Dear Express Explained reader, As tensions between Russia and the West continue to rise inexorably in Eastern Europe, the United States has said it believes President Vladimir Putin may not wait until the end of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on February 20 to invade Ukraine. Earlier this month, China and Russia made a very visible statement of solidarity against the West - but war, if it comes, will present Beijing with a delicate and complicated situation to negotiate. Nirupama Subramanian wrote on the relationship between the two countries - the frosty history and current bonhomie, which, however, is constrained by their national interests that do not always converge. The Karnataka hijab controversy could be taken up by the Supreme Court in the coming week. Three previous cases around this issue were flagged as the Karnataka High Court heard the matter, and Apurva Vishwanath summed up the question and decision in each. The petitioners have, however, argued that the facts and circumstances of these cases were different - which means that the initial question before the courts could be to decide whether wearing a hijab is an essential religious practice in Islam. Debates around caste, the uniquely South Asian social, economic, and cultural phenomenon, are increasingly visible on campuses in the US, and caste is now part of anti-discrimination frameworks at several American colleges and universities. A Hindu rightwing backlash has raised the pitch, and given rise to several related questions. Sukrita Baruah wrote about the contestation around caste and its contours, and how the current controversy in California began and was amplified. Among the several other interesting explainers that we wrote this week, I would like to flag to you Suanshu Khurana's article on what the voice of Lata Mangeshkar meant to multiple generations of Indians, Amitabh Sinha's piece on the significance of the recent achievement by physicists in the UK in reaching a new high in producing energy from a nuclear fusion reaction, and Krishn Kaushik's explainer on why a stricter policy on accreditation for journalists has caused concern. Stay safe and stay aware. Do subscribe to The Indian Express online for the best of our explainers. Sincerely, Monojit (monojit.majumdar@expressindia.com) If you received this newsletter as a forward, you can subscribe to it here | Do read our Explained articles here | 
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