BRITAIN FACING PUBLIC UNREST

based international order, from the G-7 perspective, is centred around the US exercising control over the sovereignty of many countries. No wonder the US led NATO sees more assertive China and Russia presenting systemic challenge to their rule based international order. On the other hand, BRICS and countries in the Global South are committed to international law enshrined in the UN - promoting economic and social development as well as advancing international peace and security through international treaties and conventions. Clearly the BRICS and G-7 represent two distinctive global governance propositions and differ on their vision of economic development and globalisation.

The G-7’s launch of the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative as an alternative to China’s Belts and Road Initiative (BRI) reeks of power politics instead of a genuine desire to help the Global South. The failure to get Russia isolated on Ukraine war in the back-toback meetings of BRICS and G-7 in 2022 have been big setbacks for the US. The G-7 continues to pursue unilateralism and global hegemony and the BRICS is emerging as a real challenge to the West. However, the BRICS potential to challenge the US led global order is undermined by the internal makeup of the group, lack ideological homogeneity and capacity to develop a collective foreign policy. Presence of Indian PM Narendra Modi and South African President Cyr- ngland is facing its worst unrest in over a decade with an estimated 500,000 teachers, civil servants, nurses and train drivers walking out of their offices on Wednesday demanding salary hike.

Teachers formed the biggest group among strikers with about 300,000 of them staging a protest march forcing schools across England to remain shut. With drivers boycotting work, train services were paralysed. The situation is likely to worsen as workers’ unions threaten more action.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has firmly refused to give in to the demand stating that pay rise will lead to inflation. He was especially critical of teachers. “I am clear that our

THE FORMER (INCLUDING THE EU) HAS A POPULATION OF 987 MILLION WITH A GDP OF US$34 TRILLION WHILE THE LATTER HAS A POPULATION OF 3 BILLION WITH A GDP OF US$23.5 TRILLION il Ramaphosa, two prominent BRICS leaders as guests of German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz at the G-7 Summit is an indicator of BRICS prominence in global affairs. Despite the lack of internal cohesion, the BRICS still represents both a developmental and geopolitical challenge to the US led G-7 as China has been able present a non-capitalist market-oriented development alternative to the West and India’s voice is being heard globally more than ever before.

The G -7 knows that global green transition and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets cannot be achieved without India. For its ambitions, India needs G-7 investment, technology, and green finance. The last G-7 summit took place under the shadows of the Ukraine war, which has threatened economic recovery and the many issues in Indo-Pacific Region still remains unresolved and the leaders reiterated the “importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific”, and reminded China to “abstain from

England is facing its worst unrest in over a decade with an estimated 500,000 teachers, civil servants, nurses and train drivers walking out of their offices on Wednesday demanding salary hike children’s education is precious and they deserve to be in school today being taught,” he said. The government has put the military on standby.

The Conservative Party government is facing a tough time with elections due in 2025. Major unions are on strike and the inflation is at threats, coercion, intimidation measures or use of force”. Narendra Modi, along with the leaders of Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal, and South Africa, also attended some of the sessions.

India now has very strong economic and strategic ties G-7 and EU and the Indian economy is likely to be one of the fastest growing economies in the post-pandemic phase, partnership with India is attractive for the West. Modi rightly focused on strengths of the Indian economy, its ambitious climate targets and performance, and contribution to global food security. The G-7 relations with Russia are bad, and tensions with China have grown. In these circumstances, strengthening partnership with New Delhi is useful for the G-7. Indeed, the BRICS is fast emerging as a direct competitor to the G-7 and the possible entry of Argentina and Iran may turn BRICS into a geopolitical, entity. While G-7 will continue to fight for unity and relevance, Russia, China, and their supporters will invest in various economic, political and even military infrastructures, in the hope of creating a permanent and sustainable counterbalance to Western dominance. India is fast emerging as most important voice on the global fora expected to be helping bridging gaps between the west dominated G-7 and EU and South Global Economies represented through G-20, SCO and the BRICS.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL more than 10 percent, highest in four decades.

As the government has failed to address the situation, people have genuine reason to be dissatisfied and angry. And that should be reason enough for Rishi Sunak to worry about the strike’s political consequences. The Labour Party, reports say, is ahead of Conservatives by 25 percentage points in polls. The margin was 39 percent in the Labour Party’s favour in October last year.

In an opinion poll last month people stated their preference for Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and 55 percent thought the “Conservatives had done a poor job”. Countdown may have begun for Rishi Sunak.

Being a journalist is no crime, said Siddique Kappan after his release from Lucknow jail after over two years of incarceration. The journalist from Kerala was arrested by the Special Task Force of UP Police while on his way to Hathras to cover the rape and murder of a Dalit girl. He was first booked under the UAPA and then the Enforcement Directorate joined the investigations alleging wider conspiracy. The UP STF alleged Kappan to be the “mastermind” of the Popular Front of India, a Muslim outfit which was outlawed by the Union Home Ministry in 2022. The STF also claimed that Kappan’s motive was to create unrest. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court which did not find sufficient evidence against him. The ED had accused him of fraudulent transactions of over Rs 1 crore but could not prove it in the Allahabad High Court. Kappan was thus arrested for not committing any crime, prompting the courts to grant him bail.

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