New Delhi: India and the UK have a “mutual desire for deeper ties”, but domestic and global politics have complicated the relationship, UK director of Changing Europe thinktank Anand Menon says in a Financial Times opinion piece, ‘The path to UK-India friendship is littered with obstacles’.
For the UK, Brexit and a strained relationship with China underscore the importance of deeper ties with India, and border clashes with China have created the need for stronger links with the West for India, says Menon. India and the UK have expanded trade and political ties, but there has been resistance to policies in this direction in both countries, necessitating a “balancing act”, he adds.
‘Billionaires alone won’t turn Narendra Modi’s India into a rich country’, an analysis piece by Diksha Madhok published in CNN discusses how “Modi, Ambani and Adani are playing a fundamental role in shaping the economic superpower India will become in the coming decades”. It says that with the government spending billions on infrastructure, “Adani and Ambani have become key allies as the country embarks on this revolution”. However, challenges to absorb the numbers joining the labour force remain, and the government “needs to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation by making it easier for smaller firms to raise money and getting rid of archaic laws, including land and labour rules”.
In the latest episode of The Economist’s ‘The Intelligence’ podcast, titled ‘If re-elected, Narendra Modi will need to reform India’s economy‘, co-host Jason Palmer discusses India’s economic trajectory with the publication’s global business and economics correspondent Arjun Ramani.
The podcast highlights that while Modi aims to succeed in the ongoing general elections and win a third term, the country will need new reforms for India’s economic success to last. Some of these, says Ramani, include strict reforms to transform “the education system and move beyond agriculture”.
In a video report, ‘Why Modi is pouring billions into this ancient Indian city | WSJ Breaking Ground’, The Wall Street Journal highlights how Modi and BJP are pouring billions into projects in Ayodhya to create a “Hindu Vatican”. “WSJ explains the projects and looks at how the plan has been dividing the secular country while providing Modi with political gain ahead of the next election,” the video description says. The video delves into the history of Ram Mandir as well.
In the video, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, the author of ‘Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times’, highlights that while prime ministers have participated in religious functions, at no point have they performed rituals. “But Mr Modi was the one who was actually leading the entire process. He was the high priest of Hinduism on that particular day,” he says.
‘West Bengal: Welfare at your doorsteps’, a short video by the BBC shows more than 100 people attending a festive welfare delivery camp in West Bengal’s Bishnupur to apply for aid and register complaints.
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into cypermethrin imports from India after an application by Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical Industry Co, reports Global Times. Cypermethrin is widely used in the agriculture and healthcare sectors for pest control.
Speaking to the GlobalTimes for its report, ‘MOFCOM launches anti-dumping investigation into imports of India’s cypermethrin’, Liu Zongyi, secretary-general of the Research Centre for China-South Asia Cooperation at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, says, “China’s investigation is reasonable. However, India has one of the highest numbers of anti-dumping investigations against Chinese industries of any country, combined with its continuous suppression of Chinese enterprises in the past few years.”
Biden’s stance against Israel, Afghanistan on Bisham attack
US President Joe Biden says he will not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah. Watch the latest video by AlJazeera to know more.
The Afghan defence ministry on Wednesday rejected Pakistan’s claim that Afghanistan hatched the plot to kill five Chinese engineers in a suicide bombing attack on a bus in Bisham city. Read the latest report by Dawn for more details.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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