Unless the Taliban goofs up in a big way, which seems highly unlikely, we are looking at a regime that will be around for quite a long while and present a level of governance that the puppets of the richest and most advanced countries failed to provide, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Laver Cup organisers say the exhibition event will go ahead in September as planned despite the French Open moving to the same dates as the implications of the French Tennis Federation (FFT)'s shock gambit began to reverberate on Wednesday. The September 25-27 Laver Cup, an exhibition event co-created by Roger Federer which has always featured the Swiss great and one of Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was preparing to fly teams participating in the Twenty20 World Cup starting next week directly from Dubai to the West Indies.
The remaining two One-Day Internationals between India and South Africa will be played in empty stadiums following an order by the government to combat the spread of coronavirus. While the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) confirmed that Lucknow ODI will be held behind closed doors, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has also put ticket sales on hold with immediate effect, an indicator of things to come.
'Whatever else may or may not happen, China and its people are likely to pay a very heavy price for the lack of transparency of its Communist regime,' predicts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Here's a glimpse of all that happened around the world last week, in 14 images.
India said the prevailing architecture of the UN Security Council has proved to be grossly inadequate in effectively dealing with current challenges such as the conflicts in the Middle East and the rise of ISIS as it called for urgent reform of the UN body.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Thursday, formally initiated a legal battle against the Board of Control for Cricket in India by filing a compensation claim of $ 70 million before the ICC for not honouring a bilateral cricket series agreement.
Italy, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey also figure in the list released by Pompeo, who said over 20 countries have cut their oil imports from Iran, reducing purchases by more than one million barrels per day.
India is all set to get a seat on the Security Council as a non-permanent member after a gap of 19 years through the elections to be held on Tuesday in the United Nations General Assembly.
India's gems and jewellery export grew by 16 per cent to $28.41 billion in 2009-10 due to revival in demand from major markets like the US and Europe.
Kingfisher to be lager partner at ICC Champions Trophy to be played in UK.
A leading Australian expert has said that the outbreak of H1N1 was falsely exaggerated by pharmaceutical industries to create a huge market for vaccines. According to The Sun, Wolfgang Wodarg, head of health at the Council of Europe, insists that major firms organised a "campaign of panic" to put pressure on the World Health Organisation to declare a pandemic.
The issue has assumed serious proportions now. Suranjan Gupta, senior joint director, Engineering Export Promotion Council, said, many containers were being detained in Europe, to the extent that the steel ministry convened a meeting last week to discuss the matter. Europe accounts for 70 per cent of India's annual engineering exports of $33 billion.
It sets the clock for a two-year negotiation process for Britain's relationship with the EU as a non-member.
The Central Bureau of Investigation in association with Council of Europe organised a one-day conference on International Police Cooperation against cyber crime at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
'If the NSCN-IM is cold shoulderd, the chances are that it will slip back into insurgency,' caution Sandeep Pandey, Meera Sanghamitra and Babloo Loitongbam.
The French president said that peace should be maintained in the region and peoples' rights should be protected.
Once touted as a 'wonder drug', HCQ has been battling global controversies around its safety and efficacy as a prophylactic against the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Crude oil has fallen about 40 per cent since mid June and the price on Monday touched its lowest level since mid 2009 before US oil prices posted their biggest one-day gain in two years overnight.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The UK body's forecast comes after the UN agency World Meteorological Organisation warned that there is more than 50 per cent chance of El Nino happening this year. El Nino is caused by an abnormal warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean and its impact would cause droughts and floods.
A shorter tournament will mean a smaller share from the shrunken central pool of revenues for the eight IPL franchises, not to mention a reduction in gate receipts. Cricket Australia stands to lose some A$300 million ($174 million) should the coronavirus outbreak derail their high-profile home test series against India later this year.
With major IT markets in US, Europe and Japan expecting to witness a slowdown, Indian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is now turning to South Africa and West Asian markets in a bigger way.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith hailed the ruling as a "victory for common sense".
Closure of tanneries pulls down domestic finished leather exports and local price of raw-skin.
Recession-hit retailers in the US and Europe are increasing their purchases from Bangladesh as it is able to supply garments at a relatively less price due to low labour cost and better economies of scale, experts said. Data collected by the Apparel Export Promotion Council, the body for the promotion and facilitation of garment-manufacturing and their exports, show Bangladesh overtook India after August 2008.
A proposal for new world record ratification rules that could have a retroactive effect faced opposition from the World Olympians Associations (WOA) on Friday, who said it would cast suspicion on all past performances.
Addressing the plenary session of the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit here in the Mongolian capital, Vice President Hamid Ansari said, "all our societies today face unprecedented levels of threat from terrorism in all its manifestations. The most recent example is what has happened, most unfortunately in France."
Hit by the dollar-debasement, the Indian handmade carpet industry is all set to de-risk business by embarking on a new mission: That of looking beyond the US market and expanding its footprint in Europe.
China is in no hurry to disengage at the border and the region and international community is moving on. The spectre of a long haul in Ladakh haunts India, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Meanwhile, retail jewellery sales in India have declined by 50 per cent since gold price started its uptrend nearly two weeks. Buyers deferred their fresh purchase amid expectations of a correction in gold prices from the current high level.
It's the age of the DIY travellers.
The IOC will hold discussions that will include an option of putting back the July 24 start date or even moving the Games by a year or more due to the global coronavirus outbreak, but said cancelling the Games would not solve problems or help anybody. They have raised several issues in the past week with the IOC, including athletes' inability to prepare due to restrictions caused by the virus and their overall safety.
'Modi has presided over an ultra-nationalism that has stunted India's growth, been unable to change the country's external situation, brought foreign intervention into Indian affairs,' explains Aakar Patel.
Banks bore the brunt of the sell-off.
Addressing his council of ministers in a video conference, Modi asked them to prepare business continuity plans to fight the economic impact of COVID-19 on a war footing, but also asserted that this crisis is an opportunity to boost the 'Make-in-India' initiative and reduce dependence on other countries.
Interestingly, none of the top large apparel exporting countries, including the US, saw any significant jump in shipment to the UAE
The Spanish government's top sports official has sent out a message of calm and said there is no reason for Saturday's La Liga 'El Clasico' between Real Madrid and Barcelona to be postponed following Friday's attacks in Paris.
Indian diamond business community in Belgium's Antwerp city has gained control over the trade's main governing body, the Diamond High Council.
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