The gray stone of the narrow Khyber Pass has witnessed many dramas over the centuries. One of them took place 500 years ago – in 1526. That year Babur, a warrior from Central Asia, stormed through the mountain pass with his soldiers. Before him lay the vast Indian subcontinent. Babur knew it offered immense riches.
Could he succeed in conquering it?
Agriculture along the Ganges and the Indus yielded several harvests a year. In the capital, Delhi, the rulers lived in splendor and luxury. Compared with the drier lands of Central Asia, India appeared far more prosperous. In the sixteenth century the subcontinent was a major producer of cotton, silk, indigo, spices, sugar, and precious stones. Indian textiles were exported in enormous quantities to the Middle East, East Africa, and Southeast Asia, and silver flowed in as payment. Historians suggest that India at that time accounted for roughly a quarter of the world’s total production.
mandag 9. februar 2026
Japan election: Sanae Takaichi set for landslide victory
Japan's nationalist ruling party won a sweeping majority in parliamentary elections on Sunday, projections showed, securing a strong new mandate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to have won about 300 seats in the lower house of parliament, far exceeding the 233 seats required for a majority, national broadcaster NHK reported, basing projections on exit polls.
Together with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the LDP was projected to win 310 seats, NHK said, giving them a two-thirds majority.
"We received [voter] backing for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's responsible, proactive fiscal policies and a strengthening of national defence capabilities," LDP secretary general Shunichi Suzuki told media.
Takaichi dissolved parliament in January and called snap elections, a gamble that she hoped would provide her and her struggling party with a stronger footing in parliament going into the new year.
Together with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the LDP was projected to win 310 seats, NHK said, giving them a two-thirds majority.
"We received [voter] backing for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's responsible, proactive fiscal policies and a strengthening of national defence capabilities," LDP secretary general Shunichi Suzuki told media.
Takaichi dissolved parliament in January and called snap elections, a gamble that she hoped would provide her and her struggling party with a stronger footing in parliament going into the new year.
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi looks to translate her election gains into a new conservative shift
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s gamble that her personal popularity would lead to big election gains for her struggling party paid off hugely. On Monday, she began the process of translating that new power, made manifest in a two-thirds supermajority gained in parliamentary elections the day before, into what she hopes will be sweeping conservative legislation that will shift Japanese security, immigration, economic and social policies.
The first steps include reappointing her Cabinet and pushing forward on a delayed budget and the votes next week that will reelect her as prime minister.
Takaichi, in an interview with public television network NHK following her victory, said her efforts will make Japan strong and prosperous.
The first steps include reappointing her Cabinet and pushing forward on a delayed budget and the votes next week that will reelect her as prime minister.
Takaichi, in an interview with public television network NHK following her victory, said her efforts will make Japan strong and prosperous.
China critic and former media tycoon Jimmy Lai is sentenced to 20 years in a Hong Kong security case
Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent.
Lai, 78, was convicted in December of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. The maximum penalty for his conviction was life imprisonment.
His co-defendants, six former employees of his Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms of between 6 years and 3 months, and 10 years on collusion-related charges.
Lai smiled and waved at his supporters when he arrived for the sentence. But before he left the courtroom, he looked serious, as some people in the public gallery cried. When asked about whether they would appeal, his lawyer Robert Pang said no comment.
Lai, 78, was convicted in December of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. The maximum penalty for his conviction was life imprisonment.
His co-defendants, six former employees of his Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms of between 6 years and 3 months, and 10 years on collusion-related charges.
Lai smiled and waved at his supporters when he arrived for the sentence. But before he left the courtroom, he looked serious, as some people in the public gallery cried. When asked about whether they would appeal, his lawyer Robert Pang said no comment.
What to know about Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong journey from media mogul and activist to convict
To his supporters, former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai is a fighter for democracy. To the government, he is a traitor to his motherland. The 78-year-old outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison for conspiring to commit sedition and collude with foreign forces.
Observers say his trial came to symbolize a crackdown that began in 2020 on press and other freedoms that has changed Hong Kong, the former British colony that returned to China’s control in 1997.
Observers say his trial came to symbolize a crackdown that began in 2020 on press and other freedoms that has changed Hong Kong, the former British colony that returned to China’s control in 1997.
China's Mongolian Minority Facing Increased Pressure to Assimilate
Beijing long allowed Mongols in China to live out their cultural identity. That, though, is now over. Xi Jinping has decided that they must assimilate into the culture of the Chinese majority. The new era, that is the term used by Chinese propaganda to describe Xi’s regency.
Ever since China’s head of state and party leader rose to power in 2012, pressure has been rising on the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, where the Gegen Miao Monastery is located. Almost 300 years old, it is an important place for the local population – and its abbot is an important man: Because of his religious learnedness, Laobuseng Jinpa is regarded as a "living Buddha.” But in Xi’s China, no such honorary title exempts him from the duty of political obedience.
søndag 8. februar 2026
Economic nationalism giving rise to a zero-sum world
The world we inhabit today bears little resemblance to the one imagined by the architects of the global economy at the end of the 20th century. Back then, the dismantling of trade barriers was celebrated as a gateway to shared prosperity.
Today, new walls are rising, not of concrete, but of tariffs, subsidies and export bans. The grand narrative of seamless globalization now sounds increasingly like a relic from a bygone era.What we are witnessing is not a temporary disturbance, but a tectonic shift in economic governance, one powerful enough to alter the strategic orientation of nations worldwide.
What began as sharp, provocative tweets during Donald Trump’s first term in office is proving not to be a historical anomaly, but rather the ignition point of a deeper, long-simmering transformation. To single out Trump alone, however, would be intellectually dishonest. Beneath the rhetoric of “America First” lay a profound unease over China’s rise and its perceived manipulation of the international economic system.
Today, new walls are rising, not of concrete, but of tariffs, subsidies and export bans. The grand narrative of seamless globalization now sounds increasingly like a relic from a bygone era.What we are witnessing is not a temporary disturbance, but a tectonic shift in economic governance, one powerful enough to alter the strategic orientation of nations worldwide.
What began as sharp, provocative tweets during Donald Trump’s first term in office is proving not to be a historical anomaly, but rather the ignition point of a deeper, long-simmering transformation. To single out Trump alone, however, would be intellectually dishonest. Beneath the rhetoric of “America First” lay a profound unease over China’s rise and its perceived manipulation of the international economic system.
Delhi High Court reaffirms passport right of Tibetan citizens of India
The Delhi High Court has on Feb 3 upheld its series of previous decisions since 2010, saying Tibetans born in India on or after Jan 26, 1950, and before Jul 1, 1987, are citizens by birth under the country’s citizenship law. Crucially, it has rejected the contention of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that once registered as a “Tibetan Refugee” and issued with an identity Certificate (IC), such a Tibetan should be considered to have voluntarily renounced their Indian citizenship.
IC is the travel document issued by the government of India to Tibetans registered as foreigners. But it is not universally recognized by immigration authorities at international airports, with even those with visas issued on them being sometimes turned back.
The High Court has also rejected the MEA’s submission that it was “under process” to challenge a bunch of orders pertaining to “Tibetan Refugees”, where the Delhi HC had ruled in favour of them, declaring them as Indian nationals, dating back to 2010.
IC is the travel document issued by the government of India to Tibetans registered as foreigners. But it is not universally recognized by immigration authorities at international airports, with even those with visas issued on them being sometimes turned back.
The High Court has also rejected the MEA’s submission that it was “under process” to challenge a bunch of orders pertaining to “Tibetan Refugees”, where the Delhi HC had ruled in favour of them, declaring them as Indian nationals, dating back to 2010.
Takaichi’s ruling party on path to winning a majority in Japan’s lower house vote, exit polls say
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘s governing party is almost certain to win a single-party majority in a key parliamentary election Sunday, NHK public television and other major networks say, citing their exit polls.
NHK says Takaichi’s governing coalition led by her Liberal Democratic Party could also win more than two-thirds of the 465-seat lower house, the more powerful of the country’s two-chamber parliament. That’s a level that would allow the governing bloc to dominate house committee chairs to steer policy and budget bills.
NHK, citing results of early vote counts, said the LDP alone secured 244 seats, surpassing a majority at 233. The huge jump from the pre-election share may allow Takaichi to make progress on a right-wing agenda that aims to boost Japan’s economy and military capabilities as tensions grow with China and she tries to nurture ties with the United States.
NHK says Takaichi’s governing coalition led by her Liberal Democratic Party could also win more than two-thirds of the 465-seat lower house, the more powerful of the country’s two-chamber parliament. That’s a level that would allow the governing bloc to dominate house committee chairs to steer policy and budget bills.
NHK, citing results of early vote counts, said the LDP alone secured 244 seats, surpassing a majority at 233. The huge jump from the pre-election share may allow Takaichi to make progress on a right-wing agenda that aims to boost Japan’s economy and military capabilities as tensions grow with China and she tries to nurture ties with the United States.
he facts — and frictions — of the U.S.-India trade deal
“It’s easier said than done,” is a phrase I have now heard several times from different experts as we discussed the feasibility of the terms of the U.S.-India trade deal. Less than a week after the India-EU trade pact was finalized, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced in a post on Truth Social that he had agreed a deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “great friend.”
Trump said Washington would cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, while New Delhi will lower duties on U.S. goods to zero, replace Russian oil with supply from U.S. and Venezuela, open sensitive markets such as agriculture and buy $500 billion worth of American goods.
Modi, in his response on X, expressed delight over the lowering of tariff of 18%, thanked Trump and extended support for his “efforts for [global] peace.”
Trump said Washington would cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, while New Delhi will lower duties on U.S. goods to zero, replace Russian oil with supply from U.S. and Venezuela, open sensitive markets such as agriculture and buy $500 billion worth of American goods.
Modi, in his response on X, expressed delight over the lowering of tariff of 18%, thanked Trump and extended support for his “efforts for [global] peace.”
Chinese solar stocks rally on reports Elon Musk’s Space X, Tesla staff visited suppliers
Shares of Chinese solar panel makers surged Wednesday after local media reported that staff linked to Elon Musk had recently visited several photovoltaic suppliers in China, sparking speculation that a high-profile customer could boost demand for advanced products.
The reports fueled talk of a potential business partnership and came days after Musk said he planned to build large-scale solar cell production capacity in the U.S. Shares of China-based JinkoSolar, one of the world’s largest panel producers, jumped as much as 20% in early trade, hitting their daily limit, according to LSEG data. Jolywood Suzhou Sunwatt, which makes photovoltaic auxiliary materials, also saw its shares jump 20%.
The reports fueled talk of a potential business partnership and came days after Musk said he planned to build large-scale solar cell production capacity in the U.S. Shares of China-based JinkoSolar, one of the world’s largest panel producers, jumped as much as 20% in early trade, hitting their daily limit, according to LSEG data. Jolywood Suzhou Sunwatt, which makes photovoltaic auxiliary materials, also saw its shares jump 20%.
lørdag 7. februar 2026
Kerry Brown: Xi’s military purge is not really about corruption
Zhang Youxia, a top military general and vice-chairman of the body in overall command of China’s military forces, was removed from office on January 23. His departure means all but one of the seven members of the central military commission (CMC), which is chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping, have lost their positions in the last three years.
Xi has an established record of purging senior officials. Back at the dawn of his tenure as head of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 2010s, there was a series of high-level fallings. Bo Xilai, a fellow Politburo member who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges, was perhaps the most commented on.
But even Zhou Yongkang, a former senior party leader, was taken in under corruption charges in 2013 and expelled from the party. The slogan used by party leadership at the time was that even tigers needed to be afraid, not just flies. There were no exceptions when it came to party loyalty – no one was exempt and no one was safe.
Xi has an established record of purging senior officials. Back at the dawn of his tenure as head of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 2010s, there was a series of high-level fallings. Bo Xilai, a fellow Politburo member who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges, was perhaps the most commented on.
But even Zhou Yongkang, a former senior party leader, was taken in under corruption charges in 2013 and expelled from the party. The slogan used by party leadership at the time was that even tigers needed to be afraid, not just flies. There were no exceptions when it came to party loyalty – no one was exempt and no one was safe.
EU needs political adults, not feckless children, in Trump era
When Brussels convinced itself that regulation could substitute for power and values for capacity, leverage migrated elsewhere. Europe rendered its own vulnerabilities exploitable; Washington and Beijing simply did not hesitate to use them.
Sermons multiplied as factories vanished; dependence was a policy choice, defended in public, moralized at home, and institutionalized through repetition until it hardened into reflex.European leaders luxuriated in talk of principles, moral superiority, a manicured gardenthreatened by the jungle, normative power, ethical trade, the Brussels Effect and enlightened multilateralism, while neglecting the unglamorous work of building industrial capacity, hard infrastructure, technological depth and military endurance.
Energy, defense, technology, logistics, data, industrial inputs, digital platforms and capital markets were all flagged in advance. Europe refused to accept the cost while the cost still bought clout, choosing to delay until Donald Trump and Xi Jinping made the price punitive.
Sermons multiplied as factories vanished; dependence was a policy choice, defended in public, moralized at home, and institutionalized through repetition until it hardened into reflex.European leaders luxuriated in talk of principles, moral superiority, a manicured gardenthreatened by the jungle, normative power, ethical trade, the Brussels Effect and enlightened multilateralism, while neglecting the unglamorous work of building industrial capacity, hard infrastructure, technological depth and military endurance.
Energy, defense, technology, logistics, data, industrial inputs, digital platforms and capital markets were all flagged in advance. Europe refused to accept the cost while the cost still bought clout, choosing to delay until Donald Trump and Xi Jinping made the price punitive.
India is reportedly ‘ready’ to buy up to $80 billion in Boeing aircraft following trade deal with U.S.
New Delhi is ready to place orders worth up to $80 billion for Boeing planes, India’s commerce and industry minister, Piyush Goyal, reportedly said, signaling the country’s willingness to expand trade with the U.S. India’s demand for aircraft alone, with orders for Boeing “yet to be placed but ready,” is nearly $80 billion, Goyal said Thursday, adding that if engines and other spare parts are added, imports from U.S. will “cross $100 billion just [from] aircrafts.”
Families of passengers who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in June of last year are suing Boeing, over the alleged role of defective dual switches in the disaster that saw 241 of the 242, the minister said, on board lose their lives.
Families of passengers who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in June of last year are suing Boeing, over the alleged role of defective dual switches in the disaster that saw 241 of the 242, the minister said, on board lose their lives.
U.S. and India unveil framework of interim trade deal, move closer to broad pact
The United States and India moved closer to a trade pact on Friday, releasing an interim framework that would lower tariffs, reshape energy ties and deepen economic cooperation as both countries seek to realign global supply chains.
The framework reaffirms a commitment to negotiations toward a broader bilateral trade agreement, the two governments said in a joint statement, while noting that further negotiations were needed to complete the pact. Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump, in an executive order, removed the additional 25% tariff imposed on Indian goods for Russian oil purchases as New Delhi “committed to stop directly or indirectly importing” Russian oil.
However, U.S. officials will monitor and recommend reinstating the tariff if India resumes oil procurement from Russia, the order said, as Washington maintains pressure on India to restrict energy ties with Moscow.
The framework reaffirms a commitment to negotiations toward a broader bilateral trade agreement, the two governments said in a joint statement, while noting that further negotiations were needed to complete the pact. Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump, in an executive order, removed the additional 25% tariff imposed on Indian goods for Russian oil purchases as New Delhi “committed to stop directly or indirectly importing” Russian oil.
However, U.S. officials will monitor and recommend reinstating the tariff if India resumes oil procurement from Russia, the order said, as Washington maintains pressure on India to restrict energy ties with Moscow.
China reveals its plan to challenge the US dollar for dominance. Could it ever work?
China is seizing an opportunity to challenge American dominance in global finance and exert greater international influence at the expense of the all-powerful US dollar.
Geopolitical uncertainty – driven in large part by President Donald Trump’s often chaotic economic policy – has gripped markets in recent weeks, with the dollar falling to four-year lows. Meanwhile, investors are flocking to safe-haven assets, driving gold prices to record highs of more than $5,500 an ounce. That’s given China an opening to promote its own currency as a viable alternative.
Over the weekend, the flagship ideology journal of China’s Communist Party published remarks from President Xi Jinping that outlined plans to turn the renminbi into a global reserve currency. That’s the role the US dollar currently plays – the go-to currency for the vast majority of foreign transactions, making it one of the world’s safest investments.
Geopolitical uncertainty – driven in large part by President Donald Trump’s often chaotic economic policy – has gripped markets in recent weeks, with the dollar falling to four-year lows. Meanwhile, investors are flocking to safe-haven assets, driving gold prices to record highs of more than $5,500 an ounce. That’s given China an opening to promote its own currency as a viable alternative.
Over the weekend, the flagship ideology journal of China’s Communist Party published remarks from President Xi Jinping that outlined plans to turn the renminbi into a global reserve currency. That’s the role the US dollar currently plays – the go-to currency for the vast majority of foreign transactions, making it one of the world’s safest investments.
US accuses China of secret nuclear test as Trump admin calls for broader nuclear weapons agreement
The United States on Friday accused China of carrying out a secret nuclear test in 2020 as the Trump administration calls for a broader nuclear weapons agreement including both China and Russia.
The allegation comes a day after the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia lapsed, leaving the world’s largest nuclear superpowers without limits on their arsenals for the first time in decades.
President Donald Trump and other top officials in his administration have made clear they will no longer abide by the limitations of the New START Treaty and instead have argued they need a new deal to address threats from Moscow and Beijing. And Trump last year called for the resumption of US nuclear weapons tests.
The allegation comes a day after the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia lapsed, leaving the world’s largest nuclear superpowers without limits on their arsenals for the first time in decades.
President Donald Trump and other top officials in his administration have made clear they will no longer abide by the limitations of the New START Treaty and instead have argued they need a new deal to address threats from Moscow and Beijing. And Trump last year called for the resumption of US nuclear weapons tests.
Japan’s first female prime minister counts on her popularity to help her party win Sunday’s election
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is leveraging her popularity to help her party win Sunday’s snap election as she pushes her right-wing agenda to boost her country’s economy and military capabilities in the face of growing tensions with China and an unpredictable Washington.
The ultraconservative Takaichi, who took office as Japan’s first female leader in October, has since enjoyed high ratings and support as her style and “work, work, work” mantra resonates with younger fans.
Latest polls indicate a landslide win in the lower house for Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party. The opposition, despite the formation of a new centrist alliance and the rising far-right, remains too splintered to be a real challenger.
The ultraconservative Takaichi, who took office as Japan’s first female leader in October, has since enjoyed high ratings and support as her style and “work, work, work” mantra resonates with younger fans.
Latest polls indicate a landslide win in the lower house for Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party. The opposition, despite the formation of a new centrist alliance and the rising far-right, remains too splintered to be a real challenger.
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