Author: Soumyata Singh

As the country gets heavily indebted with only a little money left to pay for imports, meaning fuel, power, food and, increasingly, medicines are in short supply. With inflation vowing to reach the double-digit mark, opposition in Colombo is now warning the Rajapaksa govt with the no-confidence motion threats.  Present Sri-Lanka Crisis SriLankan economy is foreseeing a complete collapse even with bailouts being availed, the country is on the outskirts of complete chaos of economy.   The government had only $2.31 billion in reserves left in February. However, it faces debt repayments totalling about $4 billion in 2022. This includes a…

The Ministry of Defence is about to release the third positive indigenization list, which will be a crucial step in achieving the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. The third list will include important equipment/platforms that are slated to be indigenised by December 2025. The complete list will be released by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on April 07, 2022, in New Delhi. This third list expands on the 101-item first list and the 108-item second list, which were released on August 21, 2020, and May 31, 2021, respectively. Indigenisation is the ability to develop and produce any type of defence equipment within…

After more than 30 days into the Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian forces still struggle to seize Kharkiv, a city 30 miles from the Russian border with only 1.4 million inhabitants. Several US officials with the help of the latest US intelligence assessments convey that Moscow has revised its locus and shifted its focus on taking control of the Donbas and other regions in eastern with a target date of early May.  The destruction of Kharkiv caused Russia to evolve its war tactics and redirect its focus on Ukraine’s Donbas area, a swath of terrain about the size of New Hampshire…

The Taliban-controlled Afghanistan made the trade of heroin, hashish and alcohol an outlaw thereafter announcing a blanket ban on the cultivation of drugs that included the cash crop opium poppy. The restriction comes amid the opium harvesting season in southern Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman warned farmers of dire consequences if the farmers harvested poppy it could lead to imprisonment and their crops getting destroyed/burned. The Taliban’s supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, informing all Afghans that the cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country. Opium and Afghanistan According to the…

Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan in a last attempt to change the legacy of non-completion of tenure by any former Pakistani PM had made the President of Pakistan dissolve the National Assembly which consequently dismissed the No-Confidence Voting lined up for the voting.  The Opposition parties were taken aback by Imran Khan’s advances. They dubbed this out of the blue move as unconstitutional against which they have already approached the Supreme Court to challenge the decision.  As the Pakistani President nodded to the dissolution, Imran Khan simultaneously asked his followers to march to the streets to peacefully protest against his dismissal…

The NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday stated that Russian forces are not withdrawing but rather repositioning. He further emphasised that despite Russia’s recent statements about scaling down the military operations around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine, Russians are only collecting time to replenish their supplies to reinforce more violence.  Stoltenberg told a media conference in eastern Ukraine that NATO’s intelligence report confirms Russian regrouping tactics. He suggested an increase in offence in Donbas from the Russian side in the coming weeks. At the same time, Mr. Stoltenberg conveyed his concerns about Russia’s persisting pressure on Kyiv and other cities. …

A Turkish prosecutor in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, has asked a court to halt the trial in absentia trial of 26 Saudi suspects and transfer the case to Saudi authorities. The Turkish prosecutor said, “The case has been dragging because the court orders cannot be executed on the grounds that the suspects are foreign nationals.” The trial was adjourned with the judge’s panel giving no ruling on the prosecutor’s request. The panel decided to seek the opinion of the Justice Ministry of Turkey on the possibility of transfer…

Assam Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya signed a historic agreement for closure in six disputed sectors that were taken up for resolution in the first phase. The pact was inked in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi with Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K. Sangma.  Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the resolution and said, “This agreement exemplifies cooperative federalism and will provide a roadmap for resolution of other border disputes between states.”  About the Pact The agreement was based on a draft resolution that was signed in January between the two States.…

Amidst the Russia-Ukraine war tension and peace talks initiations, the Saudi Energy Minister at the World Government Summit which was sponsored by the government of Dubai made apprehension about the future dispensation of oil facilities to the world from the collective capacity of Suadi and UAE.  Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the event,  “Earlier, we, along with our friends in the UAE, worked on a collective effort to assure and ensure energy security. These pillars are no longer there.”  At a time when the market is already in a state of flux, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister reiterated…

European Union’s leading diplomat Enrique Mora held talks in Tehran with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani to revive the deal, as the glimmers of a resolution to some of the difficult issues in the negotiations have emerged. European Union diplomat Enrique Mora tweeted “Working on closing the remaining gaps in the #ViennaTalks… We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake.” Since April 2021, Iran has also been working to resurrect the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, and Russia, as well as the United States indirectly. Mr Mora’s visit comes…