The ejection of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Games over his "helmet of remembrance" has put the spotlight on rules over where athletes are not allowed to express themselves on political matters at the Olympics.
'For the first time in a hundred years, the army has been taken out of the political equation. And for the first time ever, there is only one man who calls the shots. Not even Mao had this kind of power.'
'As the PLA higher command is almost dismantled and instability spreads, India needs to be prepared for any eventuality,' cautions China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
If Xi Jinping is dethroned in the future, the instrument for that may well be embedded within the PLA, notes former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
The Chinese Communist Party reaffirmed President Xi Jinping's leadership and backed a major purge of top military officials during a key meeting. The meeting also endorsed a new 5-year plan focused on domestic market resilience and self-reliance.
The well-fought defensive battles in Aksai Chin and eastern Arunachal, in remote and forbidding locations such as Galwan, Rezang La, Gurung Hill and Walong, effectively halted Chinese advances not once but twice during the campaign. These engagements, fought with grit and without adequate support, were not immediately known to the world in 1962, points out Dr Kumar.
As India and China continue to face off across the Himalayas six decades later, the echoes of that earlier conflict remain unmistakable. The core of China's sensitivity lies not in maps or mountain passes, but in its perception of sovereignty over Tibet, points out Dr Kumar.
Azizul Haque, a prominent figure in India's Naxalite movement, has died at the age of 83. His passing marks the end of an era in Bengal's radical Left history.
The Dalai Lama addressed rumors about his successor, stating he intends to live for another 30-40 years to serve people. He spoke at a long life prayer ceremony ahead of his 90th birthday.
At the end of the discussion, the older Monpa said that if today the Chinese were to come inside India, "I will fight and kill them", prudently adding, "if they are of my age, if they are younger soldiers, I will not be able to fight". The entire village had a good laugh.
His successor issue is also expected to flare up fresh tensions between Beijing and Washington as China's policy comes in conflict with the US Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, which reaffirmed America's steadfast support for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism.
If Beijing succeeds in this multipronged effort to challenge the current dominant power, it will have not just economic but political and security consequences. There is no let-up in the South China Sea nor any de-escalation moves on the India-China border. This portends to ominous signalling from Beijing, observes China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
DeepSeek is a case in point on how economic interdependence between nations are utilised for geopolitical ambitions and global domination efforts, observes China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
Vladimir Putin -- who only travels to countries (like China, North Korea) where he cannot be arrested and extradited to The Hague to face the International Court of Justice -- embraces Kim Jong Un on his arrival in Pyongyang early on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
The China threat continues to resonate in the strategic partnership between India and the USA, points out Rup Narayan Das.
Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing on Tuesday for the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un met at a remote space centre in Russia's Far East region Amur on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
A quarter of the car sales in China are of electric vehicles; domestic brands command 81% of EV sales in the country.
Xi, who will turn 70 on June 15, was re-elected by the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China as its leader in October last year, becoming the first Chinese leader after Mao Zedong to continue in power beyond two five-year terms.
Xi Jinping at a ceremony to mark Martyrs' Day at Tiananmen Square, September 30, 2022.
We all know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will turn 74 on September 17, but do you know how old these leaders are?
The National People's Congress concluded at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday March 13, 2023 as a new set of leaders took charge of the Chinese government, and the ones they replaced head to retirement.
Speculation about the missing Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu may have been removed and detained became rife after he was conspicuously absent at the meeting of the Central Military Commission (CMC) in Beijing on Friday.
The annual session of the National People's Congress, a ceremonial body that routinely passes the proposals of the ruling Communist Party of China, approved Li Qiang's candidature after his name was proposed by Xi himself.
Qin, 57, was made the foreign minister in December last year, superseding many seniors, earning the distinction of a rising star in the ruling Communist Party of China.
Xi is widely expected to continue in power for life.
Xi has called on Chinese border troops to enhance their capabilities in border defence and control to forge a "great wall of steel" along the country's borders, it said.
'In the short term the relationship will get worse.'
Dr. Kotnis, who hailed from Solapur in Maharashtra, came to China in 1938 as part of a five-member team of doctors sent by the Indian National Congress to help the Chinese during the World War II.
There is simmering disquiet in the Communist party and the world is watching as to what can unfold in China in the days to come ahead of next year's party congress, notes Rup Narayan Das.
Speculation is rife that Xi is likely to make an attempt to initiate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxist gathered last week in Kerala, the only state the CPI-M still rules today.
Except for Xi, 69, all top officials including the number two leader, Premier Li Keqiang will be replaced in the massive reshuffle to follow in the days to come, which included a new foreign minister replacing the incumbent Wang Yi.
Dominc Xavier wonders if this latest Modi pitch is in tune with strongmen trends around the world, setting the course for a presidential-style poll during the Lok Sabha election.
'In Eastern Ladakh the Chinese attempted salami slicing.' 'Our response has been superb. Our military has responded magnificently.'
People across the nation have been carrying out protests demanding the resignation of Xi Jinping over his strict COVID-19 measures.
Li also had a difficult meeting with some of the Western leaders on the sidelines, especially Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has signalled Italy's resolve to quit China's famed Belt and Road Initiative for its failure to bring the expected results to Rome.
After the outbreak of the pandemic in the country he has ruled with an iron hand in recent years, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist party of China, has mostly stayed put in Beijing.
When Trudeau met Xi Jinping by chance in the G20 hall on Wednesday, the unscheduled encounter didn't go well for the young Canadian leader.
In a world without politics, time zones would change by an hour for a shift of 15 degrees of longitude. But, of course, political considerations apply, explains Devangshu Datta.
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