By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from December 31- January 06

BBC – Aditya-L1: India’s Sun mission set to reach destination in hours

• India’s first solar observation mission is set to reach its final destination in a few hours. On Saturday, the space agency Isro will attempt to place Aditya-L1 in a spot in space from where it will be able to continuously watch the Sun.
• The spacecraft has been travelling towards the Sun for four months since lift-off on 2 September. It was launched just days after India made history by becoming the first to land near the Moon’s south pole.
• According to the European Space Agency, a Lagrange point is a spot where the gravitational forces of two large objects – such as the Sun and the Earth – cancel each other out, allowing a spacecraft to “hover”.
• L1 is located 1.5 million km (932,000 miles) from the Earth, which is 1% of the Earth-Sun distance. Isro recently said that the spacecraft had already covered most of the distance to its destination.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67871797

Reuters – India Navy rescues bulk carrier crew after Arabian Sea hijack attempt

• The Indian Navy on Friday rescued the crew of a merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea and said it had not found any pirates on board.
• An Indian Navy warship intercepted the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk bulk carrier less than a day after it had received a report that the vessel had been hijacked about 460 nautical miles off Somalia.
• About five to six armed people boarded the vessel on Thursday, according to a report received by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, which said the ship’s crew had gathered in the ship’s citadel.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india-sends-warship-after-hijacking-liberian-flagged-vessel-arabian-sea-2024-01-05/

Gulf News – Ship with Indian crew hijacked in Arabian Sea

• Indian Navy rushes to help Liberian flagged cargo ship after armed hijackers board it. A Liberian-flagged bulk carrier with around 15 Indian crew members, has been hijacked by around five-six armed hijackers in the Arabian Sea, as per a message received early on Friday, officials said here. The hijacked ship, ‘MV Lila Norfolk’ had sent an SOS on UKMTP portal indicating around 5-6 armed hijackers boarding the ship late on Thursday evening.
• Responding quickly, the Indian Navy launched an MPA and diverted its warship INS Chennai to assist the distressed vessel, near the east coast of Somalia. The naval aircraft continue to monitor the movement of the ship as the INS Chennai approaches the vessel, and the overall situation is being closely tracked in coordination with other agencies/MNF in the region.
• This is the third incident of its kind in the high seas on the country’s west coast in the past one month or with the Indian Navy rising to the occasion with a rescue and relief operation.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/ship-with-indian-crew-hijacked-in-arabian-sea-1.1704448832150

The Wall Street Journal – India’s Infrastructure Push Is Key to Taking on China

• Infrastructure investment could be a backbone of India’s economic growth. It just needs a lot more private money.
• The coming few years will be a litmus test for India’s ambition to become a manufacturing hub rivaling China. A big question mark is how quickly it can build out the infrastructure it needs to really seize the opportunity. There have been signs of progress recently, but New Delhi’s cramped fiscal space means it needs to do more to entice private-sector investors, too.
• India is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance of sorts led by Apple and its Taiwanese suppliers—after decades of failed efforts. As recently as the fiscal year ended in March 2018, India was a importer of smartphones to the tune of more than $2 billion. Last fiscal year, India was a net exporter of $11 billion worth. About half of that was Apple products, according to investment bank Macquarie.

For detailed report click on : https://www.wsj.com/world/india/indias-infrastructure-push-is-key-to-taking-on-china-f2867b9c?mod=Searchresults_pos2&page=1

BBC –  Qatar: Indian ex-naval officers get ‘varying’ jail terms

• Eight former Indian naval officers who were earlier sentenced to death in Qatar now face prison sentences of “varying” lengths, India has said. The men have 60 days to appeal the jail terms. Last month, a court in Qatar had commuted their death penalties. Neither Qatar nor India have revealed the specific charges against the men.
• In a press briefing on Thursday, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the legal team of the men now have access to the court order commuting their death sentences, adding that it was a “confidential document”. “What we can tell you, confirm to you is, that the death penalty has now been converted into varying prison sentences for the eight Indian nationals,” he said, adding that they have 60 days to appeal the judgement in the Court of Cassation, Qatar’s highest court. He did not disclose the quantum of the jail terms.
• “It is for the legal team now to decide the next course of action,” he said. In parliament, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar described them as “ex-servicemen” of the country. The families of some of the men have also confirmed their identities and background in the Navy to local media.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67889415

BBC – Bangladesh elections: Why India matters across the border

• As Bangladesh gets ready to hold general elections on 7 January, the role of its giant neighbour India is being intensely discussed in the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking a fourth consecutive term and her win looks inevitable as the main opposition parties are boycotting the election.
• The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies say they have no faith that Ms Hasina will hold a free and fair election.
• Ms Hasina has always justified Dhaka’s close relationship with Delhi. During a visit to India in 2022, she said Bangladesh should not forget India, its government, people and armed forces as they stood beside the country during the independence war in 1971. This backing for her Awami League party has triggered sharp criticism from the opposition BNP.
• An Indian foreign ministry spokesperson refused to comment on the BNP’s allegations on Delhi’s alleged interference in Bangladesh polls. “Elections are a domestic matter to Bangladesh. It’s for the people of Bangladesh to decide their own future. As a close friend and partner of Bangladesh we would like to see peaceful elections there,” the spokesperson said in response to a question by the BBC.
• India is also concerned that the return of BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami party could pave the way for the return of Islamists in Bangladesh, as it had happened when the coalition was in power between 2001 and 2006. “They gave rise to so many of these jihadi groups which were used for various purposes, including the 2004 assassination attempt on Ms Hasina and the capture of 10 trucks full of arms that came from Pakistan,” Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, a former Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka told the BBC.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67860458

(The Report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)