Even as the border tension stand-off between India and China is yet to abate, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Stakna forward areas in Leh, the capital of Ladakh on Friday. During his interaction with soldiers at the Lukung post near Pangong Lake, Singh said, “Not an inch of our land can be taken […]
Nepal does a China, and Hou!
Days after China blocked access to Indian newspapers and television channels to deny its citizens of credible news from across the border, China’s vassal Nepal decided to please its master but it did not have the courage to do it openly. So, instead of announcing a government ban on Indian media, the Nepal government nudged […]
India cuts Pakistan by half
Days after two Indian diplomats faced harassment in Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday summoned the Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan to convey New Delhi’s decision to “reduce the staff strength in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by 50%”. This effectively means India will expel half the Pak diplomats. According […]
‘Historical injustice as India’s role in WW-II remains unacknowledged’
Excerpts from India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar’s opening remarks at the RIC trilateral foreign ministers’ video conference on June 23, 2020 Friends, We welcome this special RIC meeting of Foreign Ministers to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second World War, as well as the foundation of the United Nations. The victory […]
Citizenship law: Are Indian Muslims tilting at windmills?
India is going through a peculiar situation. Days after President Ramnath Kovind signed off on the amended law that offers citizenship to the persecuted minorities of three neighbouring countries – Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – Muslims across the country are demanding the law should not be implemented. Reason? Foreign Muslims illegally entering India are not […]
Here’s the world’s youngest PM
When Finnish transport minister Sanna Mirella Marin takes over as Prime Minister of the Nordic country later this week, she will be the world’s youngest Prime Minister at 34 – younger than Ukrain’s 35 years young premier Oleksiy Honcharuk and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern who is 39. Marin was elected to the top post by […]
Is Sweden the world’s best country for women?
MONICA BOSE RAGHAVAN There are not many countries in the world where more than half the ministers and over 40% of the Members of Parliament are women. Sweden scores on both fronts. But, then, Sweden is not like any other nation. It proudly calls itself the world’s first ‘feminist government’ where gender equality tops everything […]
The Stockholm Ministerial Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty
Ministerial declaration, Stockholm, 11 June 2019 We, the participating states – Argentina, Canada, Finland, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland – to the Stockholm Ministerial Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), met today to discuss how nuclear disarmament can be advanced. […]
Sweden to host ministerial meeting on nuclear disarmament
In a fresh initiative to ratchet up international opinion towards a nuclear weapons-free world, Sweden plans to host an international ministerial meeting in Stockholm on June 11 on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The purpose of the meeting, to be hosted by Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström, is to discuss how governments can work […]
Iran: What’s Trump’s game plan?
Clouds of war are hovering over West Asia with the US and Iran hardening their stance. While tensions between the two countries have risen sharply ever since Donald Trump became the US President, the latest impasse was triggered by Iran’s threat that it would stop respecting an international deal it signed in 2015 agreeing to […]