World in Brief - The Economist Roundup

 

World in Brief

The Economist Roundup

Brazil welcomes Chinese minster

Wang Yi, China’s foreign affairs minister, is in Brazil this weekend at a time of warming relations between the two countries. While the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro, was openly hostile towards China, the current one, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sees things differently. He and Mr Wang met on Friday in the northern city of Fortaleza, where he reiterated Brazil’s official position that Taiwan is part of China.

In 2009 China surpassed America as Brazil’s biggest trading partner. It now buys more than 27% of Brazilian exports, and in 2022 it invested in a record 32 projects across the country. Lula, as Brazil’s president is known, wants more: on a trip to Beijing in April, he and Xi Jinping signed 15 agreements, on topics ranging from space co-operation to the digital economy. But Brazil’s cosiness with China is grating on its old ally, America, which backs Taiwan and has accused Brazil of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda” on the war in Ukraine. Lula does not seem to mind.

Weekend profile: Ram, beloved god and Hindu-nationalist icon

When the story of Ram was first told, believed to be thousands of years ago, few would have conceived that his birthplace would be the focal point of a battle between Hindus and Muslims in modern India. He was born as prince of Ayodhya in the north of the country. A prodigal child, he mastered the Hindu scriptures while excelling at archery and martial arts. Those skills helped him slay vicious demons who attacked his teacher. Later they were used to defeat scores of men in a competition to win the hand of Sita, a princess from the neighbouring kingdom. His exploits had a simple explanation: Ram was god incarnate, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu.

That did not mean Ram would not suffer. A conspiracy instigated by his stepmother forced him into exile on the eve of his coronation as king. He was living frugally in the forests when the demon-king Ravana kidnapped his wife, Sita. But Ram triumphed. Helped by Hanuman, a monkey god, Ram vanquished Ravana in an epic battle, rescued Sita and returned to Ayodhya to be crowned. His reign, “Ram Rajya”, was a period of supreme peace, prosperity and joy. This mythical tale is sacred to Hindus and the cornerstone of much of Indian culture.

In modern India, Ram is revered because he embodied dharma (righteousness). But he has also been co-opted by politicians. Hindu nationalists see Ram as a symbol of cultural pride. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as a national force in the 1980s on the back of a campaign to bring down a mosque built on the spot in Ayodhya where Ram was believed to have been born. They planned to build a temple in its place. Egged on by the BJP’s leaders, a mob razed the mosque in 1992, triggering riots that killed 2,000 people.

On January 22nd, after years of legal wrangling and communal tension, Narendra Modi, the BJP prime minister, will consecrate a lavish $220m Ram temple built on the rubble of the destroyed mosque. The grand ceremony will mark the high point of Mr Modi’s rule, during which Hindu radicals have been emboldened. Mob attacks on Muslims have been accompanied by chants of “Jai Shri Ram” (victory to Ram). While the new temple in Ayodhya pays homage to a beloved god, Mr Modi’s Hindu-nationalist project risks taking the country further away from “Ram Rajya”.

 

 

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israel had fired on a hospital in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, after the Israel Defence Forces launched an advance there. On Friday Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, spoke with Joe Biden for the first time in weeks. Mr Biden said afterwards that he did not consider a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israelis impossible with Mr Netanyahu in charge—even though Israel’s leader had confirmed his opposition to Palestinian statehood only the day before.

 

German lawmakers approved legislation easing citizenship rules and ending restrictions on dual citizenship. Dual nationality in Germany is generally allowed only for citizens of other EU countries or Switzerland; the new rules will make citizens from anywhere eligible. Large numbers of Turks in Germany will be affected. The government also argues that its plans will bolster the integration of immigrants and attract skilled workers.

 

Five people, including members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were reportedly killed in an explosion in Damascus, attributed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, and Syrian state media to an Israeli missile strike. State-run Iranian media said two members of the elite military force had died in the blast. Israel has made no comment.

 

Carlos Tavares, the boss of Stellantis (whose largest shareholder, Exor, part-owns The Economist’s parent company), warned carmakers risk an industry “bloodbath” if they cut electric-vehicle prices too quickly. Earlier Ford said it would slash production of its electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning; the firm expects demand for electric vehicles in 2024 to be weaker than previously forecast. General Motors and Tesla have also halted some EV-expansion plans.

 

Word of the week: Sami, an indigenous group of people who inhabit the Scandinavia and Kola Peninsula, and are being divided by Russia’s war.