five targets appear in Trump’s crosshairs. Is it just talk?

The US attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 3.

As AI adoption rises, job fears grow across the US

A billboard in New York that sparked a widespread backlash through its provocative "Stop Hiring Humans" message.

It was not an invasion, not illegal and not about oil: Marco Rubio on capture of Venezuela’s Maduro

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers remarks next to President Donald Trump during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan 3, 2026. PHOTO: TIERNEY L. CROSS/NYTIMES

Trump’s Maduro capture is about drugs, immigrants and China

US President Donald Trump has promised to “run” Venezuela in the aftermath of Mr Nicolas Maduro’s removal, opening the possibility of a messy, protracted US involvement.

10 questions on what 2026 holds for Asia

America’s waning appetite for global leadership is spawning levels of uncertainty and unreliability that many countries are unaccustomed to navigating.

Why does the Democratic Party not love Zohran Mamdani?

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (R) celebrates alongside his wife Rama Duwaji during an election night event on Nov 4, 2025. PHOTO: AFP

Did the Trump bet pay off? Some Texas Democrats sense an opening ahead of the midterms

Rio Grande city is the seat of Starr county in south Texas.

Why the US dollar is so sticky

Harvard historian Mary Bridges, the author of Dollars and Dominion, explains why the world is likely to stay dollar-centric even as China, Russia, India and many countries try to toggle away from the greenback and into rival currencies like the yuan or the euro

5 takeaways for Asia from Trump’s new national security strategy

US President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, Nov. 25, 2025. His updated National Security Strategy elevates the Western Hemisphere as America’s highest priority. PHOTO: TOM BRENNER/NYTIMES