This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by The Hindu’s international affairs editor Stanly Johny and journalist and defence expert Colonel Ajai Shukla.

On the BRICS summit, Abhinandan says several non-BRICS nations were invited to the summit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly to show that he is not isolated. Stanly says, “We are seeing a major churn in the global order,” pointing out that we’ve moved from a unipolar world with the rise of multiple power centres. “You saw Russia, China, and India coming together at a time when the global order is in a flux.”

The conversation then shifts to the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the future of the Gaza war. Manisha says, “How can the US have any sort of moral standing today when it’s looking away… And it’s all US weapons and support.” 

On the India-China LAC agreement, Ajai says, “This is not a win for us, because China has agreed in three places to restore what was the semblance of status quo.” In the other two places, he says China refused to even discuss withdrawal.

The panel also discusses Maharashtra elections, Manisha’s interview with Aaditya Thackeray, and the new Lady Justice statue. Tune in!

Hafta letters: Google and data, legacy of CJI Chandrachud, Punjab in 1980s

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