For the second time since the government’s decision on Article 370 in August last year, China raised the issue of Kashmir at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, prompting a protest from New Delhi. In its response, the government said that Beijing should “refrain” from bringing a bilateral issue into the UNSC, and accused China of working at Pakistan’s behest. New Delhi’s response also pointed to the “overwhelming majority” of Security Council members being opposed to the Chinese reference on conditions in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which resulted in a lack of consensus for any kind of statement at the end of the meeting. India’s case rests on the 1972 Shimla accord, where India and Pakistan agreed to resolve the Kashmir issue bilaterally. China’s repeated raising of Kashmir since last August, which includes an aborted attempt in December, is unconstructive and will impact the India-China bilateral relationship if it continues. It is also unlikely to push the
The inaugural ATP Cup ended on Sunday in Sydney with Novak Djokovic-led Serbia defeating Rafael Nadal-led Spain. The new, ambitious 24-country team tournament was considered a resounding success, for it attracted nearly all of the world’s best — except Roger Federer — and culminated in a heavyweight final. That Nadal, the world’s best male player, took on Djokovic, the No.2, in the summit clash just about set the perfect tone for the season’s first Major, the Australian Open, which starts next Monday. But for all the on-court highs, serious questions have been raised about the competition’s viability in an already-crowded tennis calendar. It was only last November that the Davis Cup, steeped in history, came out of a time warp and morphed into a similar one-week, 18-team, single-venue competition. Two such events within six weeks of each other will lead to a huge incursion into the players’ off-season and can cause spectator fatigue. This was echoed by none other than Nadal and
