Good morning, readers!

We felt it. We sweated it. And now it’s confirmed. This summer was the hottest ever. As the heat scorched the Earth, so did the conflicts among nations.

Here’s a sneak peek:

• 🇮🇳 Why does India want to change its name? The first story is perfect for those who are curious about the origin of India’s name and its role in the recent controversy.

• 🇨🇳 Xi Jinping getting scolded? This is a wild story which involves Xi, his CCP elders, and a summer retreat.

Today’s geopolitics hotspots:

Why does India want to change its name? 

India, or should I say Bharat, is in the midst of a heated debate.

The country’s official name has been a source of debate for decades, but it has recently resurfaced after the President sent out invitations for the G20 summit in New Delhi that referred to her as the “President of Bharat” instead of the President of India.

This sparked a controversy among the opposition parties, who accused the ruling party of distorting history and dividing the nation. But what is behind this name change and what does it mean for the country and the world?

🇮🇳 Origin of the names.

• India is an Anglicized version of the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which means the Indus river.

  • It also is a corruption of the word Sindhu, thanks to neighboring Arabs and Iranians who said “s” as “h” and called the land Hindu. The Greeks then took it a step further, pronouncing it as Indus.
    (Dive deeper here!)

• Bharat, also a Sanskrit word, originates from ancient Hindu religious texts, the Puranas. They describe a large land mass where humans live, and one region of it is called Bharatavarsa.

• Hindustan: This is another popular name for the country, which means the land of the Indus in Persian. It is favored by Hindu nationalists.

🏛️ Legal status.

• Article 1 of the Indian constitution states that:

This means that both names are legally recognized and can be used interchangeably.

• However, some people have challenged this in court and demanded that only Bharat be used as the official name. They say the name India is a colonial hangover and Bharat better reflects the country’s culture and diversity. The Supreme Court, however, has dismissed these claims.

♟️ Political implications.

The name change debate is not just about semantics, but also about politics and ideology.

• The ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), are known for their Hindu nationalist agenda.

• They want to assert Bharat as the true and authentic name of the country, and distance it from its colonial past and secular present.

• The opposition alliance, which calls itself INDIA (Inclusive National Democratic India Alliance), is fighting back against the ruling party’s name change agenda. Can you guess why?

🌏 Global implications.

• As India, or should we say Bharat, gears up to host the G20 summit this weekend, the world is watching. How the country presents itself on the global stage matters for its image and influence.

• Some countries may see the name change as a sign of confidence and pride, while others may view it as arrogance and isolationism.

🌟 Today’s gem

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇺🇸 United States:

🔥 Blinken’s billion-dollar surprise for Ukraine.

Blinken’s surprise visit to Kyiv comes with a $1 billion aid package, including depleted uranium rounds. Russia is outraged and calls it "indicator of inhumanity."

Click the link above for the breakdown of the package.

🇷🇴 Romania:

Romania finds Russian drone on its soil, after denying it for days.

Romania has finally come clean and admitted that a piece of a Russian drone was found on its territory.

Romania and NATO are not amused, with the Romanian president saying that any attack on his country would be “completely inadmissible.”

🇨🇺 Cuba:

Cuba busts Russia hiring Cubans to fight in Ukraine.

Russia is desperate for foreign fighters to join its bloody war against Ukraine. So desperate, it’s trafficking Cubans to fight for the Kremlin. The recently-acquired hacked documents reveal how Russia recruits, trains, and pays these Cuban mercenaries.

🇨🇳 China:

👑 Xi Jinping gets a royal scolding from his elders.

Xi was reportedly reprimanded by retired party elders at this summer’s Beidaihe meeting for his mishandling of domestic and international affairs. His no-show at the G20 summit in India may signal his faltering grip on power.

Zeng Qinghong, who once helped Xi ascend to the throne, is now spearheading a group of party seniors to to curb his ambitions.

These so-called “party elders” wield immense influence in Chinese politics, through their connections, quid pro quo deals, and more—sometimes even overshadowing the secretary general himself.

Although sources are murky, it’s an interesting read!