Russia has won plaudits for its macroeconomic handling of the coronavirus. Can other countries learn from its success? A year after the coronavirus pandemic plunged the global economy into turmoil and sent stock markets tumbling, Russia has emerged as one of the world’s best performers. Russia’s economy shrank by just …
Read More »India: Continuing Consolidation In West Bengal – Analysis
On February 22, 2021, Police recovered handwritten posters, bearing the name of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), from three villages in Ajodhya hills, Kotshila and Balrampur in Purulia District. The posters, written in red ink on white paper, listed a series of demands, including the reduction of petrol and …
Read More »Russia Foreign Minister’s Gulf Tour: A Bellwether Of US-Saudi Relations – Analysis
As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov embarks on a four-day visit to the Gulf, Middle Eastern leaders are either struggling to get a grip on Joe Biden’s recalibration of US policy in the region or signalling their refusal to adapt to the president’s approach. Mr. Lavrov’s visit to Saudi Arabia, …
Read More »Lavrov Asks Foreign Media To Write Objectively About Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during an informal and open meeting aims at exchange views on the issues that concern the media and the international community in general, has assertively asked foreign journalists to cover political and economic developments related to Russia both objectively and comprehensively. Speaking to a cross …
Read More »How to solve the Nord Stream 2 dilemma
On February 18, Washington announced sanctions on the ship laying Nord Stream 2 and its owner. They amount to little and will not placate pipeline opponents. However, a better gas transit contract for Ukraine could provide a way to move past U.S. pipeline sanctions. When, or if, completed, Nord Stream …
Read More »Saudi foreign minister meets Qatar’s emir in Doha – state news agency
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held talks on Monday with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha about improving relations between the two countries, the Qatar state news agency QNA reported. The visit to the Qatari capital comes after Saudi Arabia and its …
Read More »Lebanon army chief berates politicians after president calls to clear protests
Lebanon’s president told the army and security forces on Monday to clear roadblocks after a week of protests over a collapsing economy and paralysed government, but the army chief warned that troops should not get sucked into the political deadlock. President Michel Aoun issued the call to open up the …
Read More »Saudi Oil Port And Aramco Residential Area Targeted By Drone, Missile
A major oil port and Aramco residential area were attacked with a drone and ballistic missile in eastern Saudi Arabia on Sunday. A “petroleum tank farm” at Ras Tanura Port, one of the largest oil shipping ports in the world, was attacked with a drone in the morning, the energy …
Read More »Russia Tightens Its Grip On Armenia – OpEd
A crisis was expected in Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and it did not take long to arise. It started as an arm-twisting exercise between the civilian and military authorities of Armenia but evolved to further consolidate Russia’s influence in the country. Hopes were high when Nikol Pashinyan won …
Read More »India: Jihadist Radicalization In Tamil Nadu – Analysis
The incidence of jihadist radicalisation in India, across all its states, remains remarkably low when compared to West Asia, Africa and even Europe. Of the 177 ISIS sympathisers arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) since 2014, Tamil Nadu, at 34, accounted for the largest number of those arrested, as …
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