News Analysis India

Tag: Ukraine

  • ‘Zelenskyy born for this moment’: Actor Sean Penn at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival

    By Associated Press

    BERLIN: Just hours before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, actor Sean Penn had his first on-camera meeting with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    “It was as if he was realizing himself, that he was born for this moment,” Penn recalled in an interview with The Associated Press at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday, a day after the festival premiere of his documentary “Superpower.”

    Penn and his co-director Aaron Kaufman were in Kyiv to film a profile of the comedic actor-turned-president when the war broke out. It would be the image of the president walking into the room for that first interview that would have the biggest impact on Penn.

    “It’s hard to explain, but there was a resolve in reaction to something that no one has ever faced before,” Penn said.

    At a press conference also Saturday, Penn said they returned to the hotel after the interview and the shelling started that very night. When they first met Zelenskyy, he had “a proper suit and a proper office.”

    “The next time we saw him, he was in camos and his country was at war,” Penn said.

    The outbreak of war sent the documentary on an unexpected track. The film contains further interviews with the president conducted over the past year.

    Producer Billy Smith, from left, director Sean Penn, left, producers Aaron Kaufman, Lauren Terp and Danny Gabai at the International Film Festival ‘Berlinale’, in Berlin. (Photo | AP)

    After completing the project, the pair continued to speak off-camera. Zelenskyy presented the Hollywood star — who has been involved in numerous international humanitarian and anti-war efforts over the years — with the Ukrainian Order of Merit last year.

    Penn was also given a plaque on a Kyiv walkway honouring world leaders who have shown solidarity with Ukraine.

    ALSO READ | ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ wins big at 2023 BAFTA Awards

    Penn told the AP that people would be most surprised by Zelenskyy’s “command of the mechanisms of government.”

    “Not only his, but all of those upon whom he is reliant, his sense of mapping the diplomatic territory,” he said. “He’s on fire. He has that extreme gift for politics.”Penn recalled the “civility” he saw when leaving Ukraine via the Polish border a few days after the invasion began.

    “No one was honking. No one was trying to drive around the other and take and there was a kind of quiet acceptance,” Penn said during the interview. “You know, and these were families being torn apart. Some, most remain torn apart.”

    During a later visit to Ukraine, Penn loaned one of his two Oscars to Zelenskyy, telling him: “When you win, bring it back to Malibu.”

    “The Oscar is there in his office and it’s ready to be melted anytime he wants to melt it,” Penn clarified in the press conference after threatening to smelt his awards in public if Zelenskyy was not on the program for last year’s Oscar telecast.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not include a video address from the president, opting instead for a moment of silence in support of the people of Ukraine. Zelenskyy did address the opening of the Berlinale on Thursday, exhorting artists and filmmakers to express support for Ukraine.

    Penn said at the press conference that the gift of the Oscar was inspired by his “continuing shame towards the leadership of the Academy, the motion picture academy, in choosing to present Will Smith smacking Chris Rock rather than the greatest symbol of cinema and humanity living today on their broadcast.”

    Penn’s two Oscars both were for best actor, in 2003 for “Mystic River” and in 2008 for “Milk.” His previous directing credits include “Flag Day,” “Into the Wild” and “The Pledge.”

    While it is not unusual for entertainment personalities to get behind a cause, “Superpower” sees Penn travel all the way to the front line of the war to talk to soldiers in the trenches. When it comes to his drive and determination, the star couldn’t tell you where that comes from.

    “I could make up a number of answers” he joked to the AP. “It’s something I just don’t really ultimately think about, though I’ve been asked many times. … I don’t have the words for it.” 

    BERLIN: Just hours before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, actor Sean Penn had his first on-camera meeting with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    “It was as if he was realizing himself, that he was born for this moment,” Penn recalled in an interview with The Associated Press at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday, a day after the festival premiere of his documentary “Superpower.”

    Penn and his co-director Aaron Kaufman were in Kyiv to film a profile of the comedic actor-turned-president when the war broke out. It would be the image of the president walking into the room for that first interview that would have the biggest impact on Penn.

    “It’s hard to explain, but there was a resolve in reaction to something that no one has ever faced before,” Penn said.

    At a press conference also Saturday, Penn said they returned to the hotel after the interview and the shelling started that very night. When they first met Zelenskyy, he had “a proper suit and a proper office.”

    “The next time we saw him, he was in camos and his country was at war,” Penn said.

    The outbreak of war sent the documentary on an unexpected track. The film contains further interviews with the president conducted over the past year.

    Producer Billy Smith, from left, director Sean Penn, left, producers Aaron Kaufman, Lauren Terp and Danny Gabai at the International Film Festival ‘Berlinale’, in Berlin. (Photo | AP)

    After completing the project, the pair continued to speak off-camera. Zelenskyy presented the Hollywood star — who has been involved in numerous international humanitarian and anti-war efforts over the years — with the Ukrainian Order of Merit last year.

    Penn was also given a plaque on a Kyiv walkway honouring world leaders who have shown solidarity with Ukraine.

    ALSO READ | ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ wins big at 2023 BAFTA Awards

    Penn told the AP that people would be most surprised by Zelenskyy’s “command of the mechanisms of government.”

    “Not only his, but all of those upon whom he is reliant, his sense of mapping the diplomatic territory,” he said. “He’s on fire. He has that extreme gift for politics.”
    Penn recalled the “civility” he saw when leaving Ukraine via the Polish border a few days after the invasion began.

    “No one was honking. No one was trying to drive around the other and take and there was a kind of quiet acceptance,” Penn said during the interview. “You know, and these were families being torn apart. Some, most remain torn apart.”

    During a later visit to Ukraine, Penn loaned one of his two Oscars to Zelenskyy, telling him: “When you win, bring it back to Malibu.”

    “The Oscar is there in his office and it’s ready to be melted anytime he wants to melt it,” Penn clarified in the press conference after threatening to smelt his awards in public if Zelenskyy was not on the program for last year’s Oscar telecast.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not include a video address from the president, opting instead for a moment of silence in support of the people of Ukraine. Zelenskyy did address the opening of the Berlinale on Thursday, exhorting artists and filmmakers to express support for Ukraine.

    Penn said at the press conference that the gift of the Oscar was inspired by his “continuing shame towards the leadership of the Academy, the motion picture academy, in choosing to present Will Smith smacking Chris Rock rather than the greatest symbol of cinema and humanity living today on their broadcast.”

    Penn’s two Oscars both were for best actor, in 2003 for “Mystic River” and in 2008 for “Milk.” His previous directing credits include “Flag Day,” “Into the Wild” and “The Pledge.”

    While it is not unusual for entertainment personalities to get behind a cause, “Superpower” sees Penn travel all the way to the front line of the war to talk to soldiers in the trenches. When it comes to his drive and determination, the star couldn’t tell you where that comes from.

    “I could make up a number of answers” he joked to the AP. “It’s something I just don’t really ultimately think about, though I’ve been asked many times. … I don’t have the words for it.”
     

  • SC gives six weeks to Centre to decide fate of Ukraine-returned medicos  

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The central government on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted a committee of experts to find a solution for the students who could not complete their medical training in foreign countries like China and Ukraine due to the ongoing war and the Covid-19 pandemic.

    A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath adjourned the matter for six weeks after being informed that the committee had met once but needed more time to take a decision. The Centre also needs time to consultss with the states, Additional Solicitor General of India Aishwarya Bhati submitted before the bench.

    The court also reiterated that it cannot go on compromising with medical education and would go as per the committee’s recommendations. On July 28, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had notified a scheme allowing students who were in the last year of their undergraduate medical course and those who were granted certificate of completion of course/degree before June 30, 2022 to take the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination.

    Upon qualifying the FMG examination, the medical graduates were required to undergo Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship for two years. Since the scheme was applicable to students in their last year and the batch of pleas were filed by students in their penultimate year, the SC while expressing concerns with regards to students’ career on December 9 had asked the Centre and NMC to constitute a committee.

    Also in top court

    SC grants interim bail to Ashish Mishra The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted an eight-week interim bail to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son Ashish in the “unfortunate ghastly incident” of violence in 2021 at Lakhimpur Kheri which claimed eight lives, and directed him to leave Uttar Pradesh within one week of his release from jail.

    1,091 SC judgments in regional languages  to be realeased todayCJI DY Chandrachud on Wednesday announced that the Supreme Court on 74th Republic Day would release over 1,000 rulings translated in regional languages. The CJI said that SC was on a mission for the provision of its verdict in all scheduled languages. He said that translation now was happening at a faster pace.

    Rana Ayyub: SC asks Gzb court to adjourn proceedings till Jan 31The SC asked a court in Ghaziabad, which has summoned Rana Ayyub in a money laundering case lodged by  ED, to adjourn the proceedings scheduled for January 27 to a date after January 31. The SC said it will hear on January 31 the petition of Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by the special court. 

    NEW DELHI:  The central government on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted a committee of experts to find a solution for the students who could not complete their medical training in foreign countries like China and Ukraine due to the ongoing war and the Covid-19 pandemic.

    A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath adjourned the matter for six weeks after being informed that the committee had met once but needed more time to take a decision. The Centre also needs time to consultss with the states, Additional Solicitor General of India Aishwarya Bhati submitted before the bench.

    The court also reiterated that it cannot go on compromising with medical education and would go as per the committee’s recommendations. On July 28, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had notified a scheme allowing students who were in the last year of their undergraduate medical course and those who were granted certificate of completion of course/degree before June 30, 2022 to take the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination.

    Upon qualifying the FMG examination, the medical graduates were required to undergo Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship for two years. Since the scheme was applicable to students in their last year and the batch of pleas were filed by students in their penultimate year, the SC while expressing concerns with regards to students’ career on December 9 had asked the Centre and NMC to constitute a committee.

    Also in top court

    SC grants interim bail to Ashish Mishra 
    The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted an eight-week interim bail to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son Ashish in the “unfortunate ghastly incident” of violence in 2021 at Lakhimpur Kheri which claimed eight lives, and directed him to leave Uttar Pradesh within one week of his release from jail.

    1,091 SC judgments in regional languages  to be realeased today
    CJI DY Chandrachud on Wednesday announced that the Supreme Court on 74th Republic Day would release over 1,000 rulings translated in regional languages. The CJI said that SC was on a mission for the provision of its verdict in all scheduled languages. He said that translation now was happening at a faster pace.

    Rana Ayyub: SC asks Gzb court to adjourn proceedings till Jan 31
    The SC asked a court in Ghaziabad, which has summoned Rana Ayyub in a money laundering case lodged by  ED, to adjourn the proceedings scheduled for January 27 to a date after January 31. The SC said it will hear on January 31 the petition of Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by the special court.
     

  • PM Modi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold talks over phone 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said he held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he counted on India’s participation for the implementation of his peace formula.

    Zelenskyy said he also wished Modi for a successful G20 presidency of India.

    “I had a phone call with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished a successful #G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN,” the Ukrainian president said in a tweet.

    I had a phone call with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished a successful #G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN.
    — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 26, 2022
    There were no immediate details from the Indian side.

    Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Zelenskyy a number of times.

    In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

    India is yet to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

    NEW DELHI: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said he held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he counted on India’s participation for the implementation of his peace formula.

    Zelenskyy said he also wished Modi for a successful G20 presidency of India.

    “I had a phone call with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished a successful #G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN,” the Ukrainian president said in a tweet.

    I had a phone call with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished a successful #G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN.
    — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 26, 2022
    There were no immediate details from the Indian side.

    Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Zelenskyy a number of times.

    In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

    India is yet to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

  • ‘Forgotten’ Afghan stories highlighted in two new films from Netflix, Nat Geo

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: The world’s focus has shifted to the war in Ukraine, but two major new documentaries aim to throw the spotlight back on Afghanistan, and the people left behind by the United States’ rapid withdrawal last year.

    National Geographic’s “Retrograde” follows an Afghan general who tried in vain to hold back the Taliban advance in 2021, while Netflix’s “In Her Hands” tells the story of the country’s youngest woman mayor, who had to flee as the Islamists took over.

    “We’ve forgotten about this story — when was the last time we discussed the war in Afghanistan, or read an article about it?” said “Retrograde” director Matthew Heineman.

    “Obviously there’s still some coverage of it, but… not that many people are talking about this country that we left behind.”

    Zarifa Ghafari, the former mayor spotlighted by “In Her Hands,” told AFP that back under the Taliban, Afghanistan is “the only country around the world nowadays where a woman can sell their body, their children, anything else, but are not able to go to school.”

    But at international political meetings, “Afghanistan is out of those discussions.”

    Both movies begin in the months before the US withdrawal, as their subjects tried to build a safer and more egalitarian future for their country.

    The two films end with their central characters forced to watch from abroad as the Taliban rapidly erases all their work.

    “Retrograde” began as a documentary with rare inside access to US special forces.

    In one early scene, US troops are shown having to destroy — or retrograde — their equipment and wastefully fire off excess ammunition that was sorely needed by their Afghan allies.

    After the Americans left their base in Helmand, Afghan general Sami Sadat agreed to let Heineman’s cameras stay and follow him, as he took charge of the ultimately doomed effort to stave off Taliban advances.

    In one scene, Sadat — stubbornly determined to rally his men to fight on as the situation crumbles around them — chides his aide for bringing to his war office persistent reports of nearby Afghan troops downing their weapons.

    “Every neon sign was saying ‘stop, give up, this is over,’ and he had this blind faith that maybe, just maybe, if he held on to Lashkar Gah or Helmand, that they could beat back the Taliban,” recalled Heineman.

    Sadat eventually had to flee, and the filmmakers shifted their lens again, to desperate scenes at Kabul airport as Afghans fought for spaces on the last American planes out.

    “It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever witnessed in my career,” added Heineman, who was nominated for an Oscar for 2015’s “Cartel Land.”

    “Discussions around wars in public policy and foreign policy, they’re often talked about and discussed without the human element,” said the director.

    “One of the things I’ve tried to do throughout my career is take these large, amorphous subjects and put a human face to them.”

    ‘Murder’Former mayor Ghafari had survived assassination attempts and seen her father gunned down by the Taliban before she too left Afghanistan as the Islamists moved in.

    “Talking about that moment, I’m still not able to stop crying… it was something that I really never wanted to do,” said Ghafari, who drew the Taliban’s ire by campaigning for girls’ education after being appointed mayor of Maidan Shahr aged 24.

    “I had some personal responsibilities, especially after the murder of my dad… to help secure my family.”

    The directors of “In Her Hands,” which counts Hillary Clinton among its executive producers, returned to Afghanistan and filmed Ghafari’s former driver Massoum, now unemployed and living under the Taliban.

    In unsettling scenes, he is seen bonding with the same fighters who once attacked the car in which he was driving Ghafari.

    “The story of Massoum represents the story of all Afghanistan’s crisis… why people are feeling betrayed,” said Ghafari.

    ‘Share their pain’

    Though the conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine are vastly different in nature, both films offer a cautionary tale about what can happen once the West’s focus shifts.

    “Obviously, that’s happened throughout history, and will continue to happen long into the future. And so what can we learn from this experience?” said Heineman.

    Ghafari said: “Whatever happens in Ukraine and happened in Ukraine, it’s the same thing that we have been going through for like 60 years.

    “The same thing, again and again. So we share their pain.”

    LOS ANGELES: The world’s focus has shifted to the war in Ukraine, but two major new documentaries aim to throw the spotlight back on Afghanistan, and the people left behind by the United States’ rapid withdrawal last year.

    National Geographic’s “Retrograde” follows an Afghan general who tried in vain to hold back the Taliban advance in 2021, while Netflix’s “In Her Hands” tells the story of the country’s youngest woman mayor, who had to flee as the Islamists took over.

    “We’ve forgotten about this story — when was the last time we discussed the war in Afghanistan, or read an article about it?” said “Retrograde” director Matthew Heineman.

    “Obviously there’s still some coverage of it, but… not that many people are talking about this country that we left behind.”

    Zarifa Ghafari, the former mayor spotlighted by “In Her Hands,” told AFP that back under the Taliban, Afghanistan is “the only country around the world nowadays where a woman can sell their body, their children, anything else, but are not able to go to school.”

    But at international political meetings, “Afghanistan is out of those discussions.”

    Both movies begin in the months before the US withdrawal, as their subjects tried to build a safer and more egalitarian future for their country.

    The two films end with their central characters forced to watch from abroad as the Taliban rapidly erases all their work.

    “Retrograde” began as a documentary with rare inside access to US special forces.

    In one early scene, US troops are shown having to destroy — or retrograde — their equipment and wastefully fire off excess ammunition that was sorely needed by their Afghan allies.

    After the Americans left their base in Helmand, Afghan general Sami Sadat agreed to let Heineman’s cameras stay and follow him, as he took charge of the ultimately doomed effort to stave off Taliban advances.

    In one scene, Sadat — stubbornly determined to rally his men to fight on as the situation crumbles around them — chides his aide for bringing to his war office persistent reports of nearby Afghan troops downing their weapons.

    “Every neon sign was saying ‘stop, give up, this is over,’ and he had this blind faith that maybe, just maybe, if he held on to Lashkar Gah or Helmand, that they could beat back the Taliban,” recalled Heineman.

    Sadat eventually had to flee, and the filmmakers shifted their lens again, to desperate scenes at Kabul airport as Afghans fought for spaces on the last American planes out.

    “It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever witnessed in my career,” added Heineman, who was nominated for an Oscar for 2015’s “Cartel Land.”

    “Discussions around wars in public policy and foreign policy, they’re often talked about and discussed without the human element,” said the director.

    “One of the things I’ve tried to do throughout my career is take these large, amorphous subjects and put a human face to them.”

    ‘Murder’
    Former mayor Ghafari had survived assassination attempts and seen her father gunned down by the Taliban before she too left Afghanistan as the Islamists moved in.

    “Talking about that moment, I’m still not able to stop crying… it was something that I really never wanted to do,” said Ghafari, who drew the Taliban’s ire by campaigning for girls’ education after being appointed mayor of Maidan Shahr aged 24.

    “I had some personal responsibilities, especially after the murder of my dad… to help secure my family.”

    The directors of “In Her Hands,” which counts Hillary Clinton among its executive producers, returned to Afghanistan and filmed Ghafari’s former driver Massoum, now unemployed and living under the Taliban.

    In unsettling scenes, he is seen bonding with the same fighters who once attacked the car in which he was driving Ghafari.

    “The story of Massoum represents the story of all Afghanistan’s crisis… why people are feeling betrayed,” said Ghafari.

    ‘Share their pain’

    Though the conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine are vastly different in nature, both films offer a cautionary tale about what can happen once the West’s focus shifts.

    “Obviously, that’s happened throughout history, and will continue to happen long into the future. And so what can we learn from this experience?” said Heineman.

    Ghafari said: “Whatever happens in Ukraine and happened in Ukraine, it’s the same thing that we have been going through for like 60 years.

    “The same thing, again and again. So we share their pain.”

  • Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary Cleverly discuss Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific situation 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Ukraine conflict and the situation in Indo-Pacific figured prominently in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and visiting British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Saturday.

    It is learnt that the two sides also took stock of the ongoing negotiations for the proposed Indo-UK free trade agreement.

    Cleverly arrived in India on Friday on a two-day visit primarily to attend a special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee.

    It is the first visit by a top-ranking official from Britain after Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday.

    “Delighted to welcome UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly on his first India visit; shortly after our meeting in New York last month,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    Delighted to welcome UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly on his first India visit; shortly after our meeting in New York last month.Noted the progress in our Roadmap 2030. Also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/LCmYJPGGFr
    — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 29, 2022
    “Noted the progress in our Roadmap 2030. Also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific,” he added.

    During the visit, the British foreign secretary announced further collaboration between the UK and India through British International Investment.

    This included 11 million pounds of UK funding invested in Kinara Capital, a woman-led fintech company, according to the British High Commission.

    British International Investment is designed to strengthen trade ties with the UK’s partners and generate economic growth.

    The high commission said Cleverly also announced a 22 million pounds investment by the UK-backed Neev II Fund into Hygenco which will help India’s green energy transition by pioneering green hydrogen.

    India hosted the meeting of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee in its capacity as its chair.

    While the first day’s meeting took place in Mumbai on Friday, the second day’s deliberations were in Delhi on Saturday.

    The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson in May last year.

    At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections among others.

    The two sides are also carrying out negotiations for the early finalisation of the free trade agreement.

    In April, the two sides had set a Diwali deadline for concluding the FTA but the deal could not be finalised in view of differences over certain issues as well as political developments in the UK.

    On the sidelines of the UN meeting, Jaishankar also met the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy and Albania’s Deputy foreign Minister Albania Megi Fino.

    “So nice to meet with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy. Her participation at the UNSC special meeting reflects the trust of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Discussed shared threat terrorism poses to the world and the global responses,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    So nice to meet with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy. Her participation at the UNSC special meeting reflects the trust of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.Discussed shared threat terrorism poses to the world and the global responses. pic.twitter.com/nwFItR8GV6
    — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 29, 2022
    On his meeting with Megi, he said the full potential of the bilateral relationship was discussed.

    “A good meeting with Megi Fino, Deputy FM of Albania. Her participation at the UNSC special  meeting reflects our excellent coop’n during our UNSC tenure.Discussed exploring the full potential of our bilateral relationship. We will also cooperate closely in multilateral forums,” he said.

    NEW DELHI: The Ukraine conflict and the situation in Indo-Pacific figured prominently in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and visiting British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Saturday.

    It is learnt that the two sides also took stock of the ongoing negotiations for the proposed Indo-UK free trade agreement.

    Cleverly arrived in India on Friday on a two-day visit primarily to attend a special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee.

    It is the first visit by a top-ranking official from Britain after Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday.

    “Delighted to welcome UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly on his first India visit; shortly after our meeting in New York last month,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    Delighted to welcome UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly on his first India visit; shortly after our meeting in New York last month.
    Noted the progress in our Roadmap 2030. Also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/LCmYJPGGFr
    — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 29, 2022
    “Noted the progress in our Roadmap 2030. Also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific,” he added.

    During the visit, the British foreign secretary announced further collaboration between the UK and India through British International Investment.

    This included 11 million pounds of UK funding invested in Kinara Capital, a woman-led fintech company, according to the British High Commission.

    British International Investment is designed to strengthen trade ties with the UK’s partners and generate economic growth.

    The high commission said Cleverly also announced a 22 million pounds investment by the UK-backed Neev II Fund into Hygenco which will help India’s green energy transition by pioneering green hydrogen.

    India hosted the meeting of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee in its capacity as its chair.

    While the first day’s meeting took place in Mumbai on Friday, the second day’s deliberations were in Delhi on Saturday.

    The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson in May last year.

    At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections among others.

    The two sides are also carrying out negotiations for the early finalisation of the free trade agreement.

    In April, the two sides had set a Diwali deadline for concluding the FTA but the deal could not be finalised in view of differences over certain issues as well as political developments in the UK.

    On the sidelines of the UN meeting, Jaishankar also met the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy and Albania’s Deputy foreign Minister Albania Megi Fino.

    “So nice to meet with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy. Her participation at the UNSC special meeting reflects the trust of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Discussed shared threat terrorism poses to the world and the global responses,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    So nice to meet with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy. Her participation at the UNSC special meeting reflects the trust of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
    Discussed shared threat terrorism poses to the world and the global responses. pic.twitter.com/nwFItR8GV6
    — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 29, 2022
    On his meeting with Megi, he said the full potential of the bilateral relationship was discussed.

    “A good meeting with Megi Fino, Deputy FM of Albania. Her participation at the UNSC special  meeting reflects our excellent coop’n during our UNSC tenure.Discussed exploring the full potential of our bilateral relationship. We will also cooperate closely in multilateral forums,” he said.

  • Zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations ‘must’: India at SCO meet

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: There is an urgent need to address the global energy and food crisis triggered by disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a meeting of the SCO in Tashkent on Friday.

    With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto listening, Jaishankar said “zero tolerance” for terrorism in all its manifestations is a “must”.

    In his address at the foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), he also underlined the potential of the Chabahar port in Iran for the economic future of the grouping.

    Talking about the current global challenges, Jaishankar said the response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism.

    The external affairs minister reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted its humanitarian support to the war-torn country including the supply of wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing.

    The major highlights of the deliberations included a decision to grant permanent membership of the bloc to Iran and make Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia its dialogue partners.

    The ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners.

    The meeting also reviewed preparations for the upcoming summit of the grouping in Samarkand which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the eight-nation grouping.

    “Participated in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at Tashkent. Highlighted that world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic and Ukraine conflict. This needs to be urgently addressed,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    “Response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism. Zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations is a must,” he said. He said India will give the “fullest support” for the success of the Samarkand summit.

    “Reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted our humanitarian support: wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing. Underlined the potential of Chabahar port for SCO’s economic future,” Jaishankar said in another tweet.

    Jaishankar said the meeting was “very useful” in preparing for the Samarkand summit. “Spoke of the economic progress in India, stressing the relevance of startups and innovation. Cooperation in traditional medicine is in the common interest of SCO members,” he added.

    Earlier, all the foreign ministers of the SCO nations called on Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

    Jaishankar said he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal greetings to the Uzbek President. “Appreciated the momentum generated by Uzbek Presidency in fields of security, economy, trade, connectivity and culture,” he said.

    Uzbek news agency Dunyo reported that the ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners. It said the SCO was also actively studying the application for full membership in the bloc by Belarus.

    “There is a common understanding that the replenishment of the ‘SCO family’ will give a significant impetus to multifaceted interaction in the field of regional security, trade, investment and industrial cooperation,” acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said.

    He said it will contribute to the further development of the huge transport and transit potential in the space of the organisation.

    The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is a key economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

    SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

    India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

    India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

    NEW DELHI: There is an urgent need to address the global energy and food crisis triggered by disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a meeting of the SCO in Tashkent on Friday.

    With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto listening, Jaishankar said “zero tolerance” for terrorism in all its manifestations is a “must”.

    In his address at the foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), he also underlined the potential of the Chabahar port in Iran for the economic future of the grouping.

    Talking about the current global challenges, Jaishankar said the response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism.

    The external affairs minister reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted its humanitarian support to the war-torn country including the supply of wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing.

    The major highlights of the deliberations included a decision to grant permanent membership of the bloc to Iran and make Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia its dialogue partners.

    The ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners.

    The meeting also reviewed preparations for the upcoming summit of the grouping in Samarkand which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the eight-nation grouping.

    “Participated in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at Tashkent. Highlighted that world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic and Ukraine conflict. This needs to be urgently addressed,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    “Response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism. Zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations is a must,” he said. He said India will give the “fullest support” for the success of the Samarkand summit.

    “Reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted our humanitarian support: wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing. Underlined the potential of Chabahar port for SCO’s economic future,” Jaishankar said in another tweet.

    Jaishankar said the meeting was “very useful” in preparing for the Samarkand summit. “Spoke of the economic progress in India, stressing the relevance of startups and innovation. Cooperation in traditional medicine is in the common interest of SCO members,” he added.

    Earlier, all the foreign ministers of the SCO nations called on Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

    Jaishankar said he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal greetings to the Uzbek President. “Appreciated the momentum generated by Uzbek Presidency in fields of security, economy, trade, connectivity and culture,” he said.

    Uzbek news agency Dunyo reported that the ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners. It said the SCO was also actively studying the application for full membership in the bloc by Belarus.

    “There is a common understanding that the replenishment of the ‘SCO family’ will give a significant impetus to multifaceted interaction in the field of regional security, trade, investment and industrial cooperation,” acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said.

    He said it will contribute to the further development of the huge transport and transit potential in the space of the organisation.

    The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is a key economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

    SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

    India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

    India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

  • PM speaks with Putin; reiterates India’s position on Ukraine, favouring dialogue, diplomacy

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday during which he reiterated India’s longstanding position on the Ukraine situation, favouring dialogue and diplomacy.

    During their telephonic conversation, the two leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

    The two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during President Putin’s visit to India in December 2021, In particular, they exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products could be encouraged further, it said.

    The two leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets.

    “In the context of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister reiterated India’s long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy,” the PMO said.

    The leaders agreed to maintain regular consultations on global and bilateral issues, it said.

    Russia’s TASS new agency quoted Kremlin press as saying that the two leaders discussed pressing issues pertaining to Russian-India ties, while focusing on steps to develop further mutually advantageous economic cooperation.

    They expressed mutual willingness to enhance the privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India, the Kremlin press service was quoted as saying in a statement.

    It also said that Putin discussed with Modi the progress of the “special military operation” in Ukraine and, in particular, drew attention to the “escalation of the crisis by Kiev and its Western patrons”.

    Putin briefed Modi on key aspects of Russia’s military operation, “stressing the dangerous and provocative nature of the line of the Kiev regime and its Western patrons to escalate the crisis and derail efforts to resolve it politically and diplomatically”, the Russian statement said.

    “Putin drew attention to the systemic mistakes made by a number of countries, which led to the disruption of free trade in food products and provoked a significant increase in their price. Illegitimate sanctions against Russia have exacerbated an already difficult situation,” the Kremlin press service was quoted as saying.

    It also said that Putin stressed that Russia has been and remains a reliable producer and supplier of grain, fertilizers, and energy carriers, including to Indian partners.

    The conversation with Putin come days after Modi, in an apparent reference to the Ukraine crisis, had noted that the G7 and those invited at its summit in Germany were meeting amid an atmosphere of global tension and asserted that India has always been in favour of peace.

    “Even in the present situation, we have constantly urged for the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The impact of this geopolitical tension is not just limited to Europe. The rising prices of energy and food grains are affecting all the countries,” he had said in his remarks at a G7 summit session.

    He had also said the energy and security of developing countries is particularly at risk. Modi has also raised concerns over food security amid the conflict in Ukraine.

  • Demanding admission in Indian colleges, Ukraine-evacuated medical students sit on hunger strike

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Medical students, who were evacuated from war-torn Ukraine, sat on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Sunday demanding admission in the country’s medical colleges as a one-time measure.

    They said there are approximately 12,000 students, barring those in the final year, and as there are at least 600 medical colleges in the country, each institution needed to accommodate only around 20 students.

    Around 350 people participated in the protest.

    Of these, 35 students from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan sat on a hunger strike from 10 am to 5 pm, Parents’ Association of Ukraine Medical Students (PAUMS) president R B Gupta said.

    “We also held a march at Jantar Mantar. We want the government’s help in accommodating our children. My child was studying second-year in Ivano (Ukrainian city). We are only requesting the government that these children be accommodated as a one-time measure,” he said.

    PAUMS has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.

    “There are 15,000-16,000 (approx.) medical students out of which around 3,000 are in final year for whom the NMC (National Medical Commission) has permitted to complete their internship in India, which is a breath of relief. Now, this leaves us with 12,000 approx. students to be given admission… There are around 606 medical colleges in India, which means each college will have to accommodate only 20-21 students,” the letter read.

    “This is an unprecedented war situation which needs extraordinary thinking, steps and solution. We are hopeful that a lenient view shall be taken while taking a decision in regard to accommodate all Ukraine-returned MBBS students and our request may be well taken and acted accordingly. We will be highly obliged,” it added.

    Thousands of students from India studying in various medical colleges across Ukraine had to abandon their courses and return home after Russian forces launched an offensive against the eastern European country.

    In April, too, parents of MBBS students had staged a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the government’s intervention in accommodating their children in medical colleges.

    In March, a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions on the issue of admission and continuation of their studies in India.

    The plea also sought directions from the Centre to provide a medical subject equivalency orientation programme for such students.

    The Indian Medical Association has also recommended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that such students be accommodated in Indian medical colleges as a one-time measure.

    In a letter to Modi on March 4, the IMA had said such students should be permitted to go to Indian medical colleges for the remainder of their MBBS courses through an “appropriate disbursed distribution”, but it should not be seen as an increase in the annual intake capacity.

  • India, Spain agree to add new depth and content to ties

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Spain on Wednesday evinced interest in participating in India’s defence manufacturing sector even as the two countries expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

    In their wide-ranging talks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his visiting Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno reiterated their commitment to closely work in countering common challenges of terrorism, violent extremism and cyber crime.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar and Albares committed to “add new depth and content to the relationship” and emphasised on the need to retain strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific and to promote collaborative efforts among like-minded nations. Albares is on a day-long visit to India.

    The MEA said there were detailed discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investment, defence and security, climate change, green energy and science and technology.

    “The two leaders welcomed signing of the defence contract as part of which Airbus Spain will supply 56 C295 aircraft, 40 of which would be Made in India, and agreed to further deepen defence and security cooperation,” the MEA said in a statement.

    It said India welcomed Spain’s interest in participating in its national defence manufacturing programme through ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.

    In September last year, India sealed a nearly Rs 21,000 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C-295 transport aircraft to replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the IAF under a project that entails manufacturing of military aircraft in India for the first time by a private company.

    “Warm and productive discussions with Foreign Minister @jmalbares of Spain. Discussed our growing engagements in political,defense, economic and cultural domains. Envisage enhanced collaboration to support self reliance and resilient supply chains,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    On his part, Albares described India as a global power and an important partner of Spain.

    In a tweet in Spanish, he said the meeting with Jaishankar was excellent and that both sides will continue to work to deepen the bilateral relations and signed a declaration for cultural and academic cooperation.

    The MEA said Jaishankar and Albares welcomed the growing bilateral trade and investment linkages and agreed to expand them in new areas of common interest.

    “They agreed that there are more opportunities in sectors like IT, pharma and renewable and there are new and unexplored emerging areas like green hydrogen, electric mobility, advanced materials, deep sea exploration where the two countries can collaborate further,” it said.

    It said the two ministers also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest and noted the mutual understanding and support in addressing common challenges like climate change, global health, sustainable development and counter-terrorism. They welcomed the restart of India-EU FTA negotiations later this month.

    On Ukraine, the two ministers expressed their concern on the ongoing humanitarian crisis and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

    On Afghanistan, both sides highlighted the need for Afghanistan to have unhindered access to humanitarian assistance and that Afghan territory is not used by terror outfits for destabilising the region.

    The MEA said the two sides agreed to explore collaboration in development partnership and economic activities in the Latin America and the Caribbean region.

  • Defexpo 2022 to take place in Gujarat

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence is likely to hold the biennial defence exhibition DefExpo 2022 at Gandhinagar in October for which invites are likely to be sent out in the first week of June. Though the event was originally planned to be held in March, the Russia-Ukraine war had made it difficult for a large number of foreign participants to arrive with their equipment in India.

    Sources said with reopening of flight routes and resumption of normal traffic, the Ministry is likely to announce new dates and send out invites for the five-day exhibition. They added close to a thousand companies, including the world’s biggest defence manufacturers, are likely to take part in the event. 

    The expo will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is likely to spend a couple of days in the capital city of his home state Gujarat and meet the chiefs of top defence companies. If the plan falls in place this time, Gujarat sky will be buzzing with choppers and transport planes on the eve of the state assembly elections with hundreds of foreign participants bringing in their wares including helicopters, missiles, radars, tanks, armoured vehicles, heavy artillery for display at the marquee event.

    The Ministry has had a fixed format for the event. Apart from the global and local defence companies hawking their wares, seminars are held through the day on technology transfer and indigenisation, business and investment meetings are facilitated, and Indian states vie with each other to attract investments that the big sellers are required to make under the offset policy.

    The Ministry, meanwhile, has decided to launch a new initiative at DefExpo 2022 called Invest4iDex to promote innovations for defence excellence. This programme will be managed by an MoD wing called the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO). The Invest4iDex initiative will provide a platform to startups to pitch their ideas to venture capitalists and other investors and get their feedback. The idea is to help startups leverage DefExpo 2022 to generate investments and leads for future operations.

    The growing hostility between the United States and Russia may cause friction over participation of Russian defence companies. India has so far managed to walk the middle path. DefExpo 2022 would test South Block’s diplomatic skills as it would have to balance the demands of the two big global players.