Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In his address at the Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) meeting on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated Beijing’s stand of enhancing Belt and Road cooperation. He was virtually addressing the SCO meeting of heads of state and talked about “high-quality Belt and Road cooperation” with development strategies of various countries and regional cooperation initiatives, state news agency Xinhua reported. Xinhua News Agency, or New China News Agency, is the official news agency of the People’s Republic of China. Addressing the 23rd SCO summit, Xi Jinping said, “Efforts should be made to further promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Fake Police encounters have become a norm in Pakistan, according to Dawn. A resident of Karachi, Kashif fell victim to a fake encounter staged by the police. He has since been granted bail and returned to his hometown. One of Kashif’s legs had to be amputated following bullet injuries he suffered in an ‘encounter’ with police, all while he was in custody. Kashif’s mother Zarina said: “I just want to go home. Jo khuda ko manzoor tha ho gaya [what had to happen has happened].” Her son was a suspect in a crime being handled by the Cantonment…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Valley’s public parks and gardens, especially in Srinagar, witnessed a ten-fold increase of visitors – over two lakh people – in the four days of the Eid-ul-Adha festival. A senior official at the Floriculture Department said that during the Eid festival, the valley’s parks and gardens recorded a rush of 2.18 lakh visitors, which is ten times higher than the normal footfall. “During the Eid festival, especially Eid-ul-Adha, people visiting parks and gardens is normal, but this year, the footfall is much higher,” he said. According to the department’s officials, the paid parks and gardens in south Kashmir…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Iran, one of India’s neighbours in its extended neighbourhood, has formally become a full member of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Tuesday chaired the SCO Summit virtually, said Iran is going to join as new member of the organization and also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Obligation for the SCO membership of Belarus. “I am happy that today Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member. For this, I convey my best wishes to President Ebrahim Raisi and the people of Iran. Also, we welcome the signing…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Addressing the Council of Heads of States summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) virtually, Russian President Vladimir Putin today thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for organising this Summit and lauded the work India has done under its presidency. He said, “I would like to thank PM Modi for organising this Summit. The implementation of a lot of documents and the decisions that were prepared for this Summit is going to enhance the strategic partnership with India,” adding that Russia supports the New Delhi declaration which gives a consolidated approach to international issues. Russia supports the New Delhi…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here on Tuesday held a meeting with United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed and discussed G20 issues, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) status and climate changes. “Glad to meet UN Deputy SG @AminaJMohammed today morning in New Delhi. Discussed G20 issues, SDG status and climate challenges,” Jaishankar tweeted. On Monday, Amina J Mohammed arrived in India on a three-day visit from July 3-5. It is her first visit to India since her reappointment as the UN Deputy Secretary General for a second five-year term in January 2022. Taking to Twitter, the official spokesperson…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: When a country’s foreign diplomats fear for their safety, it indicates a severe dereliction of international standards of diplomatic immunity and security. Adding fuel to the ongoing tension, a “Kill India” poster released by Pro-Khalistani leaders in Canada has elicited a wave of outrage. The controversial poster directly accuses Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consul General of India in Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava, of being involved in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist and the head of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was recently possibly killed due to inter-gang warfare…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Mumbai will host the G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Summit and Research Ministers’ Meeting from July 4 to 5. The G20 Research Ministers’ Meeting (RMM) on Wednesday will be chaired by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, according to a release issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology. A total of about 107 foreign delegates including Research Ministers from 29 G20 members, invited guest countries and international organizations are likely to participate in the meeting. The RIIG Summit will take place on Tuesday in Mumbai and will be chaired…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Ulemas or religious scholars have asked the Kashmiri Muslims to follow the path of the Prophet Muhammad, who has always preferred peace over violence and promoted amity and brotherhood at all cost. They participated in a seminar titled “Ulema’s Responsibility in the Safety of the Country” organised by Jammu & Kashmir People’s Justice Front (JKPJF) in Srinagar. The seminar was attended by various religious scholars from different states of India which included Molana Syed Saayim Mahdi, Molana Mirza Yasoob Abbas, Syed Hussain Mahdi Razvi, Syed Hussain Mahdi Razvi and others. In the seminar Molana Syed Saayim Mahdi, a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Film producer Ashok Sawhny ‘Sahil’ expressed happiness on seeing Kashmir becoming a film-shoot hub again and hoped that it will become a prime destination for the film industry. “I appreciate the J-K government’s move of rolling out a film policy for the smooth film shootings in the valley. This is definitely bringing more films, tourism and employment to the pristine valley,” Sawhny said in a statement. Sawhny also talked about his plans for shooting his next film amidst the snow-capped mountains of Kashmir. “Whether it is the film ‘Haider’ or my upcoming film, I believe that Kashmir is…

Sanjay Pulipaka: On July 04, India will host a virtual summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Considerable preparatory work preceded the virtual summit meeting. In April, there was a meeting of the SCO Defense Ministers, followed by SCO foreign ministers’ meetings, in May, in India. The SCO virtual summit meeting is happening in a specific geopolitical context. The Russia-Ukraine conflict constitutes a significant backdrop. There are concerns that Moscow is increasingly tilting towards Beijing because of the war. There is a debate as to whether international politics is witnessing the emergence of a new Cold War, with Russia and…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: UN Secretary General’s Special Representative (SRSG) on Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori on Monday urged Bangladesh to share some of the country’s best practices with other countries vulnerable to floods, cyclones and other natural disasters. She suggested that Bangladesh has internationally championed in the areas of disaster-related legislations, inter-agency coordination for disaster preparedness while the nation is successfully practising inclusiveness, especially for persons with disabilities during disasters. Mami Mizutori met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at his office. The minister requested the UN to help raise public awareness about earthquake preparedness. The foreign minister reaffirmed the country’s…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Traditional Performing Arts and Music Division, formerly known as the Royal Academy of Performing Arts, has taken a new initiative to safeguard and popularise Bhutanese folk songs. Their goal is to make these traditional songs known worldwide and ensure they are accessible for future generations. To achieve this, the division has started creating musical notations for 250 folk songs. Musical notation is a system of representing musical sounds or notes on paper or other media. These notations allow musicians to play the songs on any instrument, preserving their cultural importance even as contemporary music gains more prominence.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In India, milk is more than just a drink, a staple that never goes out of style. Consumed hot and cold and in all seasons. The country’s favourite refreshment and source of nourishment, milk is a dietary delight for Indians across the country. From individuals producing their own milk to mega dairy cooperative brands catering to the calcium cravings of hundreds of millions of Indians, the Indian milk industry has emerged as ‘the biggest’ and ‘the best’ in the world. CEO of Lakshya Food India LTD, Ankit Redhu, from Jind, has prioritised profitability and aims to create more…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Indian automotive industry has achieved a remarkable feat by producing 27 million vehicles valued at USD 108 billion in the fiscal year 2022-23. This significant surge in automobile production has surpassed the previous fiscal year, indicating a thriving industry. This success can be attributed to various factors such as the country’s favourable business environment, expanding consumer base, and the presence of leading global automobile manufacturers. With proactive government policies geared towards making sure that India has emerged as an attractive investment destination for automotive manufacturers. The Make in India initiative has also effectively created a conducive environment…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: “Secure” – this is the theme of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that will be chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4, 2023. The theme “Secure” is meant as an acronym highlighting the focus on ‘Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity, and Environment’ for the SCO during India’s Presidency. After hosting nearly 134 meetings in person, the Chair, New Delhi, announced on May 30th that it would hold the 23rd Meeting of the SCO, Council of Heads of State (CHS) in a virtual format. All the other seven…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Three years after the violent clash between Indian and Chinese forces in Galwan followed by tanks facing each other around the Pangong Tso — a lake spanning eastern Ladakh and western Tibet — there is hectic activity in the area from both sides. While China is rushing to complete a bridge across the Pangong Tso, connecting the north and south banks, India is also building a black-topped road on its side on the north bank. These are among a number of infrastructure developments initiated on both sides since the standoff, permanently altering the status quo on the ground…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon will be conducting joint maritime surveillance patrols this week with the Indian Navy to enhance maritime capabilities and build maritime domain awareness, Australian High Commission said on Sunday. “Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon will conduct joint maritime surveillance patrols this week with our Indian Navy mates. As top-tier security partners, India & Australia will continue to work together to enhance our maritime capabilities and build maritime domain awareness,” the statement by Australian High Commission read. Last year also, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAFF) P-8A Poseidon aircraft was deployed to India…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India will this week issue a letter of request (LoR) to the US government to initiate the purchase of 31 MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) under the foreign military sales (FMS) programme, Washington DC’s government-to-government method of selling US-built military platforms and providing services and training to other countries, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday. The FMS programme is a multi-tiered process and managed by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) for the US Department of Defense (DoD). The Indian LoR will clearly mention the requirements of the three services, details of equipment sought and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: “The reincarnation of the Living Buddhas must be approved by the central government”, “the successor must be searched within China,” “Living Buddhas are not allowed to be looked for outside the country,” the Dalai Lama does not have any say in whether or not he will reincarnate. This is the stand of the Chinese government, expressed most recently at a press conference in Beijing, ludicrous as it may sound for an atheist government to say. Such an assertion of power is a blasphemy against the very foundation of the communist ideology which holds that “religion is the opiate…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh received inward remittances of USD $21.61 billion in the fiscal year 2022-23 through official channels, which is the second-highest ever. The country received a record amount of remittances $24.77 billion in the fiscal year 2020-21, when travel was banned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bangladesh Bank (BB) revealed the updated statistics on Sunday (July 2). Different research organizations including CPD think that a big volume of inward remittances also came through illegal channel like Hundi. In June 2023, the last month of the outgoing fiscal year, the expatriates sent $2.19 billion in remittances during the time of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Paris, one of India’s closest allies France made an offer many steps ahead of the path-breaking GE-414 engine deal with the US, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday. The Emmanuel Macron government has given the green signal to defence major Safran to jointly design, develop, test, manufacture and finally certify an engine that will power India’s twin engine advanced multi-role combat aircraft (AMCA) and the twin engine deck-based fighter for Indian aircraft carriers. While the government is tight-lipped about the deal, authoritative sources have confirmed that the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India is emerging as a “major power” in the Middle East, and it is time to take New Delhi’s projection of power in the region seriously, read an article in Foreign Policy, a US-based magazine on global affairs. The author, Steven A Cook, cited one of his previous visits to India after which he said he was sceptical about a future Indian role in the Middle East. “India and Middle Eastern countries were already intertwined in various ways, of course. There were budding military and technology ties between India and Israel. One could not travel in the Persian…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Saturday called on Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and four civilian prisoners who have completed their jail term. Islamabad has also been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 12 fishermen and 14 civilian prisoners who have been in Pakistan’s custody and are believed to be Indian, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. India made the request in the context of the exchange of the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen by both countries as part of a practice to do so on January 1 and July…