Central News Hub

Month: September 2022

  • Fight against impunity critical for securing peace, justice: Jaishankar

    Fight against impunity critical for securing peace, justice: Jaishankar

    Jaishankar said that India backed independent investigations into the killings in Bucha, a city in Ukraine where more than 400 bodies were found in April after Russian troops withdrew from there…reports Arul Louis

    External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday asked the UN Security Council to send an unambiguous message that impunity in carrying out violations of human rights will not be tolerated, and called for independent investigations into incidents in Ukraine.

    “Politics should never ever provide cover to evade accountability. Nor indeed to facilitate impunity,” he said at a Security Council briefing on impunity in Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia.

    He said, “The fight against impunity is critical to the larger pursuit of securing peace and justice. The Security Council must send an unambiguous and unequivocal message on this count.”

    “Even in conflict situations, there can be no justification for violation of human rights or of international law (and) where any such acts occur, it is imperative that they are investigated in an objective and independent manner,” he said.

    Jaishankar said that India backed independent investigations into the killings in Bucha, a city in Ukraine where more than 400 bodies were found in April after Russian troops withdrew from there.

    But he decried what he said was politics coming in the way of sanctioning terrorists, allowing them impunity.

    “Regrettably, we have seen this of late in this very Chamber, when it comes to sanctioning some of the world’s most dreaded terrorists,” he said in a reference to China blocking sanctions against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Sajid Mir, involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) leader Abdul Rauf Azhar, and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD)A leader Abdul Rehman Makki.

    China has blocked the sanctions against them at the security Council at the behest of its ally Pakistan.

    “If egregious attacks committed in broad daylight are left unpunished, this Council must reflect on the signals we are sending on impunity. There must be consistency if we are to ensure credibility”, Jaishankar said.

    He reiterated India’s demand for an immediate end to all hostilities in Ukraine and a return to dialogue and diplomacy and quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that “this cannot be an era of war”.

    ALSO READ: China’s move to block blacklisting LeT terrorist draws flak

  • China’s move to block blacklisting LeT terrorist draws flak

    China’s move to block blacklisting LeT terrorist draws flak

    China’s veto in the Mir matter was the third time such an action has been taken by it in recent times…reports Asian Lite News

    China has again blocked action in UN Sanctions Committee against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader and 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Sajid Mir, drawing strong criticism from India.

    China’s move to stymie the proposal, tabled by the US and co-sponsored by India, in the UN Security Council’s 1267 Committee for subjecting Mir to an assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo, comes soon after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the recently-concluded 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.

    Sources said China again provided a big favour to Pakistan, as the Sajid Mir matter was discussed there with both countries’ top officials well aware of the proposal coming up in the upcoming UNGA Sanctioning Committee meet on September 17.

    After his arrest in May this year, Mir was sentenced to 15-and-a-half years in prison along with a fine of Rs 420,000 in June, after which he is currently serving his sentence at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. But sources said that he is somewhere else in safe custody.

    China’s veto in the Mir matter was the third time such an action has been taken by it in recent times.

    In the meeting of the Sanctions Committee in June, the joint resolution of India and the US to ban Abdul Rehman Maikki of the outlawed LeT was not allowed to be approved by China on technical grounds. He was accused of receiving money and helping terrorists.

    Then, in August, a proposal co-sponsored by the US to ban Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Abdul Rauf Asghar for his involvement in the 1999 hijacking of a US airliner, plotting the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 and the Pathankot airbase attack in 2015, was again blocked.

    National security experts said that the arrest of Sajid Mir was related to FATF and was necessary for Pakistan to get off its grey list.

    Jaishankar strongly decried the move, and said that politics is coming in the way of sanctioning terrorists, allowing them impunity.

    “Regrettably, we have seen this of late in this very Chamber, when it comes to sanctioning some of the world’s most dreaded terrorists,” he said in a reference to China blocking sanctions against the three.

    ALSO READ: Biden launches blistering attack on Russia

  • Russia bans more Canadians from entry

    Russia bans more Canadians from entry

    A total of 905 Canadians have been under Moscow’s sanctions, including a travel ban…reports Asian Lite News

    The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced that an additional 87 Canadian citizens have been indefinitely barred from entering the country in response to Ottawa’s anti-Russian sanctions.

    The newly-blacklisted are Canada’s regional leaders, senior military officers, heads of companies supplying Ukraine with weapons and dual-use technologies, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the ministry.

    A total of 905 Canadians have been under Moscow’s sanctions, including a travel ban, official data show.

    ALSO READ: Biden launches blistering attack on Russia

  • UN announces sanctions on Iran’s morality police

    UN announces sanctions on Iran’s morality police

    The administration’s new sanctions come roughly a week after Amini was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab, or headscarf…reports Asian Lite News

    The United States on Thursday announced sanctions on Irans morality police following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in their custody last week, media reports said.

    The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it is sanctioning the morality police “for abuse and violence against Iranian women and the violation of the rights of peaceful Iranian protestors”, CNN reported.

    The administration’s new sanctions come roughly a week after Amini was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab, or headscarf.

    “She was transferred to a hospital that same day in a state of coma and died two days later from internal injuries,” the Treasury Department said.

    Iranian officials claimed she had a heart attack, but her family has said she had no pre-existing heart condition.

    Her death has sparked massive protests across Iran, CNN reported.

    The Treasury Department also sanctioned the head of the morality police, Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, and Haj Ahmad Mirzaei, who served as the head of its Tehran division during Amini’s detention and death.

    In addition, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on senior leaders of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Basij Resistance Forces, the Army’s Ground Forces, and Law Enforcement Forces, CNN reported.

    “Mahsa Amini was a courageous woman whose death in Morality Police custody was yet another act of brutality by the Iranian regime’s security forces against its own people,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

    “We condemn this unconscionable act in the strongest terms and call on the Iranian government to end its violence against women and its ongoing violent crackdown on free expression and assembly,” she said.

    “Today’s action to sanction Iran’s Morality Police and senior Iranian security officials responsible for this oppression demonstrates the Biden – Harris Administration’s clear commitment to stand up for human rights, and the rights of women, in Iran and globally,” Yellen said, CNN reported.

    ALSO READ: Haley slams govt for letting Raisi speak at UN 

  • Mckinsey alumni Simon Arora to share insights on building business at MIBG event

    Mckinsey alumni Simon Arora to share insights on building business at MIBG event

    MIBG will host Simon Arora talk on “Building a Business.” Rahul Laud reports.

    Manchester India Business Group, the freshly launched MIP club will host Mckinsey’s former analyst, an investment executive and money market trader Simon Arora – a British billionaire businessman, Chief Executive, B&M Stores and Chair of the Manchester India Partnership who will be sharing his insights about the remarkable success story that is B&M, in a TED Style talk ‘’Building a Business”. on Tuesday, 4 October 2022 between 17:30-19:30 hours at University of Salford, Chapman Building, Peel Park Campus, Salford. M5 4 WT

    Retail giant Simon was born in Manchester and educated at Manchester Grammar School. After a law degree at Cambridge University and 5 years as a banking and strategy professional in London, he returned to Manchester to found Orient Sourcing Services Ltd with his brother Bobby. Orient sourced housewares and home textiles from Asia, particularly China and India, supplying major UK retail chains. Having successfully exited Orient, the brothers acquired a struggling retail chain of 21 stores for £525,000. It is today a FTSE-100 business employing 38,000 colleagues across 1,000 stores in the UK and France, with annual EBITDA last year of some £600m.

    The Sunday Times Rich List puts Simon & his brothers wealth at over £2.3 billion. Simon will talk candidly about his business journey, sharing the pitfalls, challenges and lessons learnt along the way .Simon currently chairs the Manchester India Partnership. The event on 4/10/22 is the second meeting of the Manchester India Partnership Business Group, an opportunity for businesspeople to network and discuss business opportunities in the Manchester – India corridor.

    Manchester India Business Group (MIBG), the networking club of the Manchester India Partnership was launched in March this year. Run by the Manchester India Partnership, the MIBG promotes the Manchester-India commercial and cultural relationship. This is an exclusive platform, with networking club nights every quarter. This platform offers businesspeople from Manchester and India, a forum to meet, exchange experiences and listen to informative and influential speakers, like senior government officials, politicians, business leaders, editors and culture curators.

  • Truss vows to deepen ties with democracies like India

    Truss vows to deepen ties with democracies like India

    The Prime Minister brought the stark message of a confrontation between democracy and autocracy over the future of the world…reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Liz Truss said that to build economic strength and resilience, her country is deepening relations and growing security ties with fellow democracies like India.

    Making her debut on the world stage on Wednesday at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly, she said: “The free world needs this economic strength and resilience to push back against authoritarian aggression and win this new era of strategic competition.”

    For this, Truss said: “We are deepening our links with fellow democracies like India, Israel, Indonesia and South Africa… We are building new security ties with our friends in the Indo-Pacific and the Gulf.”

    Last year, India and Britain committed to Roadmap 2030, a broad plan for cooperation that encompasses strategic affairs, trade, Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific security, climate change and health.

    The Prime Minister brought the stark message of a confrontation between democracy and autocracy over the future of the world.

    “There is a real struggle going on between different forms of society – between democracies and autocracies. But we cannot simply assume there will be a democratic future.

    “Unless democratic societies deliver on the economy and security our citizens expect, we will fall behind,” she added.

    For this, Truss said, democracies like Britain have to build their economies and not “be strategically dependent on those who seek to weaponise the global economy”, a reference to Russia, whose ongoing invasion of Ukraine and its fallout have hit many countries hard.

    To be economically and strategically resilient, democracies must band together, she said.

    And alluding to the predatory nature of China’s economic programmes abroad, the Prime Minister said: “Rather than exerting influence through debt, aggression, and taking control of critical infrastructure and minerals, we are building strategic ties based on mutual benefit and trust.”

    Earlier on Wednesday, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met the UK’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

    In a tweet after the meeting, Jaishankar said: “Discussed taking forward Roadmap 2030. Appreciate his commitment to deepening our partnership. Our conversation also covered global issues including Indo-Pacific, Ukraine and UNSC matters.”

    ALSO READ-India, Britain stick to Diwali deadline for FTA

  • Sonia not to endorse anyone for Congress top post

    Sonia not to endorse anyone for Congress top post

    Sources said Sonia Gandhi asserted that the polls will be fair and she will not endorse any candidate…reports Asian Lite News

    Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is most likely to contest the poll to elect the next Congress President scheduled to held on October 17, met interim party chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

    In the meeting which lasted for nearly two hours, sources said Sonia Gandhi asserted that the polls will be fair and she will not endorse any candidate.

    The sources said that the issue of Rajasthan in the event of Gehlot joining national politics was also discussed, but there is no official word on it yet.

    Gehlot is tipped to file his nomination next week for the Congress President’s post; however, he is reportedly reluctant to leave the Chief Minister’s chair in Rajasthan.

    Gehlot, who arrived in the national capital on Wednesday morning, had told the media ahead of the meeting that he will not back out from any responsibility.

    “I will not back out from any responsibility and will serve the party wherever and in whichever capacity I am required in this hour of crisis,” he said.

    However, Gehlot also said that the party wants Rahul Gandhi to take over as the next Congress President.

    Gehlot also dropped hint that he can manage the posts of both the party chief and Chief Minister of Rajasthan simultaneously.

    The Rajasthan Chief Minister said he is not aspiring for any post, but wants to work towards ousting the ‘fascist’ BJP government.

    Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday arrived at the AICC office here to check the delegates’ list ahead of the issuance of notification for the Congress presidential polls, as he is also expected to file his nomination for the top post next week.

    ‘Will stay where party benefits’

    Amid the ongoing speculation about his candidature in the Congress presidential polls, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that he would like to stay where the party benefits.

    He said “If the people of the party want me, if they feel that I am fit for the post of president or the post of CM, then I cannot refuse. Position doesn’t matter to me.”

    Will you continue to be the chief minister, he was asked.

    He replied, “I am not talking about staying or not, time will tell where I live, where I do not live, but I would like to live where the party benefits from my stay. I will not remain behind in that case,” he added.

    Gehlot, speaking about his visit to Kochi said, “4-5 days ago, I had proposed in the Pradesh Congress Committee that Rahul Gandhi ji should accept the post of president, we wish that he agrees to travel as Congress president, then there will be more aura for the party. I am going to talk to him one more time, I will request one more time to Rahul Gandhi ji, after that I will decide, then I will meet you,” he told the media.

    Speaking on the one post, one person formula, he said, “My wish is not to stay in any position, because I have held many positions. Party should benefit from my presence, Congress should be strong, I want this. The party has given me a lot.”

    Asked if he can handle both the posts — chief minister and president — Gehlot said, “I told you that whether I am in first position, 2nd position, 3rd post or anywhere, I will not mind. My wish will be that I will not stay on any post now, I have held a lot of posts, now I should enter the field, tour with Rahul Gandhi ji, travel, bring people on the streets and open a front against fascist people, the party has given me everything, today the party is in trouble. I will not back down wherever I am needed to strengthen the Congress,” he added.

    Recently, during a meeting of Congress delegates in Jaipur, Gehlot had passed a resolution demanding that Rahul Gandhi be elected as the party president by asking members to raise their hands.

    Gehlot’s visit to Kochi is also being seen as a similar exercise. After Gehlot’s visit to Delhi and Kochi, there is a program of further political tours. For three to four days, Gehlot will stay in Delhi and prepare a strategy for the election of the president.

    Gehlot’s visit to Kochi is considered important for the election of the party president as well as for the politics of Rajasthan. If he contests the election of the president, then there will be a discussion on the role of his former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot. Pilot has also gone to Kochi to join Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra.

    ALSO READ-Gehlot is Sonia’s choice to ‘lead’ Congress, say sources  

  • ‘We won’t rest until Ukraine defeats Russia’

    ‘We won’t rest until Ukraine defeats Russia’

    Putin claimed that Russia was simply using contract soldiers and that the campaign’s principal objective was still the liberation of the whole Donbas region…reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Liz Truss has committed to continue providing Ukraine with military assistance until it defeats Russia.

    “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails,” Truss told the UN General Assembly on September 22. “At this crucial moment in the conflict, I pledge that we will sustain or increase our military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

    Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated that, despite a counteroffensive, there were no intentions to alter Moscow’s military activities in Ukraine and that Moscow was not in a haste to end the campaign. Putin told reporters that the plan is not subject to change.

    “Our offensive operations in Donbas itself do not stop. They are going at a slow pace… the Russian army is occupying newer and newer territories,” Putin said. “We are not in a hurry… there are no changes.”

    Putin claimed that Russia was simply using contract soldiers and that the campaign’s principal objective was still the liberation of the whole Donbas region. He charged Ukrainian forces of trying to commit “terrorist crimes” and harm civilian infrastructure in Russia.

    “We are really quite restrained in our response to this, for the time being,” Putin said. “If the situation continues to develop in this way, the response will be more serious.”

    In an attempt to mend fences over the effect that Brexit will have on Northern Ireland’s peace, Truss and US President Joe Biden pledged themselves to be steadfast allies. The leaders met at the UN two days after attending Queen Elizabeth II’s burial in London, and Britain is hoping that the sympathy shown for the late monarch would help smooth over any snags in relations with the US and other allies brought on by the UK’s exit from the EU.

    The 1998 Good Friday peace pact that put an end to 30 years of sectarian warfare has been shaken, according to the US. At the conclusion of the 75-minute discussion, Truss’ office stated that Truss and Biden concurred that safeguarding the Good Friday Agreement and maintaining the peace in Northern Ireland must come first.

    ALSO READ-Saudi mediates in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap

  • India, Britain stick to Diwali deadline for FTA

    India, Britain stick to Diwali deadline for FTA

    At that time, both the countries were engaged in the fifth round of negotiations and had completed as many as 17 of the 26 chapters that would be covered by the FTA…reports Asian Lite News

    India and the UK are sticking to the Diwali (October 24) deadline to hammer out a free trade agreement (FTA), despite concerns about the pace of negotiations in recent months due to political churnings in the UK and the death of Queen Elizabeth-II earlier this month.

    A top government official said that the UK, under the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, has reaffirmed its intent to stick to the Diwali deadline. “That’s reassuring,” he added. What has turned out to be an impetus for the FTA talks is the fact that Truss had pushed for the deal when she was the UK’s international trade secretary. Of course, the UK had earlier conveyed to the Indian negotiators that there was broad-based support for the deal with New Delhi.

    However, for the deal to be clinched within the Diwali deadline, negotiations have to move at a rapid pace. Both the sides couldn’t expedite the talks the way they had planned in April, when then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had visited India and pushed for the Diwali deadline. This was mainly due to the change of guard at the UK and the national mourning after the queen’s demise.

    Commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyam had in July said both the sides could wrap up negotiations by the end of August. So, after the process of legal scrubbing and other internal clearances (like Cabinet approval), the deal will be ready before the deadline to be signed.

    At that time, both the countries were engaged in the fifth round of negotiations and had completed as many as 17 of the 26 chapters that would be covered by the FTA.

    Both India and the UK launched formal negotiations in January for the FTA, which could ultimately cover more than 90% of tariff lines. They aim to double bilateral trade of both goods and services to about $100 billion by 2030. The India-UK trade is dominated by services, which make up about 70% of the overall annual commerce.

    Given that this is going to be a modern-day FTA, it will go beyond the traditional pillars like goods, services and investments; it will also cover a range of areas, including gender, trade and development, labour, corruption and MSMEs.

    ALSO READ-India, UK complete 5th round of FTA talks

  • Germany nationalises country’s largest gas importer

    Germany nationalises country’s largest gas importer

    The stabilization measures are still subject to approval by the European Commission. In addition, an extraordinary general meeting of Uniper is scheduled to adopt the deal before the end of 2022…reports Asian Lite News

    The German government agreed to nationalise the country’s largest gas importer Uniper in an effort to ensure energy security against the backdrop of Russia’s gas supply freeze and rocketing gas prices.

    The government has agreed with Uniper and its previous majority owner, Finland’s Fortum, on the far-reaching deal. Following the completion of a capital increase and the acquisition of Uniper shares from Fortum, the German government will own approximately 98.5 per cent of Uniper.

    The German government is taking over “a total of 99 per cent of Uniper” as part of a further stabilisation package, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) said on Wednesday. As a result, the government is creating “a clear ownership structure in order to secure Uniper as well as the energy supply for companies, municipal utilities and consumers”.

    The stabilization measures are still subject to approval by the European Commission. In addition, an extraordinary general meeting of Uniper is scheduled to adopt the deal before the end of 2022.

    Uniper has a 50 per cent share of Russian gas in its portfolio and is responsible for about 40 per cent of gas supply in Germany, especially to over 100 municipal utilities and large companies, and therefore plays a central role in supplying Germany with natural gas.

    German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that the takeover of Uniper was necessitated by Russia’s decision to completely suspend gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on September 1. Since then, Uniper has had to procure gas on the expensive spot market.

    ALSO READ-France preparing disused pipeline to supply gas to Germany