India is losing Bangladesh to China and Pakistan, and it could get worse

India is losing Bangladesh to China and Pakistan, and it could get worse

Source: St. Martin’s Island: A new flashpoint in the Bay of Bengal?Observer Research Foundation

by Derek J GrossmanRAND

Beijing has further sought to develop numerous Bangladeshi ports, including Chittagong, Mongla, and Sonadia ports, to achieve a maritime presence in the Bay of Bengal. Enhanced access to any or all of these ports could substantially add to Beijing’s “string of pearls” strategy to hem in India in the Indian Ocean.

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World Spending On Nukes Explodes To More Than $90 Billion

World Spending On Nukes Explodes To More Than $90 Billion

Honeywell International, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics topped the list of companies profiting from nuclear weapons expenditures.

That flood of public funds to private contractors was coupled by significant spending by these companies on efforts to shape the debate around government spending. The companies spent $118 million lobbying governments in the U.S. and France in 2023 and donated more than $6 million to think tanks researching and writing about nuclear weapons.

Lockheed Martin contributed to the most think tanks, including: Atlantic Council, Brookings Institution, Chatham House, Center for a New American Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Hudson Institute, and Observer Research Foundation.

Xi Jinping’s grand welcome in Saudi Arabia compared to Joe Biden’s ‘cold fist bump’

Xi Jinping’s grand entry into Saudi Arabia that saw his Air China Boeing 747 flanked by jets of green and white smoke to represent the Gulf country’s flag has been contrasted with the lukewarm welcome received by Joe Biden during his visit to the country a few months earlier.

Xi Jinping’s grand welcome in Saudi Arabia compared to Joe Biden’s ‘cold fist bump’

Video via The National News