Stating that China was ready to work with India for the “steady and sound growth” of bilateral ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Sunday said that the two countries were committed to upholding stability at the border areas. His comments come days after Indian and Chinese military commanders held a fresh round of talks after troops of the two sides clashed in Tawang sector.
As India pushes the pedal on free trade agreements (FTAs), non-tariff issues such as carbon emission norms, climate action, labour and gender balance standards are weighing on these ongoing negotiations. Policymakers have flagged concerns these issues could pose hurdles in reaping the gains of its comparative labour advantage. Officials are of the view that these incremental issues need to be dealt with “cautiously” in the ongoing FTA negotiations with the UK, EU and the India-Australia CECA.
In the latest edition of Idea Exchange, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha requested the citizens of the nation to stop seeing killings in the Valley on the basis of religion. “It is true some Kashmiri Pandit became victims of targeted killings. But there is another side too… The country should stop seeing this issue on the basis of religion. A lot of other people have also been killed,” he said. On targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits, Sinha said, he could understand their outrage in the Valley.
4) Three weeks before the commencement of the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup, the new hockey stadium at Rourkela, with a seating capacity of around 21,000, stands tall over 16 acres of land. Thanks to over 1,200 migrant labourers who worked round the clock in three shifts, the stadium for which CM Patnaik laid the foundation stone in 2021, is ready to host the World Cup from January 13 to 29 along with the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
5) In our Opinion section today, Anastasia Piliavsky writes on how the war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine is a battle for all our collective futures and for the future of humankind: “This war is a standoff between a ravenous tyranny and a democracy fighting for its life. Its outcome will determine whether or not the world will descend into a new age of imperial conquests.”
2023 is packed with state elections. The popularity of Modi and BJP will be tested as he nears the end of his second term. While Rahul Gandhi will hope to walk further on the road to Congress revival, Kejriwal will try to go from being a successful disruptor to a claimant for bigger prizes. The Indian Express’ Manoj C G elabortes on the political events that await India in 2023 and how they have the potential to shape the debate and narrative for the Lok Sabha battle of 2024.
🎧 Before you go, tune in to our ‘3 Things’ podcast. In today’s episode, we talk about the first meeting between India and China after the Tawang clash, Taliban’s ban on women’s university education in Afghanistan and the arrest of a teacher in UP for allegedly asking students to recite Muhammed Iqbal’s poem.
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