India is relevant to the world, not only in its size and girth but by its footprint and what matters to the world

Russia is under American sanctions, and none can trade freely with Russia except India which buys Russian oil on preferred terms and then re-export it to help an old patron earn dollars the indirect way. Two opposing military superpowers of the world claim India to be its ally. If this isn’t diplomatic coup, what is?

Under Modi it has crafted a religious-nationalist plank of its newer assertion and identity. Don’t balk. World over the trend is of the Right gaining eminence in social attitudes. Pakistan in this realm has its own set of challenges. Importantly, it seems to be working for Modi and India.

world baby

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s fraternal brother, announced an investment of over 72 billion USDs in India even as we beg her to invest the 7 billion promised for Pakistan. Pakistan’s iron-brother, China, pledged 10 million USD in the very latest donors conference in Geneva to help Pakistan out of its financial predicament as well as a looming bankruptcy, as did Pakistan’s favourite whipping boy, America. Somehow, both place equal premium on Pakistan’s prospects.

The world has taken note and regardless how much we play China vs India as a sorry paradigm for face-saving both are now above 100 billion USDs trade that binds them with a common aim to quickly move to 500 billion. Those who trade at that level never graduate beyond sticks and clubs, even if spiked, and whatever the savagery of their brawl. It is time to smell some real leaves.

One hates to admit, but Pakistan was politically outmanoeuvred by India on Kashmir by rescinding Article 370 of its Constitution which gave a special if not disputed status to the region. Her gradual mutation of the demographics in her favour continues unabated. And as the older generation of the defying Kashmiris bows out the young view issues far less weighed by emotive persuasion.

India is expected to surpass China and become the world's most populous nation within the next three months, according to a recent report by the United Nations' population division, marking a seismic shift on the global stage in a trend with significant social and economic impact for both countries.

"Most people think India's economy is still a fraction of what it could be in the future, which means there's so much promise," Dr. Audrey Truschke, an associate professor of South Asian History at Rutgers University, told Yahoo News, adding that much of the potential is due in large part to India being "such a young country."

Of the rapidly growing 1.41 billion people in India, about 1 in 4 are under the age of 15 and nearly half are under 25. By comparison, China's population is about 1.45 billion, but those under 25 make up only a quarter of the population.

"The Indian subcontinent has always supported a robust human population," Truschke said. "India has also long been compared to China, and they have for a long time traded with one another. So as much changes over the course of human history, that's something that recurs --- both the dense population of the subcontinent, as well as the comparison with China."

Since 1950, India and China have accounted for an estimated 35% of the world's population growth, with China emerging as a global industrial power. Combined, the two population epicenters are a significant slice of the world's roughly 8 billion people.

But China's one-child policy, which was introduced in 1980, drastically reduced its birth rate --- and redirected its economic prospects. In recent years, women have been allowed to have up to three children, but the average birth rate still sits at 1.2. China's population is set to peak in the coming years and projected to decline. This means that the older, nonworking population will have to rely on individual single children, many of whom will probably face economic difficulties caring for two parents and four grandparents. As a result, many elderly Chinese will be left to rely on a public pension system that is reportedly set to run out of money by 2035, despite recent efforts by the government to boost revenue.

"Without a quality pension support system, young people would be reluctant to get married and have children, [and] middle-aged people are double-burdened to care for the young and the elderly," Zhang Jingwei, a researcher at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, told the South China Morning Post. "Only when the elderly can enjoy the fruits of the reforms and are guaranteed institutionally happy twilight years, anxiety at different age groups can be solved and all of society's energy can be released."

Population growth in China is flatlining, and its supply of cheap labor may follow suit. Despite stubborn unemployment in pockets of the country, the shortage of skilled manual labor is becoming more evident.

India and its growing population of more than a billion people could pick up some of the slack, but its growth rate is also declining, and its industrial infrastructure is not as robust as China's. And much of India's population growth is centered in its poorer regions, especially in the north.

By 2050, data shows that India is expected to provide more than a sixth of the world's population of working age (15 to 64 years old).

https://news.yahoo.com/india-pass-china-as-the-worlds-most-populous-country-billion-215138449.html

This day, year 1761, about 100000 brave Marathas died defending their country from an Afghan marauder at Panipat. This was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of India.
Note: it wasn't Maharashtra under attack,but Marathas fought Panipat to defend Bharat from an invader. pic.twitter.com/A6Gf8vEUdQ

— Ketan Shah (@Thinkerks) January 14, 2023

It's just a disguise, you know that

The old ones are, The Hindu conservatives you talk to online are are the young ones. I always find it funny when millenials find out that Gen Z leans more right than Left.

Gas the muzzies

Confused uncle tries to stay relevant.

Nooo but randitv told me his militia is going to start beheading muzzies in the streets any day now nooo

https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1095b1m/leader_of_influential_hindu_group_backs_lgbt/?sort=controversial

Huh, the headline isn't calling them hardline rightwing as they regularly do when talking about RSS . Will probably hurt their bottom line.

Do better reuters.

Like, it's good someone is calling for progress, but it's insane they're still having this fight in 2023

There's only ony one country* that has decriminalized gay marriage in Asia. Taiwan.. even the most developed countries in asia have not acted upon it.

Ah yes...The expected response to anyone pointing out India's flaws. And as usual, it's not even true https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Asia

Nice...modi is still a peepee ..

Anyone else do a double take? I just saw a religious group + LGBT in the headline and my mind filled in the rest of the words with assumptions of intolerance. Made me happy that my assumptions were completely wrong. Good for them.

Nation.

pic.twitter.com/fb9pz3kGbe

— Serf (@4th_System) January 9, 2023

@himachalite @Sasanka_of_Gauda

FIXED LINK HERE: https://fortune.com/2023/01/07/wells-fargo-fires-executive-who-urinated-on-passenger-air-india-flight/

He butt got fired, but not before begging the foid for forgiveness

>A story that seemed too weird to be true just got weirder.

>As Fortune reported yesterday, India’s aviation regulator scolded Air India this week for being “unprofessional” and “devoid of empathy” in its handling of a bizarre incident in late November, in which a male passenger allegedly urinated on a woman during a Nov. 26 flight from New York to Delhi.

>Now that male passenger, who had traveled in business class, has been identified as a vice president at Wells Fargo. Indian police arrested the executive, Shankar Mishra, on Saturday.

>The bank said in a statement on late Friday that it had terminated Mishra, who worked at its subsidiary in India, and was cooperating with local law enforcement, adding in a short statement it found the incident “deeply disturbing.” Fortune reached out to Wells Fargo outside normal business hours but did not receive an immediate reply.

>In a statement sent to Fortune, Air India said it “acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground.”

>Mishra faces charges under Indian law of obscenity, sexual harassment, and insulting the modesty of a woman. According to The Hindu, a Delhi court sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

>Air India, owned by Tata Group, said it banned Mishra from its flights for a month.

>In India, news of the incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many criticizing the airline for not reporting the matter to police until weeks had passed.

>The victim, whose name has not been released, wrote a complaint to Air India’s chairman the day after the event, demanding an immediate arrest of Mishra.

>Air India said in its statement to Fortune that it acknowledged receipt of the letter and “commenced engaging in correspondence with the affected passenger’s family” on Nov. 30. It added that it commenced a ticket refund on Dec. 2 and convened various meeting in the following weeks. When the victim’s family requested on Dec. 26 that the airline lodge a complaint with police, it said, it did so two days later.

>After the incident, the crew reportedly brought Mishra face-to-face with the victim against her wishes, and he begged her for forgiveness.

>That didn’t go over well.

>“In my already distraught state, I was further disoriented by being made to confront and negotiate with the perpetrator of the horrific incident at close quarters,” she wrote in her statement to the chairman, included in the police complaint from Air India.

>She also complained about the way the crew handled the incident, including initially refusing her request to change seats and merely spraying her urine-soaked shoes and bags with disinfectant.

>On Friday, India’s airline regulator reminded airlines to “sensitize” cabin crew and pilots on topic of unruly passengers, who it said should be dealt with strictly. It added that complaints must be filed to aviation authorities promptly, and warned that non-compliance will “invite enforcement action.”

The Indian Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in favour of same-s*x marriage this week.

As part of a set of petitions issued by two same-s*x couples, the New Delhi court will hear arguments for the recognition of same-s*x marriage on Friday (6 January).

The lead petition, filed by gay couple Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dange, has argued that denying LGBTQ+ citizens the right to marry is an affront to their right to equality.

Currently, India does not officially recognise same-s*x marriage, but allows couples to engage in an “unregistered cohabitation.”

This effectively means that same-s*x couples aren't legally permitted to inherit assets or adopt. It can also complicate hospital visits if one-half of the couple is under strict visitation rules when hospitalised.

The petitioners have argued that, since inter-faith heterosexual couples are protected via Supreme Court rulings, then LGBTQ+ couples would naturally follow.

The second petition, filed by Parth Phiroze Mehrotra and Uday Raj, argues that barring LGBTQ+ couples from marriage equality violates several articles of the constitution.

"If the petitioners, as a same-s*x couple, enjoyed access to the civil institution of marriage, they would not face untold practical difficulties, both vis-a-vis each other and their children," the petition read.

"The denial of the fundamental right of marriage to persons like the petitioners is a complete violation of constitutional law."

As part of the 6 January hearing, the Indian government is expected to voice its opinion on both petitions, as well as its current position on same-s*x marriage.

Indian government unlikely to support same-s*x marriage

Prime minister Modi's government previously declared that same-s*x couples in India "cannot claim a fundamental right for same-s*x marriage" during a similar hearing in 2021.

It clarified its stance to the Delhi High Court, where it said that LGBTQ+ couples do not deserve the same rights as "traditional" heterosexual couples.

"Living together as partners and having a sexual relationship by same-s*x individuals is not comparable with the Indian family unit concept of a husband, wife and children," the government told the High Court.

While the government's position is unlikely to change, a shift in public perception toward LGBTQ+ couples could see a victory for petitioners in a similar fashion to the decriminalisation of same-s*x relationships in 2018.

The stretch these whitoid strags do man

Leather is now a critical military component