Political

English

Roving Periscope: With funding curtailed, Xi’s BRI dream starts crumbling

December 14, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: It was no secret even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world in January 2020 that the planet’s biggest-ever infrastructure project, worth USD 200 billion—China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—was facing rough weather. Now, this gargantuan dream project of China’s President-for-Life Xi Jinping is almost crashing down for want of […]

Defence

Roving Periscope: the US tightens screws with sanctions on China-plus

December 11, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: There already were straws in the wind. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping had turned down his US counterpart Joe Biden’s appeal for an in-person Summit, ‘unless America first rescinded’ some of its ‘anti-China’ decisions. In November, the White House sent out invites for a virtual “Summit for Democracy” to […]

Defence

Me-too: China claims it-has its own-model and is the largest-democracy

December 11, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Peeved at being left out in the cold, and inviting India instead to rub salt in its wounds, the “People’s Republic of China” (PRC) concluded its week-long campaign condemning liberal democratic systems, and claiming that it is the “largest democracy” in the world. On the second and final day of […]

English

US Summit on Democracy: Now, even the uninvited Dragon claims it is ‘democratic’!

December 8, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Reacting sharply to US President Joe Biden keeping Beijing out of and including Taipei instead in, the 111-nations’ online Summit For Democracy, scheduled for December 9 and 19, the “People’s Republic of China” (PRC) has claimed it is also a “democracy.” According to the media reports, a peeved China has […]

Defence

Broke-in-arms: Now bankrupt Islamabad ‘warns’ of Kabul’s economic collapse!

November 12, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: At least one thing about Pakistan is certain: it never ceases to amuse and surprise others! Even if it means the pot calling the kettle black!! Now, Islamabad, itself in a hand-to-mouth existence and facing an acute financial crisis for a variety of reasons, has warned Kabul about a potential […]

Business

“Tyranny of Big Tech”: Donald Trump to launch own platform in Nov

October 21, 2021 virendra pandit

New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump, banned by Facebook and Twitter since January 2021, on Thursday, announced to launch his own social media platform, known as TRUTH Social App, next month. With his successor US President Joe Biden’s plummeting ratings across America in the last six months, Trump seems upbeat and may announce his […]

Defence

Roving Periscope: In a first, US dubs China India’s “aggressor”

October 21, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: For the first time, the USA has officially dubbed China an “aggressor” against India along the Himalayan border, a development that might speed up the manifestation of an “Asian NATO”. Embroiled in internal problems like enfeebling economy and loss of face globally, China has been trying to divert its people’s attention […]

Defence

Afghanistan: With Baradar’s return, Kabul may witness Taliban’s factional war

October 6, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who crafted the Taliban deal for the withdrawal of US-led forces, returned to Kabul on Wednesday, with the Afghan Pashtun fighters replacing his personal security and rejecting the one provided by the rival Haqqani Network component of the Islamist militia. This has […]

English

Afghanistan: Amid rumours of top leaders’ fate, Taliban appoint deputy ministers

September 21, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: While the Afghans, and the world, speculated about the death of two of top Taliban leaders—supreme spiritual leader and head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Hibatullah Akhundzada and Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar—the Islamist militia on Tuesday announced a list of “deputy ministers” in Kabul. On September […]

Business

Terror: Modi calls for SCO template to deal with extremism, radicalization

September 17, 2021 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned 71 on Friday, has called for developing a joint template by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to effectively deal with the mounting challenges of extremism and radicalization. Virtually addressing the 21st annual SCO Council of Heads of States Summit held at Dushanbe, Tajikistan, he […]