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Duterte arrives in India, set to meet with PM Modi

in FAR EAST/POLITICS by

President Duerte made his first trip abroad in 2018 to India, for a regional summit with Indian President Narendra Modi and the other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders. Duerte and Modi met at a bilateral summit where they discussed the possibility of an agreement with the Indian pharmaceutical industry organized to begin exploratory talks for the purchase of cheap medicines in the subcontinent. The next India-Asean memorial summit, scheduled for January 25, will focus on maritime cooperation and on regional and international issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Davos says terrorism, climate change grave threats

in DEFENCE/FAR EAST by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday insisted that terrorism and climate change are the biggest threats that the entire world is facing in the present time, and added that the “artificial distinction” made by some people between “good and bad terrorists is equally dangerous as terrorism”. Delivering a keynote address at the opening session of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, PM Modi said India’s position on the menace of terrorism is well known and he would not like to elaborate on that. Issues of peace, security and stability have also emerged as serious global challenges, he added. Underlining the importance of technology, the prime minister said data is the real wealth in the present era. “Today, data is a real wealth and it is being said that whoever acquires and controls the data will have hegemony in the future. The global flow of data is creating big opportunities as well as challenges”, he said. He added that technology-driven transformation has been deeply affecting people’s way of thinking, working, international groups, politics, and economy. Talking about social media, Modi said, “The example of breaking, addition, and twisting of technology is being seen in the form of social media”. Protectionism is rearing its head and there is risk of new tariff and non-tariff barriers coming up, the prime minister said, as he mentioned that division is not the solution to this problem of anti-globalisation. He also made a comparison between World Economic Forum meeting in 1997 and 2018. “Last time an Indian PM came to Davos was in 1997 when Deve Gowda ji had come. That time our GDP was little more than 400 billion dollars, now its more than six times. That forum’s vision was about the building of network society. Then there was no Euro; very few people knew about Osama bin Laden. Google was not invented, if someone would search Amazon on Internet then search results would throw information about rivers and forests. Tweeting was the work of birds”. Referring to this year’s WEF’s theme of ‘Creating a shared future in a fractured world’, the prime minister said the Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) has become more relevant in today’s time to address fissures and distances in the world. “India has always believed in values of integration and unity or ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which means the entire world is one family. It is relevant to bridge distances. We have always believed in uniting humanity, not breaking it, there are some explosive forces in the environment that are capable of creating bEU-India summit, arriers to development, world peace and stability. However, if we stand as one unit, we can help bridge the fractures created by these”, he said. He further called for retrospection on these obstacles and said it is high time we stand in unison and examine whether, in any way, we are encouraging the existence of these barriers. Modi also told the world leaders that democracy in India was not just a “political system” but a way of living. “We in India are proud of our democracy and diversity. For a society with diverse religions, cultures, languages, attires and cuisines; democracy is not just a political system but a way of living…In India, democracy, demography and dynamism are giving shape to development and destiny”

The International Court fixed 17 April and 17 July as time-limits for Kulbhushan Jadhav case

in FAR EAST/POLITICS by

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has set separate deadlines for India and Pakistan for the filing of the written pleadings by them in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. April 17 and July 17 have been fixed as “time-limits” for India and Pakistan respectively. 47-year-old Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April last year. This prompted India to move the Hague-based ICJ in May. Subsequently, a 10-member bench of the ICJ on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. The principal judicial organ of the UN released a statement which said that the international top court authorised the submission of a reply by India and of a rejoinder by Pakistan in the Jadhav case. “The Court fixed 17 April 2018 and 17 July 2018 as the respective time-limits for the filing of these written pleadings”, said the statement issued last week. The statement further said the ICJ made its decision taking into account the views of the parties and the circumstances of the case. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy. How Kulbhushan Jadhav drama unfolds hereon will depend on how matters are worked out away from media’s gaze Recently, Pakistan had raked up the Jadhav issue in the UNSC after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its “mindset” of differentiating between good and bad terrorists.“Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has proven beyond doubt”, Lodhi had told the members of the UN Security Council, without naming Jadhav.

Israeli and Indian industry cooperation to fight drought

in MIDLE EAST/TECHNOLOGY by

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Indian company Tata and the Israeli company Watergen, which specializes in the extraction of drinking water from the air, which could alleviate the problem of India’s deadly drought. The document was signed in New Delhi during the Israeli visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the financial terms were not disclosed, but the president of Watergen, Mikhael Mirilashvili, explained his company’s plan to solve the water crisis in India by 2022 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the two models of atmospheric water generators of Watergen are able to extract up to 6,000 liters of water from the air every day, depending on the humidity of the air. This is an agreement of fundamental importance in a country where, according to estimates reported by the Government to the Supreme Court, at least 330 million people in 2016 are affected by drought.

Russian Foreign Ministry praises cooperation with India

in PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Participants in the Russian Foreign Ministry’s board meeting, chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, have praised Moscow’s close cooperation with India in resolving global issues, the ministry said in a statement following the meeting dedicated to the current state of and prospects for strategic cooperation with India.

“Participants in the meeting pointed to intensive Russian-Indian political dialogue on various levels and close cooperation aimed at resolving a number of global issues, including the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, Afghanistan, on the Korean Peninsula and the conflict in Syria, as well as the construction of an inclusive and open security architecture in the Asia Pacific region,” the statement reads. “The need was emphasized to deepen mutual coordination with New Delhi at leading multilateral platforms, such as the United Nations, G20, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

China steps up security on North Korea, India and Myanmar borders for Communist Party congress

in ASIA/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

China’s border police will maintain the highest security on the country’s frontiers with North Korea, India and Myanmar as the Communist Party gears up for its all-important national congress next month. The border forces under the People’s Armed Police. The police said in an online statement, they would also tighten monitoring of coastal areas and ramp up counterterrorism work. Still in a online statement the police said: we will stick to the highest standards, strictest requirements and strongest measures to ensure absolute border security for the party’s 19th national congress”. The congress, expected to start on October 18, is expected to see Xi named the party’s general secretary for a second term and a dozen officials named to key positions. Zhang Baohui, a Chinese politics specialist at Lingnan University, said that although the offshore conflicts were unlikely to pose any real danger to the congress, the police must declare their determination to stamp out risk. Zhang said. “It’s a way to show loyalty” Bayanqolu, party chief of Jilin, which borders North Korea, ordered the province to strengthen “frontline border control” in the run-up to the congress. And said: “we must firmly prevent major incidents that will harm political security and border stability”, he said. “We will take action to show absolute loyalty, pure loyalty to the party and general secretary Xi Jinping”.

Nepal and China fast track rail link in aftermath of Sino-Indian border row

in ASIA/FAR EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said hoped Nepal could be a bridge between China and India. After talks with Nepalese Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Wang said China and India should work hard to make sure their ties don’t derail, become confrontational or get out of control. China and India are partners and they have a opportunity for development, instead of sticking to the old mindset of perceiving each other as a rival or threat he said. Wang said China had no intention of bullying a small country, or interfere with Nepal’s internal politics. At the time,  Nepalese Foreign Minister Mahara saying that Nepal will not get dragged into the border dispute, nor be influenced by either China or India.

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