 "Best of BS Opinion: Entrepot for geopolitics, our cities are choking & more")
US government-owned International Development Finance Corporation’s decision to invest $553 million in Colombo West International Terminal Pvt Ltd could be a geopolitical game changer in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Investing more than half in the $789 million project through its financial institution will give the US a strategic presence in one of the largest trans-shipment ports in the IOR, enhancing its larger Indo-Pacific play and offering a bold counter to China’s aggressive expansion in the region via its Maritime Silk Route initiative, notes our lead editorial. Read here
In other views:
The world, it seems, has learnt to live with geopolitical risk. Financial crises and pandemics pose greater threats to the world economy than geopolitical risk, writes T T Ram Mohan. Read here
Amit Kapoor and Bibek Debroy argue that as urbanisation continues to shape the landscape of our societies, addressing the adverse effects on air quality becomes paramount. Read here
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“The states where we are right now in elections have seized more cash than what was seized in the corresponding time in the state assembly elections or Lok Sabha 2019.”
CBDT Chairman Nitin Gupta