longmen Courtesy: UNESCO
9 January 2025

India-China: learning from each other

India and China are the world’s most populous countries, with much in common and much divergence. Reform, discipline, long-term thinking and scale brought China to its present near first-world conditions; India is accommodative with its democracy, cultural diversity and all-round religiosity to achieve development, wealth creation, cultural preservation and self-respect. There’s a great deal that the two Asian giants can learn from each other.

Untitled-design-12-1200x675 Courtesy: Economic Times
2 January 2025

In Memoriam: My friend Ratan

Ratan Tata was a private, humble man with razor-sharp wit. His friend, Bobby Saigal, recalls their unique friendship, and the man who was a true son of India, who selflessly dedicated himself to the Tata legacy, philanthropy, and nation-building, and who was happiest when walking the shopfloor, talking and listening to his employees.

Copy-of-KFP-FEATURED-IMAGE-TEMPLATE-72 Courtesy: NBC News
2 January 2025

Russia enhances African engagement

Since the Ukraine crisis, Russia has been positioning itself strategically in the African continent, strengthening bilateral ties and addressing regional security issues. It is leveraging economic, energy, agriculture and military ties and investments in order to be seen as serious a counterweight to the U.S. and the European Union’s presence in the continent. 

Graffiti in Tehran: “Antisemitism has no place in the future of Iran.” (Source: X / Jaime Kirzner-Roberts) Courtesy: X / Jaime Kirzner-Roberts
2 January 2025

Iran’s Jews in the crosshairs

Iran has the largest Jewish diaspora in the Middle East outside of Israel. Since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, a proxy of Iran, the Iranian Jews have been publicly denouncing Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. Is this a sign of a loyal community or one under pressure from Iran’s ruling regime?