Image by James Stringer

Britain has launched campaign against the independence of Scotland. The campaign was officially launched by former UK chancellor Alistair Darling who compared the referendum on independence to buying “a one-way ticket to send our children to a deeply uncertain destination”. He said that “the truth is Scotland’s future, our future and our families’ future will be economically, politically and socially stronger as a partner in the United Kingdom.” He added that “...if we decide to leave the United Kingdom there is no way back.”

The statement came a month after Scottish National Party leader and First Minister Alex Salmond announced the start of the Yes Scotland campaign to ask Scots to vote for independence from Britain. As for the Better Together campaign, it was most likely initiated by official London which is irked about Edinburgh’s push for holding a national referendum on Scottish independence in the fall of 2014.

London’s concerns are easy to explain, our political commentator says, pointing to a range of tricky tasks the British government will face if Scotland leaves the United Kingdom. On stake will be Britain’s role in the UN Security Council, its EU membership and its NATO clout given that Scottish naval bases are currently an essential part of Britain’s nuclear shield.

In case of independence, Scotland will be able to use some leverages, such as corporation tax or excise duties on alcohol, to contribute to the economic overhaul and the improvement in people’s living standards. Additionally, Scotland could benefit from developing oil fields in the North Sea where an estimated 23 billion barrels of oil are in place.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the London-Edinburg relations continue to thrive. Tens of thousands of Britons go to work to and study at Scotland-based universities which is also the case with Scots. With unemployment rate currently on the increase in Scotland, more Scots head to London and other British cities in an attempt to make both ends meet.

According to the latest poll by YouGov, 57 percent of Scots are up in arms against their country’s leaving the UK, while 33 percent of the respondents nod Scotland’s independence drive. Others are sitting on the fence, in a sign that the problem is unlikely to be resolved till 2014, when the referendum is to be held.

Dwelling on the situation surrounding Scotland’s independence, one cannot but mention the Russians’ attitude to the matter. During his visit to Scotland in 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin particularly praised what he described as historic ties between the peoples of Russia and Scotland. He said that the “entire Scottish dynasties were true to Russia’s salt, and Russia remembers and knows many of your ancestors who played a huge role in our country’s history. “ As an example, he referred to Tsar Peter I’s mentor Patrick Gordon, Hero of the 1812 War with Napoleon Prince Barclay de Tolly, Russian Army Field Marshal Jacob Bruce, architect Charles Cameron, as well as Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov’ ancestors living in Scotland’s Fife county. Experts, for their part, single out approximately 250,000 Russians of Scottish origin who currently reside in Russia.

Sergie Sayenko is the author and presenter at the Voice of Russia, Russia's first internationally broadcasted Radio. On air since 1929.

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Interview with Nandan Unnikrishnan – senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, India. By Yekaterina Kudashkina.

There are certain worrying aspects in the removal of Gilani as the Prime Miniter, worrying in the sense that it is not very clear whether this is a case of overreach of the Pakistani judiciary, is this some kind of settling of scores which the judiciary is indulging. The second thing is that Gilani along with the President Zardari was able to create a lot of space for the civil society, particularly vis-à-vis the military. And those democratic games hopefully will not be lost with his departure.

In India we are of course closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan. India is always very interested in whatever is happening in Pakistan. And India is probably the only country where there are more than one billion experts on Pakistan. So, you have a thousand opinions on the development there. But right now I would say that yes, there are certain worrying aspects in the removal of Gilani as the Prime Miniter, worrying in the sense that it is not very clear whether this is a case of overreach of the Pakistani judiciary, is this some kind of settling of scores which the judiciary is indulging. The second thing is that Gilani along with the President Zardari was able to create a lot of space for the civil society, particularly vis-à-vis the military. And those democratic games hopefully will not be lost with his departure.

One of the opposition leaders even said that he does not rule out martial law being introduced in Pakistan as a result of these developments. Do you share this pessimistic vision?

Well, I do not see any immediate reasons for the military to intervene. The military would only probably intervene if there is a complete breakdown in the civilian Government, in other words if the PPP is unable to agree on a candidate to replace Gilani and there is a breakdown in terms of their ability to govern. I don’t think that is a scenario that is likely at this stage because the PPP seems to be in consultations about who is going to replace Gilani. And it may not be a usual business, neither this is looking as if it is going to result in either martial law or even in fresh elections.

How do you see the prospects for the PPP?

Well, in the long run of course there will be damage to the PPP overall because eventually the fact of the matter is that, what we in India at least have because we have these exercises regularly, we call the anti-incumbent effect. The incumbent in power always faces a negative backlash, so given that the PPP of course will be affected but predicting who is likely to win the next elections whenever they arrive, it is I think a very diverted exercise.

I would like to add that at this stage, in the last few months there is a tremendous improvement in India-Pakistan relations and at last there is a hope that we may be able to achieve some of the peace measures that were searched some time back – settlement of the Siachen controversy and some others. And Prime Minister Gilani to a large extent was an important player in this improvement of relations between the two countries. So, I only hope that his removal does not have a negative impact on the improvement of bilateral relations.

Sir, thank you so much. And just to remind you our guest speaker was Nandan Unnikrishnan – senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, India.

Yekaterina Kudashkina is the author and presenter at the Voice of Russia, Russia's first internationally broadcasted Radio. On air since 1929. 

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Pakistan is moving ahead democratically and as well as in the terms of the rule of law.


Interview with Irfan Shahzad of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad by Yekaterina Kudashkina

So, what implications do you see because many experts are pointing to a risk of increased insecurity inside the country?

Well, the implications are mostly positive I should say. The rulers from now onwards will have to think a number of times before defying and denying the orders of the court. They will have to comply with the orders of judiciary from now onwards. But some slightly negative implications may be that some of the political forces within the country may utilize such a situation to get sympathies for themselves from the voters and they may present the situation related to the verdict against the former Prime Minister as something being done against democracy.

Sir, if I get it right the court decision of disqualification is backdated all the way to the 26th of April. So, what happens to the decisions made by Mr. Gilani between the 26th of April and this time?

Actually the court order is silent about that. But as far as the legal and constitutional experts are concerned, they are quite clear that all the major decisions made by Gilani and his cabinet, they are nullified with this decision of the court. But still there is a way out that the Parliament can give some legal covers to the decisions of national and international importance that were made during this period. So, the Parliament can give them a legal cover.

Sir, in that case what actually happens to the interim agreements achieved with the United States as to the Pakistani involvement in the pullout of the NATO forces from Afghanistan?

As far as Pakistan-US relations are concerned many of the things have been done and are continuing to be doing without any written agreement. So, in that case I don’t think that will matter much.

What implications do you see for the Pakistan People’s Party in general?

It is a big blow for Pakistan People’s Party. They were actually looking for some kind of political martyrdom but in fact they have not succeeded in achieving that objective. They have been exposed to the people of Pakistan that they were trying to corner judiciary. But at the same time there is one small segment of voters that can be attracted to them under the basis of sympathies that they get because of this verdict.

Do you think that the case of Mr. Zardari in Switzerland is going to be proceeded?

We should not forget that whatever happens Mr. Zardari now has just one year left of his ten years of power and it is not a long period.

Do I get you right that he is ineligible for re-election?

He is, but his action is one of the most difficult political happenings to be in Pakistan in present settings. And we should hope that the case against him will be reopened in due course of time and the looted money of Pakistan will be brought back.

What about the new candidate for the Prime Minister post Mr. Makhdoom Shahabuddin? What kind of person is he? What kind of political figure is he?

He is one of the few good people inside the ruling party we must say. He enjoys a kind of reputation of being a good economic manager as well as a good politician. But of course his interests are linked with the interests of the leadership of the Pakistan political party in the present times. So, you cannot hope any betterment during his short ten years.

The Pakistani People’s Party has been developing good relations with one of the Pakistani’s main international partners which is China. So, do you see that the Chinese are going perhaps to continue with their support for the PPP?

I must make it clear that I have been interacting with China at different levels myself. The relationship between Pakistan and China is by no means limited to any political government or even political or military government. So, Pakistan-China relationship will remain on course no matter what happens politically in Pakistan. If China is supporting the Pakistan People’s Party right now they are supporting the People’s Party as the Government of Pakistan. No matter which government takes place in Pakistan, China will continue to support that government.

And how would the situation affect the Pakistani relations with the United States in general?

Well, actually the United States wants the present rulers to continue because they have been going the United States’ line regularly for the last four years. We cannot say that if the PMLN or some other party takes power the situation will become drastically different. But of course there should be some Pakistani perspective emerging also. But as far as the People’s Party is there in place we do not see any major change in Pakistan-US relations.

Sir, thank you so much. And just to remind you our guest speaker this time was Irfan Shahzad lead coordinator at the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad.

Yekaterina Kudashkina is the author and presenter at the Voice of Russia, Russia's first internationally broadcasted Radio. On air since 1929.

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China thermal Power Plant,
Source: china.org.cn

When the Eurozone crisis was spreading its root to more and more countries, the economic trouble did not spare BRIC countries as well, these countries are those which are considered as the future economic superpowers, and many developing as well as developed countries acknowledge the potential BRIC has to support and troubleshoot the current financial crisis. 

BRIC countries are considered to be future powerhouse taking in account their current growth rate and demographics statistics. Although at present they are not any big economies except China. Still taking some responsibility, BRIC countries pledged $60 billion (US) to depth wrecked Eurozone. The amount is the part of contribution to the IMF's financial firewall to help the debt-wracked 17-nation Eurozone. Out of which India has pledged $10 billion.

With the Eurozone crisis strengthening, many economists have started doubting on the capabilities of BRIC and the current behaviour of these economies that they can be future powers. Prominent corporate executives in China as well as in the west are doubting the sputter in the Chinese economy. It is believed that local and provincial officials are faking the economic statistics to project China as the country of continuous growth.

It was only recently that India started feeling downturn in its economy and world critics of BRIC were writing in full flow. However downturn in the economy of India is more because of the domestic reasons than that of external reasons. [Read: Indian Economy Slowdown; Government Policies and Euro Crisis]

Not Just India, But Brazil is also expecting a slow growth rate this year. Brazil's finance minister has lowered the forecast for the South American country's economic growth this year, blaming the global financial crisis.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega says Brazil's gross domestic product is now expected to be 4 percent during 2012, against a previous prediction of 4.5 percent growth. However, The latest weekly Brazilian Central Bank survey of private economists is forecasting even lower growth this year, putting it at 3.1 percent.

In China there are certain evidences of slowing economy, for example record-setting stores of excess coal have been accumulated at the country's biggest storage areas. This is not because of excessive mining, but because the Chinese thermal power plants are now burning less coal to due to the decrease in the electricity demand. However, the local and provincial government officials are forcing the plant managers to avoid giving the details about the slowdown in the production of power.

There are various criteria that are considered while measuring the economy of a country. Gold and the strength of a country's currency is one criteria, the production and consumption of steel and electricity is also one important criteria. Rate of electricity production and consumption in China is very carefully followed by foreign investors and by even some Chinese officials as the gold standard for measuring what is really happening in the country's economy at the moment. Since gathering and reporting of data in China is not transparent. Electricity consumption, volume of rail cargo and the disbursement of bank loans are the things to follow in China, since their official data may be seriously manipulated.

Keith Bradsher of The New York Times writes that the executives and economists in China and the west roughly estimates that the effect of the inaccurate statistics was to falsely raise a variety of economic indicators by 1 or 2 percentage points. That may be enough to make very bad economic news look merely bad.

China has been blamed for manipulating its currency as well as economic data to keep itself on the top and attractive for foreign investors. Studies by the institutions like Goldman Sachs have suggested that Chinese statisticians level out the quarterly growth figures, under-reporting growth during boom years and overstating growth during economic downturns. 

Corporate executives and economists said, even though cities and provinces are overstating economic output, corporate revenue, corporate profits and tax receipts, there is a big difference in what is being reported and what is the actual status. According to them government urges businesses to keep separate data and records to show improving business results and tax payments that is not true.

Chinese government doesn't like to see any growth rate in negative, hence they tell the power managers to report any negative changes as zero or no change, said a chief executive in the power sector as quoted by The New York Times.

The journal also got the opportunity to talk to another top corporate executive in China who had access to real electricity grid data from two provinces in east-central China which are centers of heavy industry, Shandong and Jiangsu. According to the official, electricity production in both the provinces had fallen down by more than 10 percent in May when compared to the data of May last year. He also believes that the story is same int he western China as well. However the government officials reports that the electricity production has indeed slowed down, but not to the negative levels.

Rohan Kendall, senior analyst for Asian coal at Wood Mackenzie told the New York Times that the coal which is being accumulating at Qinhuangdao port has reached 9.5 million tons this month, breaking the previous record of 9.3 million tons as coal arrives on trains faster than needed by power plants in southern China.

It is not just about the Qinhuangdao port, other three largest coal storage areas in China — in Tianjin, Caofeidian and Lianyungang — are also at record levels, an executive in China said. 

While China is being manipulative, the world doesn't know where it is standing in terms of the economic disaster that is going on. If the ongoing claims against China's policy come out to be true, then the world is surely standing at the worse place than what we all think now. 

However, if we do not talk about electricity production, then even other economic indicators are showing some or the other signals of a possible slowdown in the Chinese economy. Fixed-asset investment has been growing at its weakest since 2001 and the annual growth rate for industrial production has dropped below 10 percent.

The National Bureau of Statistics, the government agency in Beijing that compiles most of the country's economic statistics, denied that economic data had been overstated."This is not rooted in evidence," an agency spokeswoman said. 

Stephen Green, a China economist at Standard Chartered Bank, said that the Chinese economy was still likely to recover this autumn as extra bank lending started to stimulate spending. 

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Last week on Wednesday, External affairs minister of India, S.M. Krishna met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for their third annual strategic dialogue in Washington.

With the changing geopolitical orientation in South Asia, US is also shifting sides. US is now at many differences with Pakistan, its once major non NATO Ally and ex CENTO and SEATO. It was US which supported Pakistan against India in 1971 war of liberation of Bangladesh and even sent its navy to check India.  Today US finds its interests in India which is slightly alarming for the greater Eurasian region. 

Discussion for strategy for Pakistan, Afghanistan and counter terrorism was brought in the domain, however the main agenda was the economic and military cooperation.

India may not be that close to US strategically but a large part of its economy is dependent on US like most of the open economy in the world. India's one of the largest growing industry of Information Technology earns most of its revenue from US based companies. Not talking about call centres alone, but real engineers who have been providing solutions, suggestions and developing cutting edge technology for these companies. Indian companies have been developing softwares for almost every industry whether it is telecom, healthcare, aviation, transport or finance, in fact some Indian companies have also been developing software for charity.

With the shifting focus of US foreign policy from Middle East to Asia Pacific, US is hoping that presence of India on their side can benefit US to a greater extent. Except Pakistan, India maintains good relations with almost every country on the land as well as in the Indian Ocean region. Thus gaining India's support in their activities and somehow shifting the work aimed at containing China on India's shoulders would be the top priority of the American diplomacy.

India and US began to come closer since 9/11 attack on New York's World Trade Centre. It was the first time when America accepted that India has been the victim of cross border terrorism for very long time. First time extremists in the Afghanistan and Pakistan were considered as global problem. As soon as the US and Northern alliance forces regained control over Afghanistan pushing Taliban regime out, Indian diplomats started rebuilding work in Afghanistan donating and investing billions of dollars, appreciated by the US.

However, it was George W. Bush who entered into a great partnership with India by signing Indo US nuclear deal with India, that allowed India to openly carry on its civilian as well as military nuclear program without signing the NPT. George W Bush arrived India during his last days of Presidency saying he came to India as a friend rather than the President of USA. The partnership also witnessed a five-fold increase in bilateral trade (from $18 bln in 2001 to $100 bln expected this year) in the last decade. India and US also signed various military and arm procurement contracts in last 5 years.

Recently US has expressed its willingness to forge better and stronger ties with India, making India its full fledged ally, however most of the US ally becomes mere a satellite of US which accepts pentagon policies and respects their interests. In this case US knows that India will not be willing to lose its independence in making policies and is not so small country that can be controlled easily.

Indian Minister of External affairs just after concluding their trip to US headed towards Cuba for important discussions, Cuba is America's old geopolitical and ideological rival. This shows that India is with US, but only till its interests are met, otherwise India is free to make its own policy and relations with other countries, whether they fall in US pole or not.

Similarly, after signing the agreement on cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector, the US expected that the Indian market would open up for American companies. But India's nuclear liability law which allows suing suppliers of technology in case of an accident prevented US companies from eagerly stepping into the game. When the US saw that it was losing the competition, it resorted to well-tested tactics. The US-funded NGOs in southern Indian Tamil Nadu state waged protests that have until now prevented the commencement of a Russian-built Kudankulam nuclear power plant which was ready to start operations by the end of 2011, writes Boris Volkhonsky, senior research fellow, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies for Voice of Russia.

Also, despite a significant growth in defense trade, India last year rejected both Boeing and Lockheed Martin in their bid for supplying 126 multi-role combat aircraft for Indian Air Force, making the choice solely based on its national interests.

He further mentions that despite all the pressure to open markets for American retailers like Wal-Mart, India is keen on preserving the social balance within the country, because the advent of gross foreign retailers will inevitably lead to the ruin of hundreds of thousands of small businesses in the retail sphere.

India believes in checking China's growth and now that China and Russia are very close it is America and Japan which can help India do that, however in the current scenario geopolitical orientation is very confusing. India understands that growing together with China is better for both India and China than to grow being rivals. If India make a move to counter China with the help of foreign hand, it will only create tensed environment between the two countries and the long border which they share along the Himalayas. This can give a bad direction to the billion dollar worth trade between the two countries which both India and China do not want to risk. Also, in the worst case scenario, if India and China ever get into a conflict, US will at the max provide India weapons and assistant, and will remain mere a spectator leaving India in the tough situation to suffer.

The other area where US and India think different is Iran, although due US pressure India has reduced oil imports from Iran by 15%. however, India claims that it reduced the imports seeing the worsening economic conditions in the country. India considers Iran as a great partner in rebuilding Afghanistan. India had recently constructed road from Afghanistan to Iran's chah bahar port, to reduce Afghanistan's dependency on Pakistan for sea trade.

India considers its relations with Iran special and to continue buying Iranian oil, India declared that it will make payments in gold and Indian Rupees instead of US Dollars [Read more: Iranian Oil Import: What US Sanction on India Could Mean for US].

India's relation with Iran will face a blow if India stops importing Iranian oil. And this will, in return, negatively affect America's interest in Afghanistan. America, has so far lauded India's efforts in Afghanistan for  development of infrastructure and basic civil facilities, which has reduced the burden of America who, by default, holds the responsibility to repair the damage done in war. India depends on Iran to execute its various humanitarian projects in Afghanistan, as India has a long history of conflicts with Pakistan. India is also connecting Iranian ports with Afghanistan and Central Asia upto Russia by rail and road for better trade in the region. India is also helping Iran in the development of the Chabahar port, which gives Indian goods heading for Central Asia and Afghanistan, preferential treatment and tariff reductions. Considering this, if relations with Iran is disturbed, India's efforts in helping Afghanistan will also be disturbed severely.

All this shows that India is doing real business with US, it is with US till it is beneficial for both, India will not agree to do something that is in sole interest of US. Moreover, India enjoys the comfort of being the regional power as well as the representative of the neutral world and being compared with the rising powers like Russia and China. India has still kept open all the doors of any cooperation with its all weather trusted and proven friend Russia.

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Sphinx, Photo taken by Vincent Brown

Egypt is a country in north-eastern Africa with a part of a small Sinai Peninsula extending into Asia. Bordered by Israel and the Gaza Strip to the north-east, by Sudan to the south and by Libya to the west. To the north lies Mediterranean sea and to the east lies Red Sea and is geographically dominated both by the Nile River and its fertile well-watered valley, and by the Eastern and Western deserts.

Today we hear news of political unrest in Egypt since the uprising in last year, however tourism is one thing which has been kept immuned from the political differences. Another TWR's student journalist had recently visited Egypt to make Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh holidays and her experiences describes everything was smooth and relaxing in the country.

When we talk about Egypt first thing comes to the mind is Pyramids of Giza. Egypt is no doubt best known as the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization, with its temples, hieroglyphs, mummies, and - visible above all - its pyramids. 

However Egypt is not only famous for Pyramids but also for its beautiful resort towns of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada. Remote oasis of Siwa (Near Libyan border) and Golf Kebir.

Beside the above mentioned places, another major attraction is Luxor, known to be at the site of Ancient city of Thebes. Luxor keeps the title of having world's greatest open air museum. as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

Since Egypt is dependent on tourism for it large part of economy, thus authority ensure that you will make the most out of your Egypt holidays. It is very easy to get in Egypt as getting visa is very easy and relaxed considering the increasing number of tourists flowing in the country.

Below is the list of best places to experience the pyramids in Egypt.

Great Pyramids of Cheops 

This is a must see! One of the wonders of the world, which should be for sure on everybody’s “bucket list”. Impressive huge limestone blocks construction of almost 144 m high, standing there for thousands of years without moving an inch. There are eight other pyramids are in the complex, together with the Sphinx. 

Pyramids of Cheops, photo taken by Ed Yourdon

I entered the Pyramid of Menkaure, which is the smallest of the three pyramids of Giza; there was a long passage which was stiflingly hot and not for those who may be even slightly-claustrophobic, I had got there early to take the option of a visit inside when there were only about 12 people inside because later would have had to stand in queue and as the day passes it gets very hot. Surroundings and paths are rocky and uneven one must take care and wear appropriate footwear if you plan to go inside. 

The way up in the King's chamber is awesome, however to go up and come down there is only one narrow passage with no divider and you may often find people going the opposite side come in your way. Don’t miss mortuary ship fully restored, separately exposed in the complex. You may want to hire a camel or horse ride; negotiate it hard, don’t give up. Likely you’ll get it for 30% of the asking price. Walking away will help a lot.

Stay away from locals guides and ignore everyone who approaches you for photo or guiding. It is better to go in an organized tour or with a group of people as there have been cases of gangs robbing tourists on highway by forcibly asking them to stop.

Pyramids of Dahshour

If you are in Cairo then you should give a go to the region of Dahshur. The area is wide and open desert and contains two of the most significant of all Egyptian pyramids, the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid, both credited to Snofru and built around 2600 BC – meaning over 4600 years ago.

Red Pyramid, photo taken by Hannah Pethen

Both pyramids are a little over a hundred meters high and are as impressive and magnificent as the pyramids in Giza. These pyramids are not as popular as the Gizas and hence there is a possibility that you can be almost alone here as you wander around and look at the majestic monuments from all four sides. One can enter the Red Pyramid and the interior is impressive too. When I climbed down the steep steps through a narrow corridor, I was the only once inside the gigantic monument.

Bent Pyramid, photo taken by Arian Zwegers

Another pyramid, the Black Pyramid is also impressive, although rather crumbled and not accessible as it stands in a restricted area. But there is a good panoramic view from the Bent Pyramid. 

Great Sphinx

You can no longer go up to the Sphinx, but you can get close enough to it to take great pictures. Be a bit patient to find a time when you can take pictures without anyone crowding around you. You don't want anyone else in your pictures. 

Sphinx, Photo taken by Ernesto Graf

Watch for the volunteers trying to give you explanations. They may only want your tips! They will start saying they are ‘official free guides’ to end up asking for money for their services; and the explanations are very vague. On rare exceptions you’ll meet nice locals who will honestly try to be helpful.

Pyramids of Giza

You only need a morning to go here, try to go as early as you can as it becomes very hot as the sun climbs up. It's 60LE to enter the pyramid complex. However, if u wish to enter the burial chambers u ll need to pay 100 LE to enter the biggest pyramid and 30LE to enter the smaller one. Remember, cameras are not allowed inside.

Pyramids of Giza, Photo taken by Tim Kelley

Practically every tour guide will try and scam you regardless so be wary of that. Be wary of vendors and touts jumping on you - they do come by the dozen all at once.

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Elephant v/s Dragon

India’s successful launch of long range missile has given new lease of life to speculations of rivalry among India and China. Given the nuclear capable missile’s range, it was claimed that even Beijing and Shanghai can be hit by the missile. Talks of Indo-China rivalry are not new. They were pitted against each other since 1991, the year when India opens its economy. China already opens their doors for foreign investment in early 80’s. Since then both countries are competing with each other to attract better and more foreign investment.

The world is watching a new power rivalry among India and China breathlessly. These two giant countries have shared many similarities in terms of territory, population and richness of civilization. World’s one third of population is living in these countries. Both countries are armed with nuclear warheads and have one of the largest armies in the world. Making case worse both countries had fought a war in 1962 over land dispute. The land dispute has not solved yet. Adding to India’s headache, China’s growing fondness with ‘all weather friend’ Pakistan makes Indian diplomats worry. Despite the skirmish in 1962, the two countries on their long border, there is little animosity due to ethnic reasons or historical reasons. 

Enormous growth of the Chinese economy has been used as a tool in geo-political issues by Communist Party of China (CPC). According to Vietnam, Philippines, North Korea, Japan China is behaving like a bully in the south sea region in the matters of land dispute. Now these countries are increasing tactical partnership with China’s biggest rival India to limit Chinese aggressive moves towards them. Current collaboration among India and Vietnam for oil exploring in sea disputed area is one example. 

China is miles ahead than India if we are calling it race. China already replaced Japan as the second biggest economy in the world. Now they are giving nightmares to U.S. in many geopolitical matters like Iran and Syria. Chinese central power system allows them to make fast decisions. China has spread its wing in Africa and Latin America by buying mine and building infrastructure there. China’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has expanded 1.80 percent in the first quarter of 2012 over the previous quarter. And this is just glimpse of China’s expanding economic reach as evinced by Beijing's port-enhancement projects in Indian neighbourhood Pakistan (Gwadar Port), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar are giving goose bumps to Indian think tanks. 

In the cold war era U.S. and Soviet Union were not geographically proximate like India and China. Due to 1962 skirmish there is emotional baggage in the Indo-China relationship. Soviet Union- U.S. cold war was based on ideology conflict (Communism vs. Capitalism). In contrast India- China rivalry is totally based on pure geo-political interests.

China and India have never acknowledged their rivalry openly, but it seems this competition with China is a win-win situation for India. Indian elites hate it when India is compared to Pakistan which is poor and chaotic country. Comparisons with stronger and richer country like China give Indian elite’s a moral boost. You can see the China obsession in Indian elites on social platforms. India media is too much obsessed with China and hell bent on comparing their nation with China, and in some extent war mongering on border dispute with China. These Indian elites and media forgets that majority population is living under below poverty line and Maoists threat (Indians blame it on Chinese support to Maoist).

Though Chinese economy factors are vital for world economy, China has their own set of internal and external problems. Lack of democracy and absence of basic rights to citizens put up iron curtains around China. Unrest in Tibet and Xingjian province is adding miseries to China’s nightmares. Chinese transformation from hardcore communist country to dream destination for capital investors has created a wide gap between rural China and urban China. 

In other hand India is the biggest democracy in the world. Though it may sound chaotic sometimes there is kind of raw energy in Indian democracy. People from different cast, religion, ethnics, and states can raise their voice in parliament. Though Indian pace of economic reforms are painfully slow, democracy gives them solid base to expand their horizons. But India needs to take care of their poor and unemployed populace in order to become next big thing on world platforms. 

It would be interesting to see symbolism in Indo-China rivalry. India has symbolised as an elephant and China as a Dragon (Though Dragon is an imaginary entity). Elephant has been known as slow and sluggish animal, he is also known for his immense strength. Dragon is powerful fire spitting giant who can fly and act fast. These symbolisms are totally apt for both countries. 

As long as the Sino-Indian relationship is constrained by a geopolitical and economy factors, still there is mystery revolved around the impact it will have on south Asian and pacific region.

By ProfitConfidential

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Image from nypost.com

Beautiful Blue sea, great leisure destination resorts, healthy food and Mediterranean Cruises, this is what comes to the mind when someone talks about the Mediterranean Sea. But a new phenomenon has been added in the past few years, wartime battleships. 

First bombardment of Libya's air defence sites on the Mediterranean coast by Tomahawk sea launched cruise missile by US Navy, then movement of ships towards Iran, and now the tension is being developed in the east of Mediterranean sea, Syria. 

Recently the tragedy in the Syrian village of Houla where government forces and opposition were fighting over has not only been the subject of debates in media but provoked a strong reaction from a number of countries over the week. 

According to initial data, the tragedy claimed over 100 civilians lives and left several other hundreds injured. The domestic politics and internal events happening in Syria will invite the high level criticism from western media as well as authorities was not of any surprise. Western media accused the government of Bashar al -Assad for not able to control the situation. As a result, the heads of diplomatic missions of Syria in the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy had to leave these countries.

Syria along with Iran is on the brink of war once again. New Socialist French President Francois Hollande took no time in declaring that he would not rule out the possibility of holding military operations in Syria, however he added that it would be important to get UN sanctions to do so.

While west is preparing for a tough solution to Syrian problem which could include war on Syria, they are simultaneously accusing Russia and China for ignoring what is happening in Syria. However, some even said that Russia plays a crucial role in the crisis settlement and its agreement to act as a united front with the West in the Security Council can help stop “bloodshed”.

After the victory of Damascus in the first phase of the struggle for Syria due to strong support from Russia and China, Syria is facing another challenge that is in the interest of Western governments as it could allow them to create a greater influence in the middle east if they a pro western government comes to Syria. In case the war breaks out this time again Russian and Chinese warnings could be ignored by the West as in the case of Libya.

In case of Libya, rebels were strong, large in number and with NATO support they overpowered Gaddaffi's government and captured key towns and then finally got rid of him. However, this could not be the case in Syria, as the opposition is not that strong at least not without NATO support in case of a total armed confrontation. But dangerously this weakness has resulted the opposition taking the path of terrorism to pressurize the government, the act which was classified by the West as necessity.

In the coming days or months we will be able to see the bigger picture of the event, to what extent can the opposition go and where this geopolitical changes will lead the middle east world to.

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(c) RIA Novosti

I am pleased to have this opportunity on the eve of my state visit to China and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to address the millions of readers of one of the world’s most influential newspapers, Renmin Ribao. I value this chance to share my views on the future of our countries’ partnership and the role Russian-Chinese relations play in today’s world, which is in the midst of complex transformation, faces big global and regional security challenges, attempts to dilute the principles of international law, and economic and financial upheaval. 

All of these issues are the subject of much discussion and attention at the big international forums and summits that take place, and I am confident that reason and collective approaches will prevail in tackling today’s problems. The main thing is that all clear-headed politicians and experts in economics and international relations realise that it is not possible to set the global agenda today behind Russia’s and China’s backs and without taking their interests into account. Such is the geopolitical reality of the twenty-first century.

In this context, we are aware of our common responsibility for the Russian-Chinese partnership’s long-term development and the importance of our common efforts within the United Nations and other multilateral organisations and regional bodies. 

We therefore have high hopes for the intensive programme of meetings we have planned with the Chinese leadership, and we also hope for fruitful work at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit that will conclude China’s successful presidency of this organisation.

* * *

Russian-Chinese relations have been deservedly called an example of the new type of relations between states. Our relations are free from prejudices and stereotypes and this makes them stable and not subject to short-term considerations, which is valuable indeed in today’s world, where stability and mutual trust are so clearly lacking. 

The 2008-2009 global financial crisis showed us how important it is for us to understand and listen to each other and pursue common, consensus-based policies. Joint infrastructure and energy projects, big contracts and orders, and reciprocal investment are the resources that enabled our countries and our business communities to overcome the difficulties, create new jobs, and keep factories and businesses working.

Russian-Chinese bilateral trade reached the record mark of $83.5 billion in 2011. We have now set the medium-term target of $100 billion by 2015, and will work towards reaching $200 billion by 2020. If we keep up today’s dynamic, we will be able to reach these targets even earlier. 

What must we do to achieve these goals? Above all, we need to optimise our bilateral trade structure and improve its quality by increasing the share of high value-added goods. We have the objective conditions we need for this. Our national markets have big capacity and growing demand for modern goods and services. We have good fundamental positions in education, science and technology, and a wealth of experience in production cooperation. 

We will actively develop big joint projects in civilian aircraft manufacturing, space, and other high-tech sectors. We will also pursue projects in techno-parks, industrial clusters, and special economic zones in both countries. In my view, what we need here is a genuine technological alliance between our two countries, a genuine interweaving of our production and innovation chains so as to forge the links between our companies and our research, design, and engineering centres. We need to continue these efforts by working together in other countries’ markets too.

We need to build a modern infrastructure for our financial and investment ties and our bilateral business relations. It is clear now that we must make quicker progress in moving over to using our national currencies to settle reciprocal trade, investment and other operations. This will also insure us against various currency risks and will strengthen the ruble and the yuan’s positions.

The energy-sector dialogue between our two countries also has a strategic dimension. Our joint projects have a big impact in shaping the global energy market’s entire configuration. They offer China more reliable and diversified energy supplies for its domestic needs, and offer Russia the chance to open up new export routes to the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.

Among the results already attained, I note the launch of the Russian-Chinese oil pipeline that delivered 15 million tons of oil last year, and the conclusion of a long-term contract – 25 years – for electricity supplies to China. Russia also increased its coal exports to China to 10.5 million tons in 2011, and have plans for joint development of coal deposits. I hope that we will soon begin large-scale deliveries of Russian gas to China.

Our cooperation in the nuclear energy sector also offers many opportunities. Russia took part in building the first section of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, which the stress tests results show to be the safest in China. Last year, our specialists helped to launch China’s first fast-neutron experimental reactor, thus making China the fourth country, after Russia, Japan and France, to possess this technology. Construction of the fourth section of a uranium enrichment plant was completed ahead of schedule. We hope to continue our cooperation on building the Tianwan power plant’s second and subsequent sections, and to take part in building other energy sector facilities in China. 

The source and driving force of our relations is the friendship and mutual understanding between our peoples. We held very successful reciprocal national years and language years. Now we are holding the Year of Russian Tourism in China, and next year our attention will be on the Chinese Tourism Year in Russia.

I think the time is ripe for us to draw up a long-term action plan for developing our bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.

Naturally, current international affairs will be on the upcoming visit’s agenda. They include strategic stability, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and countering the threats and challenges to sustainable development, and our peoples’ lives and wellbeing, including terrorism, separatism, organised crime, and illegal migration. 

Russia and China share very similar positions on all of these issues, positions based on the principles of responsibility, commitment to the basic values of international law, and unconditional mutual respect for each other’s interests. This makes it easy for us to find a common language, develop common tactics and strategies, and make a constructive contribution to international discussions on the most serious issues we face today, whether the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the problems in Syria and Afghanistan, or the Korean Peninsula and Iranian nuclear programme issues.

I stress that the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership plays an effective part in strengthening regional and global stability. This is our guiding logic in our efforts to develop cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which marked its tenth anniversary last year. 

I was one of the people at the origins of this group. Time has shown that we made the right decision in transforming the Shanghai Five into a full-fledged cooperation organisation.

The SCO today is a rapidly-developing multilateral organisation. We have yet to realise its full potential, but looking back at the road travelled so far, we can say for sure that the organisation has already earned itself an influential place and speaks with a confident voice on the international stage. 

The SCO has brought much that is new and useful to global politics. Above all, it offers a partnership model based on genuine equality between all participants, mutual trust, mutual respect for each people’s sovereign and independent choice, and for each country’s culture, values, traditions, and desire for common development. This philosophy best embodies what I consider to be the only viable principles for international relations in a multipolar world.

The SCO and its members’ efforts and cooperation with a broad range of foreign partners have been highly instrumental in substantially reducing terrorist activity in the region. But the challenges we face today are becoming ever more diverse, complex, and change constantly. Those who spread the ideas of terrorism, separatism and extremism continue to perfect their subversive methods, recruit new fighters to their ranks, and expand their financing sources. 

To respond to these challenges we must continue to develop the SCO’s capacity to ensure security and make our cooperation mechanisms even more effective. This is why the upcoming summit will pay particular attention to approving the 2013-2015 SCO member states’ programme for cooperation in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, and the new draft provisions on political and diplomatic measures and response mechanisms in situations that threaten peace, security and stability in the region.

The links between terrorism, drugs production, and drugs trafficking are another serious challenge. We must work together in coordinated fashion to combat this. We must develop this cooperation most actively through the SCO’s anti-drugs strategy. 

The situation in Afghanistan is one of our common concerns. The SCO is making a big contribution to helping the Afghan people in rebuilding their long-suffering country. The decision to grant Afghanistan observer status in the SCO will be another concrete step that we will take at the upcoming summit. We will discuss the prospects for joint work within the SCO with Afghanistan’s leader, Hamid Karzai.

The SCO was established as an organisation tasked with ensuring stability and security across the vast Eurasian continent. We think that any attempts by other countries to pursue unilateral action in the SCO’s region of responsibility would be counterproductive.

At the same time, the SCO is an open organisation that is ready to work together with all interested partners. This is stated in the SCO’s charter. India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan are all involved in the SCO as observer countries. Belarus and Sri Lanka are SCO dialogue partners. Turkey will join us at this upcoming summit. Given the growing interest in the SCO’s activities, we are currently settling how to strengthen the legal basis for the organisation’s continued enlargement.

The SCO’s experience offers interesting and very promising solutions for the entire international community in terms of developing policies from below through a consensus-based process. Policies take shape within the different regional organisations first of all, and then become part of the dialogue between us all. Out of these regional ‘building blocks’ we can put together a more stable and predictable environment for global politics and the global economy. 

We think that this kind of network diplomacy will become a vital part of international relations. The SCO member states saw this trend in the making and have acted on it by developing a network of partnerships between multilateral organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Today, the SCO is working hard to develop cooperation with the UN, CIS, CSTO, EurAsEC, ASEAN, ESCAP, and other international bodies. 

We see great potential in developing cooperation between the SCO and the Eurasian Economic Community, and in the future, with the Eurasian Economic Union. I am sure that these organisations can mutually enrich and effectively complement each other in their work.

There is no doubt that we must strengthen political cooperation within the SCO and step up our economic cooperation. The organisation is up to the task of implementing even the biggest joint projects. It would be in our common interests to make use of the obvious advantages offered by China’s fast-growing economy, the technological potential that Russia is developing as it modernises, and the Central Asian countries’ rich natural resources. I think we should concentrate particularly on cooperation in the energy, transport, infrastructure, and agriculture sectors, and in the high-tech fields, especially in information and telecommunications technology. 

But this requires us to put in place genuinely effective financial support and project management mechanisms within the SCO. We need platforms for developing joint plans, places for assembling multilateral programmes. The SCO energy club, which we have almost finished establishing now, could serve as a good example in this respect.

Much of the SCO’s future development potential lies in developing direct ties between our countries’ business communities and companies. I am sure that the business forum in Beijing during the summit will demonstrate the broad range of opportunities for public-private partnerships in expanding our economic cooperation. It is important to actively involve our countries’ industrial and banking sectors in carrying out the plans we set. All of this requires more effective and intensive work from the SCO Business Council and Interbank Group. They already have quite a solid package of proposals.

It is also in our common interests to develop cooperation in healthcare, culture, sports, education, and science. The opportunities in these fields are most convincingly embodied in the Network University, one of the SCO’s most striking initiatives, which now brings together 65 different universities in the SCO member countries. The university will have its rector’s offices in Moscow. We are ready to do all we can to help develop this very promising and much-needed project. 

As it enters its second decade, the SCO continues to grow and develop. It will hold firm in its work to its guiding principles and basic goals, and at the same time will continue to take account of the changing international situation. This is the approach that will be reflected in the basic agreement we are set to discuss and adopt at the summit – the Basic Guidelines for the SCO Medium-Term Development Strategy. 

* * *

We have high hopes for the Russian-Chinese talks and the SCO summit in Beijing. Russia needs a prosperous China, and I am sure that China needs a successful Russia. Our partnership is not directed against anyone, but is about construction and strengthening justice and the democratic foundations in international life. This partnership is thus something needed in today’s world.

An old Chinese saying states that common hopes require common efforts. We are ready for these common efforts in the interests of our countries and peoples. This work will certainly produce worthy results.

Author Vladimir Putin is the former Prime Minister and is current President of Russia for the third time, he wrote the article for the newspaper Renmin Ribao Daily.

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Republished following the legal disclaimer of Voice of Russia, Russia's first internationally broadcasted Radio. On air since 1929.

London Stadium

Nearly Six sites in east London have been identified for the deployment of supersonic surface to air Rapier and Starstreak missiles, these missiles are capable of shooting down an air borne target within the range of nearly 7 KM (approx. 4 miles).

The unusual thing in this news is the installation of missiles in the residential area on the rooftop of the occupied homes. Ten soldiers will operate the weapons at all times, possibly with armed police protection. The property owners defended their decision of allowing the ministry of defence to place missiles on the rooftop by making it an issue of national security. However, Some residents fear that the super sonic missiles which would be fitted on the water tower could itself become the target of the extremists or terrorists thus risking the lives of many residents.

Residents of Bow Quarter Estate are challenging the deal between the property owner company and the Ministry of Defence to install surface-to-air missiles to guard against potential airborne terrorist attacks. Many lawyers and legal agencies have opened up to help such residents with full support providing them the toll free 0800 numbers uk service.

Normally all the cities prepare themselves to face the worst in the situation of any terrorist attack, however London is all set to get fortified and militarized to an extent which was seen only during second world war. During the Olympics, London will have more soldiers on the streets than at any time since the Second World War and that there will be more armed personnel patrolling the capital than the entire number of British troops serving in Afghanistan. Which is way too large than what was in the Beijing Olympics.

Militarization of London to this extent could be justified since NATO and other western powers which includes Britain have been involved in various military interventions in Middle East since last few years. Resulting into rising threats against London's security. But conducting games, which is a source of entertainment, in such a tight environment doesn't solve the purpose of holding games.

"We have appointed lawyers with a view to make a legal challenge to the management company's decision to allow the MoD to install the rockets here," said Brian Whelan, a resident to the Guardian. "They didn't consult with us and they have neglected their duty to ask the residents' opinions about this."

Further he told another news journal London Evening Standard, “The Ministry of Defence have tried to claim that I am a lone nutter, but I am not alone. There are a lot of people opposed to this. We will protest and if it gets to it we will ring our buildings and take to the streets to stop them.”

Other than Bow Area, sites where missiles hosting is planned are Blackheath Common, the Lea Valley Reservoir, Oxleas Wood, Barn Hill in Epping Forest, and a playground in Waltham Forest.

Founder of the Stop the Olympic Missile campaign Chris Nineham, told Russia Today that there had been no consultation from the Ministry of Defence or the Government with locals.

He said that a meeting of local residents on May 31st voted unanimously that the missile plans were not sensible. Nineham believes that the government should not be able to dictate to local residents and is hoping that their campaign will see a reversal of the proposal. He added that if the government did not back down there were two legal challenges already in place.

According to Nineham, a senior source in the military said there was no credible intelligence of a terrorist attack on the games. Nineham said that in his opinion such a large scale deployment of force does not make London safer but instead encourages a reaction from those elements of world society who have a grievance with UK foreign policy.

Nineham added “it’s surreal, the games are talked about as if they have some strange military dimension to them and we’re losing sight that they are first and foremost a sporting event.”

However, Ministry of Defence maintained that "All legal requirements for the deployment of the equipment will be met."

The idea is to prevent London Olympics from any September 11 style attack. For this, beside having Surface to Air missile installations, ministry of defence is planning to have the Royal Air Force to keep an eagle eye on all aircraft movements over most of southeast England in a major security alert to run from July 16 through August 15. Also, military snipers will be deployed in helicopters to shoot pilots of low-flying aircraft that might be involved in terrorist attacks.

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