In Focus by The Hindu

India’s top sports bodies are in trouble. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is facing suspension by the International Olympic Committee if it doesn’t hold elections very soon. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) could get banned by FIFA if it doesn’t get its governance-related issues sorted. Hockey India, too, is in trouble – the International Hockey Federation has threatened to strip India of its hosting rights for the 2023 hockey World Cup.

All this comes close on the heels of match-fixing allegations against the Table Tennis Federation of India. What is going on with India’s sports bodies? What happens to Indian athletes if these suspensions come to pass? Where does the buck stop when it comes to holding our sports administrators accountable? 

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The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has spoken of the “advancing erasure” of women from public life under a new look Taliban regime. Twenty-three out of Afghanistan’s 40 million people are in need of food assistance, he said in a recent statement.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA as it is known, pointed out in a July report that seven hundred people have been killed and a little over 1400 wounded in the country since the Taliban takeover in August last year.

At least 160 instances of extra-judicial killings have been reported of former government and security officials and more than 120 media workers have faced arbitrary arrest or detention. Eighty per cent of all women journalists have been fired from their jobs. All secondary schools remain closed for girls. 

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The 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) is taking place in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8th. After the Tokyo Olympics, where India returned with its best ever medals tally, expectations from the Indian contingent are high. In the 2018 Commonwealth Games, India finished third in the medals tally, behind Australia and England, with 66 medals. Our best performance ever was in the 2010 Games held in Delhi, where we won over 100 medals.

What are India’s prospects in Birmingham? Who are our most bankable contenders? And with shooting out of the CWG this year, can India finish in the top 5 in the medal standings? 

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By undertaking only his second visit abroad since the February invasion of Ukraine, to Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin has underlined the importance of Teheran in Moscow’s strategic calculus.

Is there a budding alliance between the world’s two most sanctioned countries? Will they also be able to complete the Astara-Rasht-Qazvin railway line linking the two countries through Azerbaijan? Do Russia and Iran have Chinese backing as they deal with sanctions and the fallout of the Ukraine war?

Guest: D.B. Venkatesh Varma, former Indian Ambassador to Russia.

Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu

Edited by Reenu Cyriac

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Europe is reeling under a severe heat wave, with temperatures soaring past the 40-degree mark in many parts of the continent. One major side-effect has been a sharp spike in incidents of wildfires. Countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Greece have reported hundreds of fires. Thousands of hectares of lush forest lands have been destroyed, and a great many have had to be evacuated. With rainfall receding, some regions in countries such as Italy and Germany are also witnessing drought conditions.

Are all these problems due to climate change? What is the relationship between heat waves and forest fires? Could the wildfires have been prevented? How is Europe’s drought situation related to global warming? 

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On June 28, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC) notified an updated version of Forest Conservation Rules, under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The changes have prompted criticism that the rules will now empower private developers to divert forest land for commercial purposes without first taking the consent of forest dwellers, as required by the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

What exactly are the changes brought about by the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022? Do they really a pose a threat to the rights of forest-dwelling Adivasi communities? How will they change the approval procedures under the Forest Conservation Act? 

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India’s external debt coming up for closure in the coming months has caused consternation in some quarters. And with the global environment being what it is, the multiple challenges - of monetary conditions tightening worldwide, investment outflows from India and consequent rupee depreciation - are exacerbating the external debt situation for our country. Is India truly teetering on the edge or does it have the strength to withstand these challenges?

Guest: Tanvee Gupta Jain, UBS India Economist

Host: K. Bharat Kumar

Edited by Reenu Cyriac

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Since the executive presidency came into play in Sri Lanka, no President has ever resigned his office till Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to do so by the people on the 13th of July. A week later, on the 20th of July, the Acting President and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected the President. He will serve out the remainder of Gotabaya’s term – that is till 2024. 

Given the mood of the people, will Mr. Wickremesinghe be able to steer Sri Lanka out of its current economic mess? It’s evident that he enjoys the support of the Rajapaksa clan and their political outfit. He also has years of administrative experience as Prime Minister. Can he deliver?

Guest: Ambika Satkunanathan, human rights practitioner and Chairperson of the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust. 

Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor and former Sri Lanka Correspondent, The Hindu 

Edited by Ranjani Srinivasan

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Joe Biden has just concluded his first visit to the Middle East as American President. His four-day visit included stops in Israel, the West Bank, and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia where he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and attended a meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.

What exactly was the purpose and agenda of Biden’s tour? Is it about further normalising relations between Israel and the Arab States with an eye on Iran? Is it about mending relations with Saudi Arabia? Or is it about getting Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production? 

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A list of words deemed to be unparliamentary has created a storm as the monsoon session of India’s parliament commenced. Words like baloney, betrayal, bloody, chamcha, cheat, chhokra, corruption and even sexual harassment have been included in a compilation of unparliamentary words by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Is this a routine exercise? If that’s the case, why are Opposition members of Parliament up in arms? Who decides what words get to be used by MPs and MLAs in our democratic system? Should there be wider consultation before such a list is circulated? 

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