Author Archives: montecyril

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s telling off French President Emmanuel Macron for “sledging” Australia comes as an appropriate stand against the French president for failing to acknowledge the exigencies of the Australian predicament given the situation in the Indo-Pacific. On 1 November, Mr Macron accused the Australian Prime Minister of lying to him about theContinue reading “Of populist Macron, pragmatic Morrison and traitor Turnbull”

On 23 October, China’s National People’s Congress approved a new border law asserting that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China are “sacred and inviolable”. The new border law which becomes operational from 1 January next year, stipulates that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable”. UnderContinue reading “China’s new border law meant to intimidate”

Late last month (in October), Australia’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) representative came out strongly against China for the latter’s imposing restrictions against Australian goods in what seemed like political retaliation for Australia’s volition on issues relating to the Asia-Pacific. Australia’s representative to the WTO, George Mina, said China had “increasingly tested global trade rules” withContinue reading “Australia resilient despite China’s reprisals”

Taiwan is preparing for an invasion by China, as China becomes more vocal about its entitlement to the former. Chinese Premier Xi Jingping has said that he will go to war if necessary to bring Taiwan under his control. In the first week of October, China sent 19 aircraft including nuclear-capable bombers, into Taiwan’s “airContinue reading “China, not beyond war to stem internal turmoil”

The agreement by G-20 (the 20 most developed countries in the world) leaders, at the extraordinary meeting on Afghanistan early this week, that they have no option but to involve the Taliban in dispensing aid to Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis in that country, indicates that the world will be increasingly hard-pressed to engageContinue reading “US, China, Russia eye Pakistan’s Afghanistan”

The full circle of the course of the sun’s precession takes 25,920 years, when the sun takes a backward route from one zodiacal constellation to the other, and comes back to the point it started at. It spends 2,160 years in each constellation, where it manifests the cycle of the dawn and the demise ofContinue reading “The secrets behind the astrological precession of the sun”

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby’s telling off Pakistan for harbouring terrorist havens along the line with Afghanistan is a rather tepid way of putting Pakistan’s villainous role in the protraction of the conflict in Afghanistan. Early this month, Kirby told a press conference “We’ve been very honest about our concerns with Pakistan for a longContinue reading “India expects the US to take a stand on Pakistan”

The everyday humorist may have a couple to tell you about the local MP. But it always happens that the mundane politician ends up at the finishing line with the last guffaw, for all your funny ride of snides. Like they say, a politician wins by hook, by fluke `and mostly by crook‘. But thisContinue reading “Jokes aside, politicians have the last guffaw”

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is not reflective of the changing times, and is heavily inclined towards dependence on the global dynamics of the immediate post World War II era, when more than half of the world was still ruled by imperial powers. The fact is, it is about time the composition of theContinue reading “The UNSC should be expanded to include India”

It’s the bitter pill that treats the ill, any doctor should reckon. But if you’re keen on temperatures, particularly of the body kind, you might go ecstatic at the sight of a doctor. Some people love being in a bad way, and relish complaining about it too. But this patient was candid enough to confess:Continue reading “A laugh a day…”