INDIA
Growing global Khalistan movement a cause for concern
Pro-Khalistan supporters abroad have been vandalising temples and holding referendums in support of their demand. Will India be able to enlist the support of foreign governments to tackle the situation?
INDIA
Eric Garcetti’s confirmation as US Ambassador to India comes as a relief to both countries
Though the US has described its relations with India as “one of the most consequential” in the world, the long delay in getting the new Ambassador in place had raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles and tongues had started wagging on where the Indo-US bilateral relations were headed.
WORLD
Left vs Right: With Jair Bolsonaro set to return, Brazil’s liberal President faces a dilemma
If President Lula da Silva allows his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro immunity for the January violence in Brasilia, he will disappoint his own supporters and empower the latter’s right-wing backers to step up protests against the government. Then again, stringent action could lead Bolsonaro’s supporters to rally in large numbers and deepen the polarisation in the country.
WORLD
Embattled Sharif govt looks to curtail chances of Imran Khan returning to power through arrest in Toshakhana case
They fear that if Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf wins elections in both, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, it could set the template for his sweeping victory in the parliamentary elections too.
WORLD
Australian PM Anthony Albanese seeks to cement ties on three-day visit to India
Albanese’s official visit is likely to increase exchanges between the two sides further as India and Australia try to find new areas to deepen and strengthen their bilateral relations, particularly on the economic, education and defence fronts.
POLITICS
Italian PM’s India visit part of process to normalise ties after marine episode
Bilateral ties were severely strained over the Italian marine firing episode, and the ban on Italian defence manufacturers in the wake of the Augusta Westland helicopter deal controversy.
TRENDS
G20 Summit: Jaishankar, Qin say border de-escalation is the way forward
Much of the rhetoric used by Qin is familiar to Indian leaders. The Chinese side has often used such language, especially when they are keen on normalising ties.
WORLD
Ghosts of G20s past cast a shadow on its future
The upcoming G20 summit in September, which will be attended by the heads of government of the member nations, will pose an even bigger challenge for India if the acrimony abides.
WORLD
What to make of Prachanda, Oli parting ways over Nepal Presidential polls
A few days back, Prachanda announced his decision to support senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel as president instead of Oli’s UML nominee, Subas Nembang. Voting for the president will take place on March 9 and the winner will also be announced the same day.
WORLD
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tries to enlist India’s help to woo Global South and isolate Russia
Surveys have shown that though developed economies have united behind the US in its support of Ukraine, the majority of the countries of the ‘Global South’ — poor countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia — have refused to do so.
BUSINESS
G20 foreign ministers’ meet: A debate of the deaf?
The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali last year ended in sharp exchanges and walkouts. But this time, along with all the heat, will there also be a little light?
WORLD
Western media’s Ukraine war coverage shows prejudice against Russia, says British commentator Anatol Lieven
The media has given up any pretence of objective reporting or serious investigation and analysis, Lieven says.
WORLD
Putin’s own military might stop him if tries to order a nuclear first strike: former US Ambassador
Melvyn Levitsky talks about the Ukraine war and how a settlement could be reached, and Russia’s future relations with the United States and Europe.
WORLD
START Stopped: The West should be mindful of what might trigger Russia
Though Putin has said that he would use nuclear weapons only in retaliation, western policymakers should try to understand where Russia’s redlines are.
WORLD
If the West sees endgame in Putin’s demise, that may not be realisable: Kazuhiko Togo
In this situation, prolonged and deadly fighting on the battlefield may go on for several years, says the Japanese expert.
WORLD
Ukraine has become a proxy war between Russia and the West: Venkatesh Varma, former Indian ambassador to Moscow
Varma feels that the current stalemate in the war will be broken with Russia gaining the upper hand.
WORLD
No endgame in sight in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II
US President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to the beleaguered Ukrainian capital on Monday for a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky shows Washington and European countries are willing to stand by Kyiv for the long haul.
WORLD
The Munich Security Conference will have a packed agenda
A major focus of discussion at the February 17-19 security conference will be the growing divide between “competing world orders” that the Ukraine war and the Sino-American rivalry seem to have brought to the fore.
WORLD
Austria’s neutrality under pressure as the war in Ukraine goes on
Austria has argued that it was important to keep the channel of communication with Moscow open despite the “brutal Russian attack against Ukraine.”
WORLD
Will they, won’t they? The debate on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine continues
Though most western countries favour intensifying their support to Ukraine, they are hesitant to supply it with fighter jets. Such a move, they fear, could result in heavy losses as well as strong retaliation from Russia.
WORLD
Ukraine replaces defence minister; faces delays in delivery of Western weapons
The developments place a question mark on the fate of the Ukraine-Russia war, which approaches the one-year mark this month.
WORLD
What’s behind China’s measured response to US shooting down alleged spy balloon?
By shooting down the balloon and calling off Anthony Blinken’s visit to Beijing, Biden wanted to convey to the American people that he will be tough in dealing with any aggressive moves by China.
WORLD
Pervez Musharraf scripted Kargil but also came close to resolving Kashmir issue
Pervez Musharraf, who died at 79 on February 5, will be remembered in Pakistan for losing the Kargil conflict, staging a coup and his prolonged battle with the judiciary
POLITICS
A balloon that halts diplomacy, but hides Hunter's China aims from American eyes
The visit by Anthony Blinken has also been put off at a time when the Republicans have raised serious questions about Hunter Biden’s business interest in China and demanded the President come clean on it
