At the second CII India-Europe Business and Sustainability Conclave on Tuesday, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar highlighted India’s increasing economic importance. He said that India will be a $7.3 trillion economy by the end of the decade and a $30 trillion economy by the time it reaches the 100th year of independence in 2047. In his address, Jaishankar also emphasised the growing India-Europe engagement in the last decade and said that India-EU trade levels have been growing steadily. The EAM stressed that the EU must prepare for the India that is to come.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif is all set to be the new PM of Pakistan. At the same time, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari will be the country’s new president as the two parties will join in a coalition to form the government. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made the announcement while noting that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan-backed independent candidates who had joined the Sunni Islamic Council (SIC) had failed to get a majority to form the government.
The 9th Raisina Dialogue will begin today in New Delhi, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis participating as the Chief Guest. Indian PM Narendra Modi and Mitsotakis will inaugurate the event slated to end on 23 February. The theme of the event is “Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create.” Representatives from over 100 countries will participate in the event. India’s premier geopolitical and geoeconomics forum, the Raisina Dialogue, is dedicated to tackling the most challenging problems the world faces today.
The Kremlin revealed on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a luxurious Russian Aurus limousine. This gesture comes after Kim expressed admiration for the vehicle when he saw it during a visit to the Vostochny cosmodrome last year, where Putin personally showcased it to him. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on the gift: “North Korea is our neighbour, our close neighbour, and we intend, and will continue, to develop our relations with all neighbours, including North Korea.”
The US has informed its allies that Russia may deploy a nuclear weapon or a simulated warhead into space as soon as this year. These sources revealed that Russia is working on a space-based capability to disable satellites using a nuclear weapon. Such an action would contravene the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, of which Russia is a signatory.
An extensive assessment covering 99 million individuals examining reports of adverse reactions after COVID-19 vaccination found that cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, myocarditis, pericarditis, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) were at least 1.5 times higher than expected following mRNA and ChadOX1 vaccine administration. This aligns with previous observations by the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency, which categorised these side effects as ‘rare’ following COVID-19 vaccination.