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In 1998 that is 24 years back on 11th May India carried out first nuclear weapon test under the Vajpayee government. The event was celebrated with fanfare; public was jubilant over that India has now become a power to reckon with. Those who termed the event as a step towards mutually assured destruction were ridiculed. But just after 17 days on 28th May Pakistan too did the same. Observers felt that Pakistan has become at par with India in nuclear weapons race. Mood of the supporters of nuclear weapons in the country got subdued. Some experts argued that India who had superiority over Pakistan in conventional warfare has lost that since both countries have become nuclear armed. Exact figure unknown but there are estimates that both have 100 plus nuclear weapons each.

The Horn of Africa, also known as Somali Peninsula, is making big news these days but somehow it’s not reaching us with the same high decibel resonance as the Sri Lankan economic and political crisis or the Russia-Ukraine war. A geographical region that spans several African countries — Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda, the Horn of Africa is in the grip of a prolonged and devastating drought.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late far right dictator Ferdinand Marcos won the Presidential elections in Philippines on May 9 signaling the ousted the comeback of the worst forms of authoritarianism that marked the tenure of the elected President’s father in the 1980s. The namesake son of the ousted President won the elections with big margins by defeating the incumbent vice president Leni Roberto who stood as the candidate of opposition.

Marlene Dietrich, who died 30 years ago, on May 6, 1992, must be remembered not only for her importance as role model for emancipation but also for her outspoken and active stand against the Nazi movement that had overtaken her homeland.

What is Elon Musk, a masking perfume, an electric car or a spacecraft that is not rocket science? He is none of these, but has strong links to spacecrafts and electric cars. Elon Musk is a South African with a Canadian link and sports a “settled in America” label. He is the richest man on the planet depending on when and if Jeff Bezos loses his beans in the Amazonian forests. Musk is set to own Twitter and if anybody is happier than Casper the Friendly Ghost, it is former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey of ‘Smash Brahmanical Patriarchy’ fame.

There's a potential silver lining in Hindu nationalism's endorsement of Indonesia's Humanitarian Islam. That is if the approval produces a Hindu equivalent. At first glance, Hindu nationalist Ram Madhav’s call on Indian Muslims to embrace one, if not the world's most moderate expression of Islam, seems patronising and out of step.

A new climate update by World Meteorological Organization and UK Met Office has warned that the world overall temperature is moving in a dangerous direction and it is almost certain that 2022-2026 will see a warmest year on record though there is close to fifty-fifty chance (48 per cent) of breaching 1.5°C, though there is only a small chance (10 per cent) of the five-year mean exceeding this threshold. It brings the greatest concern for India and Pakistan in particular which are presently undergoing a drastic heatwave conditions. India has also been greatly suffering for years not only from heat but also from erratic weather conditions which are likely to worsen globally.

Latin American politics is passing through exciting times in 2022. For the first time, there is a distinct possibility of a left wing candidate Gustavo Petro taking over as the new president of Columbia which is known in South America as the country of drug trafficking and violence. Elections are due on May 29 and the latest poll indications suggest Petro as the front runner much ahead against his conservative right wing rival.

Russia’s war in Ukraine gives no signs of coming to an end even after two and half months of deaths and destruction. So far Russia couldn’t advance considerably inside Ukraine as it has expected, due to fierce resistance from the Ukrainians and strong Western support. The West is very concerned about Ukraine as it is situated at the doorstep of E.U and NATO, both of which has a vested interest in ensuring that the country’s sovereignty is maintained and that Russia’s aggression is curtailed. Having failed to achieve its objectives of a blitzkrieg victory in the early days of its invasion, Russian military now appears to be settling in for a much longer war, “a deliberate, cynical strategy to besiege Ukraine, cut them off, bomb them and starve them into submission” immediately.

Malaysia has emerged as a potential external operations base for Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip if Turkey expels or restricts the group’s movements as a part of its rapprochement with Israel.