Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The 15th BRICS Summit joint statement expressed support for India’s G20 presidency. “We look forward to the successful hosting of the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi under the Indian G20 Presidency. We note the opportunities to build sustained momentum for change by India, Brazil and South Africa presiding over the G20 from 2023 to 2025,” the statement added. It also stated that the BRICS nations are committed to a balanced approach by continuing to amplify and further integrate the voice of the global South in the G20 agenda under the Indian Presidency in 2023 and the Brazilian…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Ziro Festival, Northeast India’s most iconic and anticipated contemporary festival, is proud to announce the electrifying lineup for its 10th-anniversary edition. Set against the breathtaking landscapes of Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, it promises to be an unforgettable celebration of music and arts, community and sustainability. From September 28th to October 1st, 2023, festival-goers will experience a kaleidoscope of sounds, rhythms, and performances across three captivating stages: Danyi (Sun) Stage, Pwlo (Moon) Stage, and the all-new Takvr (Star) Stage dedicated to electronic music. Apart from these, the Popi Sarmiñ Creative Space will also host a variety of community engagement initiatives.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The BRICS joint statement on Thursday, called for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms and affirmed support for the aspirations of emerging and developing countries like India, Brazil and South Africa. The statement emphasised the need for reforms in the UNSC to make it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships “We support a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was spotted having a brief exchange of words with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) leaders’ press conference on Thursday. Before the conference started in earnest, PM Modi and Xi were pictured having a brief conversation before taking their designated seats. Notably, in November 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chanced upon Xi at the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia. Both the leaders exchanged pleasantries at the G20 dinner. Notably, this was the first handshake since the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The indigenous Astra air-to-air missile was successfully tested from the home-grown Tejas fighter for the first time on Wednesday, even as the IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari reviewed the entire light combat aircraft programme ahead of deliveries of its upgraded version from next year onwards. The Astra-1, which has a beyond visual range of 100-km, was test-fired from the Tejas jet at an altitude of around 20,000-feet off the coast of Goa. “All the objectives of the test were met and it was a perfect text book launch,” a DRDO official said, adding, “The state-of-the-art…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: PM Narendra Modi backed the proposal for BRICS membership expansion by consensus and, in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressed hope the member-states will support India’s proposal to make the African Union (AU) a permanent member of G20 at the summit next month in Delhi, and also its efforts to address Global South concerns. Addressing the open BRICS plenary session, Modi made 5 suggestions to further intensify intra-BRICS cooperation including the creation of a BRICS space exploration consortium. He was speaking hours before India’s moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, successfully landed on the moon. While seeking timelines for…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: At the banquet dinner during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was congratulated by several world leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the success of Chandrayaan-3. Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi while referring to the Chandrayaan-3 mission, said the enthusiasm of our diaspora in South Africa for India’s achievements in the space sector is truly gladdening. “Feeling the fervour all the way from Johannesburg for Chandrayaan-3! The enthusiasm of our diaspora in South Africa for India’s achievements in the space sector is truly gladdening,” PM Modi tweeted on Wednesday. The Prime…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday congratulated India for Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the southern polar region of the moon and called it an “incredible feat for all scientists, engineers involved”. “Congratulations to India for the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the southern polar region of the moon. It’s an incredible feat for all the scientists and engineers involved. We are proud to partner with you on this mission and space exploration more broadly,” Harris tweeted on Thursday. Chandrayaan-3 on Wednesday successfully performed a soft landing on the Moon. ISRO tweeted: “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ‘India, I reached my…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: At an unfinished Country Garden (2007.HK) residential complex on the outskirts of the northern Chinese metropolis of Tianjin, construction has slowed to a dull whirr and a few idle workers roam a near-empty site. “They haven’t paid us since Chinese New Year (in January). We are all worried,” said a labourer surnamed Wang, 50, who said he had stopped work at the Yunhe Shangyuan site last week. The sprawling complex is one of two projects Reuters visited on Friday in Tianjin, a port city of 14 million people about 135 km (84 miles) southeast of Beijing. Both sites…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a remarkable turn of events, the serene and once-restricted territories along the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir have evolved into captivating tourist hotspots. After enjoying a period of relative calm, the Jammu and Kashmir government, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, has thrown open the doors to numerous areas nestled in close proximity to the LoC. This welcome move has not only unveiled the untouched natural beauty of locations like Keran, Gurez, Tangdhar, Machil, and Bangus but also extended a rare opportunity for visitors to witness firsthand the geographical boundary that separates the two…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India has created history as it became the first country to land on the South Pole of the lunar surface. People from across the globe congratulated India for its remarkable feat. India’s massive achievement also derived praise from an unexpected quarter. Fawad Chaudhry, the ex-minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Imran Khan government also praised the moon landing. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “What a great moment for #ISRO as #Chandrayaan3 lands on the Moon, I can see lots of young scientists celebrating this moment with Mr Somnat Chairman ISRO, only Younger generation with dreams can…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a remarkable stride towards modernizing public services and embracing digital governance, Jammu and Kashmir have achieved an impressive feat. Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta, proudly announced the integration of 913 citizen-centric online services onto the e-UNNAT portal. This strategic move has propelled Jammu and Kashmir to secure the coveted second position among all States and Union Territories in India, underscoring its commitment to enhancing ease, accessibility, and convenience for its citizens. “We consider this achievement a significant milestone in our ongoing mission to offer seamless services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Chief Secretary Mehta affirmed.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for building a resilient and inclusive supply chain, amplifying a pitch that reflects the global wariness over dependence on China as the “factory of the world”. “The Covid pandemic has taught us the importance of resilient and inclusive supply chains. For this, trust and transparency are very critical. We can use each other’s strength to contribute towards the betterment of the entire world, especially the Global South,” the PM said in his address at the Brics Business Forum in Johannesburg. Significantly, Modi’s remarks came ahead of his likely interactions, including a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India will soon become a USD 5 trillion economy and is poised to become the growth engine of the world in the coming years. Speaking at the BRICS Business Forum Leaders’ Dialogue, Modi highlighted that “mission-mode” reforms has improved the ease of doing business in India and invited businesses to be part of the country’s development journey. While mentioning about the strides made by India on the digital payments front, Modi said there are many possibilities for using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for BRICS. He also said that Brazil, Russia,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: US President Joe Biden will travel to India on a four-day visit to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September in New Delhi during which he will discuss joint efforts to tackle global issues like climate change, including the Ukraine war with member nations, White House confirmed on Tuesday. In a statement, the White House said Biden and G20 partners will also discuss clean energy transition and combating climate change increasing the capacity of multilateral development banks. India is set to host G20 Summit on September 9 and 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US in June,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Hopelessness, fear and frustration — these were the main sentiments expressed by members of a large demonstration of Pakistani Christians outside the Pakistan High Commission on Monday. More than 100 Pakistani Chris­tians living across England travelled to London to demand better protection for Christians back home and condemn the violence that took place in Jaranwala last week. Several carried Pakistan flags. There were banners demanding the abolition of blasphemy laws and also placards saying “Christian Lives Matter”. A delegation also met Pakistan’s high commissioner to share their concerns and demand action. Rehana Noreen, a nurse trained at Aga…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The people of Kashmir are rejoicing as the renowned Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden secures a distinguished position in the esteemed World Book of Records (London). Nestled amidst the picturesque foothills of the Zabarwan mountain range, this accolade recognizes the garden’s status as Asia’s largest tulip haven, adorned with an awe-inspiring array of 1.5 million tulip bulbs showcasing an astonishing collection of 68 distinct tulip varieties. Echoing the sentiments of the locals, it’s widely believed that Kashmir holds immense untapped potential. The region’s natural beauty and the magnificence of the tulip garden have once again put it in…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s stock market was plunging and its currency was teetering. The head of the central bank, fielding questions at a rare news conference, said China would make it easier to get home mortgages. It was February 2016, and Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank’s longtime governor at the time, announced what proved to be the start of an extraordinary blitz of lending by China’s immense banking system. Minimum down payments for buying apartments were reduced, triggering a surge in construction. Vast sums were also lent to local governments, allowing them to splurge on new roads and rail lines. For…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Qamar Mohsin Sheikh, who is a Pakistan-origin woman and moved to India after her marriage, will visit the national capital to tie a Rakhi to PM Modi. Qamar Mohsin Shaikh, who came to India from Pakistan after her marriage said she has been tying rakhi to PM Modi for over 30 years. “I wish him a happy Raksha Bandhan. I pray for him every day for his good health and long life. I believe that all my wishes come true. Earlier when I prayed for him to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat and he became. Whenever I…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Despite concerns from local fishermen and persistent opposition from China, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said his country will begin discharging treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea on Thursday, Kyodo News reported. The contentious decision was made at a ministerial meeting on Tuesday morning because a sizable volume of water has accumulated at the site since the nuclear disaster in 2011, which was brought on by a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. In April 2021, Yoshihide Suga, Kishida’s predecessor, gave his approval for the water release into the Pacific…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh and India have expressed their desire to collaborate jointly in countering cyber threats by hosting joint cyber drills and capacity-building workshops in both nations. The decision was reached during a bilateral meeting held on Monday at the CERT India (Computer Emergency Response Team) headquarters in New Delhi. Bangladesh’s State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak and CERT Director General Dr Sanjay Bahl, with senior officials from the institution, attended the meeting. During their bilateral discussions, emphasis was placed on how the Indian citizen, through the Aadhaar system’s technicalities and management, is establishing good…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will depart on Tuesday for the 15th Brics summit in Johannesburg that will kick off the same day with a meeting of the grouping’s business forum and a leaders’ retreat later in the day. Apart from participating in discussions on issues related to economic cooperation, food security and Brics expansion, PM Modi is also expected to underscore at the summit the need for member-states to respect each other’s security interests and to speak in one voice against terrorism. Leaders of more than 50 countries are expected to join South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, China’s…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s space agency on Monday released images its spacecraft took of the far side of the moon as it headed for an attempted landing on the lunar south pole, just days after the failure of a Russian lander. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft had been in a race with Russia to be the first to land on the lunar south pole, a region whose shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice that could support a future moon settlement. As news of the failure of Russia’s Luna-25 mission broke on Sunday, ISRO said that Chandrayaan-3…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a significant development, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which was already fixed around the moon established a two-way connection with the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 on Monday. “‘Welcome, buddy!’ Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM (lander module). Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX (Mission Operations Complex) has now more routes to reach the LM,” ISRO posted on X, formerly Twitter. Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 IST. Live actions will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 17:27 IST…