The Hindu

Este archivo solo abarca los artículos del periódico incorporados a este sitio a partir del 1 de octubre de 2006.

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BRICS does not strive to create a new world order. It just wants to reform the present one so that it works for everyone’ | Photo Credit: Reuters

How things change within a year. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin made only a brief digital appearance at the BRICS 2023 summit in Johannesburg, despite host South Africa’s decision to provide him diplomatic immunity against an ICC-issued arrest warrant linked to the Ukraine war. As the host and Chair of the summit this year, Mr. Putin dominated the show. The three-day summit pushed news about the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia to the back pages.

The summit in Kazan, Russia (October 22-24, 2024) was the sixteenth in a series that began in 2009. Only four countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China — participated in the first two summits.…  Seguir leyendo »

“The $100 billion annual climate finance pledge has been a glaring source of distrust’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) will be a key determinant of COP29 (also touted as a ‘finance COP’) turning out to be successful. The foundation of climate finance actions is unequivocally centred on addressing the “needs and priorities of developing countries”, as mandated in Article 9 of the Paris Agreement. NCQG, and set to be finalised at COP29, will shape the future of climate finance. COP29 is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024.

Unresolved battles

In the debate over the NCQG, countries with diverse interests are taking sharply differing positions, as highlighted in the recent high-level ministerial dialogue on NCQG ahead of COP29.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘Intolerance is writ large in every article of a draconian law that seeks to convert Afghanistan into an open-air prison’ | Photo Credit: AFP

In August this year, the Taliban formally codified their totalitarianism in a 35-article enactment titled the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law which, among other barbarities, enshrines misogyny — the core tenet of the extremist group’s ideology.

The mind behind this atrocity is the “supreme leader” who sententiously calls himself Amir al-Mu’minin Sheikh al-Quran and Hadith Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada. The intolerance of his regime is writ large in every article of the draconian law that seeks to convert Afghanistan into an open-air prison.

Antithesis of mercy

In the English translation provided by the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), the law begins: “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful” when in reality it is the exact antithesis of the Koran’s beneficence and mercy embodied in its most definitive declaration on human liberty, laa ikraaha fid’deen (there shall be no compulsion in Islam).…  Seguir leyendo »

On the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit, in Kazan | Photo Credit: ANI

At the 16th BRICS Summit hosted by Russia in Kazan (October 22-24, 2024), there were a few meetings on the sidelines which created a buzz. One such meeting was between India and Iran, both close civilisational friends and looking to strengthen a stagnating partnership. Iran, which is now embroiled in the war in Gaza, is looking for Indian support in de-escalating the crisis. India, too, has supported having a ceasefire and de-escalation at the earliest. Globally, India is being widely sought after to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict as it enjoys trust and goodwill across both ends of the conflict, with Israel and Iran.…  Seguir leyendo »

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn and other dignitaries, during the 21st ASEAN-India Summit, in Vientiane. | Photo Credit: ANI

The 44th ASEAN Summit held from October 6 to 11 in Vientiane, Laos, highlighted mounting regional concerns, especially Myanmar’s worsening crisis. Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has been in turmoil, and despite multiple efforts, including ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, there has been little progress towards stability. The civil war is not only ravaging Myanmar, but also challenging ASEAN’s credibility as a regional bloc committed to peace and stability.

The situation in Myanmar

Myanmar remains engulfed in a brutal civil war between the military junta and various resistance groups, including Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs). The junta, which forcibly took control after toppling the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, faces widespread armed resistance.…  Seguir leyendo »

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an election rally in Atlanta on October 28, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are so far apart that only a continental drift can bring them closer. It is not just that one is African-American and the other White. Or that one is a woman and the other is a man. Or that Kamala Harris is a Californian and Donald Trump a New Yorker. More significantly, Kamala Harris’s campaign is leveraged on a diminishing statistic while Mr. Trump’s is set on an ascending one.

The two campaigns

Abortion rights are topmost on Ms. Harris’s to-do list, but how pressing is that? The rate of abortion has fallen steadily in the United States since the 1970s when the verdict in Roe vs Wade was passed.…  Seguir leyendo »

The absence of women in the judicial system, which is glaring and widely discussed, almost always revolves around entry-level measures that are aimed at ensuring that more women enter the profession as lawyers/ judges. While such entry-level measures are necessary, it is crucial to recognise that this is insufficient to ensure the continued support and encouragement and retention of women in the judiciary.

The Supreme Court of India’s “State of the Judiciary” report (2023) showed 36.3% of women in the district judiciary, which is heartening. In 14 States, more than 50% of candidates successfully recruited into the civil judge (junior) division were women.…  Seguir leyendo »

In the southern Gaza Strip | Photo Credit: AFP

The killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military, on October 16, 2024, ended a critical aim for the Jewish state. Sinwar, who took over the reins of Hamas only some months ago after the assassination of then chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, in July 2024, was known to be a main architect of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks.

As Israel’s core kinetic aims come to fruition, with the elimination of a plethora of leaders from Hamas and Hezbollah, the question of ‘what next?’ remains palpable. Civilian casualties in both Gaza, and now Lebanon, have mounted, and political space in both regions that are under siege continue to persist without a blueprint for any off-ramps.…  Seguir leyendo »

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Greensboro Coliseum on October 22, 2024 in Greensboro, North Carolina. | Photo Credit: AP

In today’s post-truth world, where deception and disinformation threaten democracy, history’s lessons are more relevant than ever. As we look to the future, let us revisit the past and applaud the Haitians’ momentous contribution to fighting colonialism. After the Revolution of 1791, Haiti became the first free Black-led republic. However, it is among the poorest nations today, due in large part to France and the U.S. Haiti paid France a colossal debt for 122 years to secure its independence. The U.S. worked to isolate the independent country by cutting off aid and putting an embargo on trade in the early 19th century.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘There is little point in having such strong forces and yet be a bystander as conflicts in the world have widened’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images

“Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander”. In suggesting this, Yehuda Bauer, Holocaust historian, rested his case wherein the ‘bystander’ was brought centre-stage and held accountable alongside the perpetrator for crimes against humanity. The ‘bystander’ implies the collective conscience of the world which must work as the weapon of the powerless. So, while the United Nations through Chapter VI of its Charter is committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes, Chapter VII of the same Charter prescribes the use of armed force with the authorisation of the Security Council in cases of aggression and breaches of peace threatening international security.…  Seguir leyendo »

In the central Gaza Strip | Photo Credit: REUTERS

October 7, 2024 marked one year of Israel’s war on Gaza and its relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip killing nearly 42,000 people. The prime victims of the heartless war have been civilians, women and children in Gaza, West Bank and now Lebanon; 16,705 Palestinian children have been killed, the largest in any conflict in one year. This has brought out millions in mass demonstrations in the major cities of Europe, the United States and beyond, politicising a generation of people in opposition to Israel, and also making it one of the greatest issues of our time.

However, these genocidal actions have hardly provoked any reaction in India.…  Seguir leyendo »

In 1992, in New New Delhi... ‘In this new era of international politics, India seems to have moved away from its role as a champion of anti-colonial struggles’ | Photo Credit: THE HINDU PHOTO ARCHIVES

India’s position on Palestine, once a symbol of its anti-colonial ethos, has been diluted since the end of the Cold War and has dramatically shifted over the past decade. The alignment with Israel, the marginalisation of Palestine, and a focus on transactional diplomacy are not isolated phenomena but interconnected trends shaped by an interplay of domestic and global factors.

Hindutva and foreign policy

First, India’s evolving policy on Palestine is inseparable from the rise of Hindutva. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar have sought to influence India’s diplomacy based on a Hindu nationalist worldview. This ideological shift has manifested itself in a growing affinity with Israel, seen as a natural partner against, and apparently a victim of, the perceived threat of an ‘Islamic terror’ — a narrative deeply ingrained in the Hindutva discourse.…  Seguir leyendo »

A woman walks on the rubble of a damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Choueifat in Lebanon. | Photo Credit: Reuters

In an essay in Foreign Affairs magazine in October 2023, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan wrote, “...Although the Middle East remains beset with perennial challenges, the region is quieter than it has been for decades... The Israeli-Palestinian situation is tense, particularly in the West Bank, but in the face of serious frictions, we have de-escalated crises in Gaza”. A few days after the piece was sent to press, on October 7, Hamas launched its deadliest attack in Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking some 250 people hostage, triggering the latest spell of war in the Israel-Palestine conflict. A year later, West Asia (or the Middle East, as Mr.…  Seguir leyendo »

Palestinian girl Rahaf Sa’ad, who lost her legs in an Israeli strike, sits on a bed next to her mother Israa at Al-Bureij, in the central Gaza Strip on September 12, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters

On February 10, 2024, Abdul was hoping to find food for his family amid the devastation in northern Gaza. “I wanted to surprise my mum with some salt or flour”, he recounted later to my colleagues. But as the 15-year-old scoured abandoned homes, he was grievously injured during an Israeli airstrike. His leg shattered, Abdul crawled for more than an hour through the chaos, missiles falling around him. Alone and terrified, his cries for help went unanswered until someone finally carried his fragile wounded body to the nearest functioning hospital. Even there, his suffering did not end. With hospitals overwhelmed with casualties and critical supplies lacking, doctors were forced to perform surgery on Abdul without anaesthesia.…  Seguir leyendo »

Italian tall ship Amerigo Vespucci is expected to be in Mumbai from November 28, 2024 to December 2, 2024. File | Photo Credit: AP

In this age of ‘polycrisis’, Italy and India share common interests but also joint challenges in the Indo-Mediterranean Sea. This region is vital for global trade, especially for Italy which ranks sixth among the world’s largest exporters. It is also crucial for digital connectivity: the Blue-Raman submarine data cables will soon connect Genoa with Mumbai. Piracy in the Red Sea, the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, and the effects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on agricultural and oil trade require our joint efforts to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Mediterranean.

Therefore, Italy has stepped up its commitment in security and defence in the Indian Ocean Region and West Asia.…  Seguir leyendo »

In Lagos, Nigeria and an infection of suspected drug-resistant sepsis. Like most of the babies in the ward, Ahamba had sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection. Many children are born outside of a hospital and limited medical supplies put them at greater risk of getting an infection. Ahamba was given meropenem, one of the strongest antibiotics available, because other drugs had not worked. Babies often do not survive the toll of the treatment. | Photo Credit: TBIJ/BSAC/Damilola Onafuwa/SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, all countries have approved a major new political declaration to radically scale-up efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a major threat to modern medicine.

AMR threatens to unwind a century of medical progress, and could return us to the pre-antibiotic era, where infections that are treatable today could become much harder to treat and potentially deadly tomorrow.

AMR is caused largely by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics, making microbes resistant to them, and diseases more dangerous and deadly.

A tough situation in LMICs

It is an issue with implications for health-at-large.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘The core feature of today’s geopolitical manoeuvres is that they have both eastern and southern implications’ | Photo Credit: AFP

In 2022, Moscow cut its economic ties with Europe and made a U-turn to the Asian countries. As a result of this move, the knot of neoliberal interdependence between Russia and Europe became undone, with costs to the global economy.

The need for such a turn was repeatedly proclaimed since the financial crisis of 2007–08 but was ‘adjourned sine die’. For the Russian political leadership, the core motives remained well-established. The country’s economy was closely woven into western markets and financial structures and, therefore, remained susceptible to external shocks resulting from political and ideological confrontations.

The core feature of today’s geopolitical manoeuvres is that they have both eastern and southern implications.…  Seguir leyendo »

China’s warning shots with minerals that run the world

On August 15 this year, China announced its decision to restrict the export of antimony, a critical mineral used in strategic sectors such as defence, for military equipment such as missiles, infrared sensors, flares, ammunition, and even nuclear weapons. China’s Commerce Ministry justified this move on the basis of “national security”, adding that the measure would take effect from September 15. The declaration, however, was part of a series of countermoves that began in August 2023.

Moves and countermoves

When it comes to critical minerals, China is not only a stakeholder but also a leader. It dominates every supply chain segment — upstream, midstream, and downstream, covering mining, extraction, refining and processing.…  Seguir leyendo »

Taking stock of global nuclear disarmament

In the United Nations calendar, September 26 is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. This year’s General Assembly agenda includes a session on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Ban Treaty, as distinguished from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT. It will be a chance to take stock at a time when the UN is bitterly divided — over the war in Ukraine; over the Israel-Palestine conflict; and in responding to accelerating climate change and other related inequalities. Nuclear possession — threats or their use — threads through all these divisions.…  Seguir leyendo »