Did Modi avert nuclear war?; Messi redeems Argentina; Montreal Deal: Saving biodiversity
Opinion Watch
Did Modi avert nuclear war?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has regularly been speaking to Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy regularly to urge them to walk the path of peace. Modi was the only world leader who told Putin on his face that “this is not an era of war”. India unlike others truly never seeks opportunities in wars.
The Times of India in its Editorial has referred to the CIA Director William Burns tell the US media that Modi played a calming role in the Russia-Ukraine War. Modi had stepped up his outreach to Putin and Zelenskyy at a time when Russia was sabre rattling its nuclear option. That had drawn US President Joe Biden to talk of the nuclear Armageddon. But Modi rose to the occasion and argued peace with Putin.
Indeed, Burns also stated that communication channel was needed to be open with Russia. The daily also quoted the highest ranking military official Mark Milley that even the Ukrainian government wanted a political solution to the ongoing war. It has been argued by independent strategic thinkers that the western allies led by the US need to offer options to Russia to call the war off. The expansion of NATO to the vicinity of Russia was one of the triggers, and the West may offer a face saving to Moscow on that front. Modi, now that India has the G20 Presidency, can further push for an early resolution of the Russia-Ukraine War.
Messi redeems Argentina
“Everything I know about morality and the obligations of men, I owe it to Football,” an Editorial in The Pioneer has quoted the French Nobel laureate Albert Camus, while richly applauding the Fifa Final match that had turned into a heart-stopping thriller from the 80th minute after Kylian Mbappe decided that he has to lift France single-handedly. But Lionel Messi is not called God of football for no reason, as he recollected his team from Mbappe missile which had nearly sunk the Argentine ship.
Argentina has seen a decade of doom. Inflation is at 88 per cent. Over 40 per cent of the people are below the poverty line. Fate of Diego Maradona and Argentina were somehow linked. Argentina was in a dire need of a new god. Messi had to redeem his nation. The stage was set in Qatar. If Mbappe was one a solo mission to change the script of the game, Messi was a team man, who lorded over the midfield of the game to give a message to his nation that the spirit should never sink and resolve must overwhelm the challenge. Messi is thus great, and he made football the greatest sport to play and watch.
Montreal Deal: Saving biodiversity
The Hindu in an Editorial has quoted the UN Report to state that 34,000 plants and 52000 animal species, including one-eight of the bird species, face extinction. Also, the Chennai-based daily stated that almost 30 per cent of the main breeds of the farm animals face extinction threats, as nearly 45 per cent of forests have already gone.
Indeed, the climate change and the loss of biodiversity are closely linked. The rising global population has also put pressure on developing nations to clear the forests for agriculture. It’s in this context that the COP15 has finally reached a consensus to meet the challenges poses by the loss of biodiversity. The deal calls for halving the risks posed by pesticides and hazardous chemicals by 20230. Also, the nations committed to raising $200 billion annually to deal with the mitigation efforts by 2030. Additionally, the international finance flow would be $20 billion by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030.
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