Author: Soniya Kute

The move comes by North Korea in a show of strike-back as the US veers a nuclear submarine into South Korea North Korea, on early Wednesday morning, launched two short-range ballistic missiles from a position near the Pyongyang International Airport off the east coast into the Sea of Japan in angry retaliation to the US bringing a nuclear submarine to a port in South Korea after nearly four decades. North Korea has continued its provocative spate of missile launching in response to US-South Korea military deals, as seen in instances of previous months. The move heightened tensions just as the…

The talks between Kerry and Zhenhua are expected to pivot on discussions regarding non-CO2 emissions, COP28 preparations and create a thaw between both countries US Climate Envoy John Kerry arrived in Beijing on Monday, July 17 to conduct talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua. This visit comes after a nearly year-long disruption to hold rigorous discussions between two of the world’s worst polluters as the US seeks to alleviate tensions with China on different issues such as human rights, trade, Taiwan and territorial claims. China has tried to strike a balance between renewable and non-renewable energy sources, by being…

The feared ‘morality police’ are back in the streets of Iran, with stricter dress code for women Nationwide protests had rocked Iran after Mahsa Amini died of suspicious circumstances after being arrested by the religious morality police for breaking the dress code rules back in 2022. Nullifying all effects of those protests, the Guidance patrol – morality police have made a return in Iran, with stricter enforcement of the Hijab Rule and policing of women’s attire.  On July 16, the Iranian police announced the enforcement of a new campaign, wherein women would have to compulsorily wear the Islamic headgear, the…

S. Jaishankar holds constructive discussions with Foreign Ministers of China, Indonesia and the US External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had a lot on his table this week as he travelled to Indonesia’s Jakarta to attend Foreign Ministers’ Meetings of the Association of the SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the format, ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on July 13-14. Jaishankar met with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the ASEAN meet, and discussed comprehensively on multiple issues of Myanmar, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, along with a follow up on PM Narendra…

In a major shock to the NCP, top leader Ajit Pawar defects to the ruling alliance along with supporters In a drama packed Sunday, a massive blow was dealt to the NCP and its leader Sharad Pawar, as Ajit Pawar, along with eight other NCP legislators, joined the Shinde-Fadnavis ruling coalition. This move has given way to a new chapter in Maharashtra politics, which has been in unstable turmoil since the past four years.  Gears started churning when Uddhav Thackeray came into power through the triple alliance of MVA, with a major upheaval last year when dozens of Shiv Sena…

Chief Minister vows to challenge move in the Supreme Court as it was carried out without consultation DMK minister Senthil Balaji was dismissed from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect by Tamil Nadu governor R.N. Ravi on Thursday, June 29, exacerbating the conflict between the governor and the DMK-led government in the state. Raj Bhavan’s official release stated that Balaji is facing serious criminal proceedings in cases related to corruption and money laundering and that he has abused his power as a minister to hinder the processes of law and justice. Should he continue in the Council of Ministers,…

3 top Commanders get the boot for failure to contain the attacks on Pakistan military installations Lahore Corps Commander Lt Gen Salman Fayyaz Ghani and two others were sacked for their inability to contain the attacks that took place following Former PM Imran Khan’s arrest by pro-Imran protesters, an incident alluded to as a ‘black chapter in history’, stated the Pakistan Army, sending out a strong message that any support to the former Prime Minister within the ranks would not be tolerated. General Ghani was one of the top officials whose official residence was ransacked by the protestors. He was…

Russian Foreign Ministry makes claim of China’s support to the Russian leadership In what is perceived as the biggest threat to Putin’s leadership in over two decades, Russia faced an unprecedented situation which took the country dangerously near to the brink of a civil war, when the Chief of Wagner, a private mercenary company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called for an ‘armed mutiny’. Wagner troops were pulled out of Ukraine and led into Russia again, and captured Rostov-on-Don, a key military base camp in southern Russia, on June 24 and continued their advance into the Lipetsk region on June 25. Putin has…

Wagner chief Prigozhin fired up against Russia’s military after alleged attack on his forces Amid a dramatic escalation of internal conflict between the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian military, Prigozhin has vowed to stop Russia, rapidly deteriorating his close relations with Putin. Wagner and its relation to the Russia-Ukraine war Wagner is a private military company founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is helping Russia in its war against Ukraine. Wagner has also had its presence in conflict zones like Libya, Syria, Mali and the Central African republic, with frequent accusations of capturing state power on its head. Prigozhin…

All parties to come together to tackle the situation in Manipur, feared to be on the brink of civil war In what seems to be the central government’s first outreach effort and action on the issue, Home Minister Amit Shah has convoked an all-party meeting to address the exacerbating situation in Manipur on June 24, 2024. The call for a meeting comes amid criticisms from different Opposition parties on the inability of the state government to control the violence as well as the silence of the central government on the matter.  PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US without any…