Putin's go to to India assessments New Delhi's balancing act between East and West - Press Evaluation

[ad_1] PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, December 4: Russian chief Vladimir Putin begins a two-day go to to India, which is garnering a number of consideration within the press concerning the shut ties between the 2 international locations. Additionally, Australia prepares to roll out a social media ban for under-16s, however adolescents are already discovering methods to bypass the brand new guidelines that go into impact subsequent week. Plus: New Zealand will get its first Ikea retailer and a drunk raccoon delights the web.

Vladimir Putin kicks off a go to to India this Thursday and it is garnering a number of consideration within the Indian press. The Russian president is holding a two-day summit along with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. It is his first go to to India since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce has taken out a front-page, full-page advert in Indian enterprise every day Monetary Specific, welcoming Putin to New Delhi. The Hindu Enterprise Line gives us a "procuring record" of commerce matters to be mentioned: pharma, medical gadgets and cars but in addition SU 57 fighters – merchandise that Russia could buy from India. Two matters will dominate this summit: defence offers and hydrocarbons. Nevertheless, the editors of the Hindustan Occasions urge the Indian authorities to make use of Putin's go to to push for extra entry inside the Russian market. India, it says, at the moment has "piecemeal" entry to a handful of Russian sectors. A stable and "wide-ranging commerce basket" will add additional depth to this bilateral relationship and "transcend simply optics", it provides.

Extra extensively, this go to is considered as symbolic when it comes to geopolitical relations. The Indian web site Firstpost says that the go to sends a "highly effective message to the world, particularly the US, which thought it might coerce India to desert Russia by imposing punitive tariffs for buying Russian crude". There may be additionally an fascinating evaluation from International Affairs journal, which says Donald Trump's departure from India-friendly insurance policies – this yr, he imposed 50 p.c tariffs on India and agreed to a raft of offers with India's rival Pakistan – has pushed India to a type of "multi-alignment." In different phrases, India has sought to construct stronger ties with a number of international locations, even once they have contradictory pursuits. One Russian information company, although, paints a distinct image. "Russia invitations India to throw off its Western shackles," it says.

We transfer on to Australia, which is getting ready for a world-first social media ban on under-16s. That ban comes into impact subsequent week, however Australian broadcaster ABC explains that the ban just isn't actually a ban. Social media corporations will likely be compelled to forestall – or attempt to forestall – teenagers below 16 from holding an account on their platform. The loophole is that they can not forestall teenagers from utilizing the account. The shops affected embody Instagram, Fb, Threads, X, TikTok, Snapchat and others. The Australian authorities has warned, nevertheless, that new websites may very well be added, setting the stage for "the world's costliest and annoying recreation of whack-a-mole." Crikey, an Australian web site, notes that teenagers are already discovering methods to get across the ban. Some youngsters have began utilizing platforms not coated by the ban, whereas others are utilizing photographs of their dad and mom to persuade platforms they're adults. In sure instances, dad and mom themselves are serving to children arrange an account. In actual fact, Australian federal authorities analysis confirmed that 34 p.c of oldsters have been probably to assist their children circumvent the ban.

Subsequent, the web site The Spinoff reviews that flatpack mania has arrived in New Zealand: the primary Ikea store has opened in Auckland. Hundreds of individuals assembled for the opening, full with a neighborhood information outlet dwell weblog. New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was there to chop the ribbon. New Zealand is without doubt one of the final Western nations to get Ikea. Fortunate New Zealanders will now get to spend hours making an attempt to decipher these Ikea manuals!

We finish with a narrative of a raccoon whose Friday night time was wilder than yours or mine! The New York Occasions reviews {that a} raccoon dropped from the ceiling right into a liquor retailer in Virginia final weekend and went on a raging bender that ended with its face down on the bathroom flooring, blind drunk. The mammal broke 14 bottles of spirits and drank rum, moonshine and peanut butter whiskey, in addition to vacation eggnog. Its hangover lasted an hour and a half earlier than authorities safely launched the animal again into the wild. There have been no accidents, merely regret and embarrassment!