This is not even arguable that one of the biggest successes of the present government is its West Asia policy, which, although proverbially called ‘Link West’, in reality is an ‘Act West’ policy. West Asia and India never had it so good when the much-needed highest-level exchanges have occurred with such regular frequency and special emphasis as has happened in the past decade.
VO Chidambaram Pillai is not a household name. He comes up rarely in any list of the heroes of India’s freedom movement. He deserves better. From Tuticorin, a coastal town in southern Tamil Nadu, he promoted, raised funds for, and ran, Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNCo), to take on the might of the British India Steam Navigation Company, and of the British empire itself. And failed. And that failure illustrates what happens if you are the antithesis of the much-reviled crony capitalist.
Missing the wood for the trees is a common occurrence, when obsessive focus on one or more parts obscures the whole. It is more unusual to see a wood swallow a generally admired tree, prune it of its uniqueness, and leave the observer missing its grace and charm. Indians had the occasion to experience such loss, when Vistara merged with Air India last week. True, both airlines belong to the Tata Group, and it does not make sense for the Tatas to operate multiple airline brands. We hope the sleek functionality of Vistara will rub off on Air India, instead of getting lost in the maw of the much larger, older and relatively lugubrious airline.
July 31 was the casting date for a much-feared escalation in the Middle East as Israeli leadership acknowledged killing of the Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr (July 30) but keeping enigmatic silence on the killing of the Hamas top leader and negotiator Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran under the nose of the almighty Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). It happened when the new reformist- conservative Iranian President Dr Pezeshkian was just sworn in who hoped for some improved relationship even with the West. Iranians obviously were livid not only that Haniyeh was killed but killed in Tehran violating their sovereignty. They concluded Israeli hand and vowed revenge including by the 3Hs- Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis and add the Shia militias in Iraq to the list, which makes a powerful and potent mix of resistance groups so called “Axis of Resistance” against their wily enemy -whose very existence is an anathema for them. Major powers came into action.
Zelensky criticises India’s purchasing of Russian oil while ignoring that his own benefactors in Europe have been buying billions of dollars of gas from Russia
It appears that two hugs by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Volodymyr Zelensky in Apulia and Kyiv have been weighed lightly compared to the one given to Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Zelensky had invited and hosted PM Modi and has been asking India, along with other Western leaders, to leverage its influence with President Putin to end the conflict. Hence PM Modi used his personal diplomacy and credit with Putin in July to find a reasonable solution through dialogue, diplomacy, and respect for the UN Charter.
The anger of White Britain UK is a reality and Brexit in more ways than one was a response to this fury but things have continued to grow worse for this demography
In normal times, a tragedy involving the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a dance class in the seaside town of Southport, in the north of England, on 29 July would have brought the community together to tide over the incomprehensible nature of events. But then the world is passing through extraordinary times. Instead of compassion, violence surged through English and Northern Irish towns and cities for nearly seven days as disorder spread rapidly led by the far-right. This is being termed as the worst episode of violence that Britain has seen in more than a decade and though things look calm on the surface, simmering tensions underneath haven’t really subsided.