By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from July 09, 2023 to July 15,2023

 

Reuters – India blasts Chandrayaan-3 lander toward moon’s south pole

• India’s space agency launched a rocket on Friday that sent a spacecraft into orbit and toward a planned landing next month on the lunar south pole, an unprecedented feat that would advance India’s position as a major space power.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) LVM3 launch rocket blasted off from the country’s main spaceport in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Friday afternoon, leaving behind a plume of smoke and fire.
• About 16 minutes later, ISRO’s mission control announced that the rocket had succeeded in putting the Chandrayaan-3 lander into an Earth orbit that will send it looping toward a moon landing next month.
• If the mission succeeds, India would join a group of three other countries that have managed a controlled lunar landing, including the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.
• The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would also be the first to land at the lunar south pole, an area of special interest for space agencies and private space companies because of the presence of water ice that could support a future space station.

For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/india-readies-rocket-aimed-landing-moons-south-pole-2023-07-14/

 

The Newyork Times – India Launches Lunar Mission With a Shot at Winning This Year’s Moon Race

• India is on its way back to the moon after a rocket lifted off from Sriharikota, a launch site off the country’s East Coast, on Friday afternoon local time.
• Last month, India reached an agreement with the United States to send a joint mission to the International Space Station next year. The Indian Space Research Organization — India’s equivalent of NASA — is also developing its own spacecraft to take astronauts to orbit.
• As crowds waving Indian flags and colorful umbrellas cheered, the rocket rose into the sky. Sixteen minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the rocket’s upper stage, and a round of cheering and clapping erupted in the mission control center.
• While scientists will benefit from the lunar data collected by Chandrayaan-3, India, like other countries, is also exploring the solar system for reasons of national pride.
• When the country’s Mangalyaan spacecraft entered orbit around Mars in 2014, children across India were asked to arrive at school by 6:45 a.m., well before the usual starting time, to watch the event on state television.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/science/india-moon-launch-chandrayaan-3.html?searchResultPosition=1)

 

The Independent – Chandrayaan-3: What to expect from India’s mission to Moon’s south pole

• India is making its second attempt to achieve the unprecedented soft landing of a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole with the Chandrayaan-3 mission launched on Friday.
• The mission is a successor of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) failed attempt in 2019 to land a rover on the lunar surface, in which a last-minute glitch sent the spacecraft crash-landing into the Moon’s surface.
• A successful mission would make India only the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to have landed a rover on the Moon, and it would be the closest landing yet of any space vehicle to the lunar south pole.
• If the mission finds elements like hydrogen and oxygen it could have a significant impact on the future of deep space exploration

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.independent.co.uk/space/chandrayaan-india-moon-south-pole-b2375105.html)

 

Bloomberg – India’s Modi to Discuss Climate Change, COP28 on UAE Visit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, on Saturday as the two countries look to work closely on climate change.
• The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and the two countries have a strong partnership in the field of energy security, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters Wednesday. Modi’s visit will allow both sides “to review this important relationship.”
• The UAE is India’s special invitee at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi in September, along with Oman and Egypt. Modi will stop over on his way back from France.
• The UAE and India are committed to expanding their renewable energy base in the future but strongly defend the use of fossil fuels to power economic growth.
• The two countries are keen that developed nations and blocs such as the US and EU meet funding commitments for energy transitions for the developing world

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-12/india-s-modi-to-discuss-climate-change-cop28-on-uae-visit#xj4y7vzkg)

 

The Guardian – Drone footage captures parts of New Delhi underwater after river bursts its banks – video

• Drone footage shows New Delhi’s flooded River Yamuna. Parts of India’s capital were submerged after the river’s levels reached their highest in 45 years, following unusually heavy rainfall.
• As the river breached its banks, hundreds of people were evacuated. Since the monsoon season began on 1 June, Delhi has recorded 113% above-average rainfall, according to the Indian meteorological department

(For detailed report click on the link –https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2023/jul/14/drone-footage-captures-parts-of-new-delhi-underwater-after-river-bursts-its-banks-video

 

 

Reuters – Floods force Indian capital to shut schools, offices, and plan water rationing

• Flooding in parts of New Delhi forced the city government to close all education institutions in India’s capital on Thursday and advise people to work from home, while warning that there would be water rationing after the Yamuna river broke its banks.
• Since the rainy monsoon season began on June 1, Delhi has recorded 113% above-average rainfall, the India Meteorological Department said, and the rains in the hilly states to the north have fed the river’s floodwaters.
• Video footage showed submerged roads in the downtown area, where government and private companies’ offices are located, with water half-way up the sides of parked cars. Other images showed the road by the city’s historical Red Fort under water.
• “I appeal to all the people of Delhi to cooperate with each other in every possible way in this emergency,” Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, warning that water supplies would be badly affected.
• “Due to closure of water treatment plants, the supply of water will be affected by up to 25%. That’s why water rationing will be done,” Kejriwal told reporters.
• The city of 20 million people has ordered the closure of all schools, colleges and universities until Sunday and stopped non-essential government staff from coming to office, Kejriwal said, adding that private firms were also being advised “to implement work from home.”

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-capital-faces-drinking-water-shortage-pumps-flooded-2023-07-13/

 

Bloomberg – River Spills Onto Roads Around Red Fort as Delhi Hit by Floods

• The Yamuna river has spilled onto roads surrounding Delhi’s historic Red Fort, reclaiming its ancient flowpath as India’s capital is hit by severe flooding.
• Famous as the location from where prime ministers make their Independence Day speeches, the Red Fort was the showpiece of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan when he shifted his seat of power to Delhi in the 17th century.
• In Delhi, schools, colleges and universities are closed through Sunday and offices are asking their staff to work from home. About 25% of the city’s water supply will be affected due to the closure of its three treatment plants. Railway and traffic.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-14/yamuna-reclaims-ancient-banks-around-red-fort-as-delhi-floods#xj4y7vzkg)

 

AP – New Delhi schools close after monsoon floods kill at least 15, Pakistan on alert for more flooding

• Schools in New Delhi were closed on Monday after heavy monsoon rains battered the Indian capital and caused landslides and flash floods in the country’s north, killing at least 15 people over the last three days.
• One person died in New Delhi and four were killed in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir.
• India regularly witnesses severe floods during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. The rains are crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season but often cause extensive damage.
• In neighboring Pakistan, which has also been pelted by monsoon rains, authorities were on alert for the season’s first flooding after India diverted waters from dams into the Ravi River, which flows from India into Pakistan.
• Pakistan said New Delhi had informed Islamabad about the release of water into the Ravi, as it is required to do under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty brokered by the World Bank.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://apnews.com/article/india-pakistan-monsoon-floods-rain-0a89c5a019b2363a7baa1717111c7939)

 

 

Reuters – U.S. military deals not enough to wean India off Russian arms yet

• India’s multi-billion-dollar purchases of U.S. arms are less about shifting its reliance on Russian defence equipment and moving towards the West – it’s more about developing its own domestic weapons industry, security officials and analysts say.
• India is the world’s biggest arms importer but almost all of its major weapons purchases now include provisions for joint manufacture or technology transfer, irrespective of which country it is dealing with.
• India announced significant purchases of U.S. defence equipment during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington last month, including an over one billion dollar order for GE (GE.N) engines for fighter jets. A possible $3 billion deal for MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones is also being discussed.
• Eric Garcetti, the U.S. ambassador to India, said Washington had earlier paid “lip service” but was now easing India’s access to military technologies. He said the U.S. was “leaning in with technology” sharing more with India than it had with some its closest allies.
• However, the moves so far will not be sufficient to end New Delhi’s reliance on Russia while stringent U.S. rules governing the sharing of military technology limit future possibilities for now.
• Such problems have reinforced India’s resolve to become less dependent on Russia, but it does not want to rely on any one nation for its weapons purchases, they said.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/us-military-deals-not-enough-wean-india-off-russian-arms-yet-2023-07-10/)

 

Independent – India’s national capital gets record single-day rain as several parts across country face severe downpour

• Red alerts have been sounded for several regions across India facing heavy rainfall, while a record-breaking downpour in capital Delhi has led to waterlogging and brought daily life to a standstill.
• On Saturday, the national capital’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal cancelled leave for all government officers and asked them to inspect waterlogging problems, including widespread traffic snarls, that the city faces every time there is heavy rain.
• In addition to the waterlogging, the rainfall also caused disruptions in power and internet connectivity in several areas of Delhi.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/delhi-rain-india-red-alerts-b2371949.html)

 

The Wallstreet Journal – India to Buy French Rafale Jet Fighters, Submarines

• India is planning to buy jet fighters and submarines from France, according to officials, in the latest sign of New Delhi gravitating further toward the West after the Ukraine war and sanctions on Moscow cut off the flow of Russian-made weapons.
• India previously purchased its military equipment mainly from Russia but has sought in recent years to diversify. Moscow’s war on Ukraine is further eroding Russia’s share of the global arms trade, analysts say, as growing Western sanctions, Russia’s need to conserve arms output for itself and a reputational hit on the battlefield reduce its exports.
• Modi is set to have dinner with Macron on Thursday. He will attend Bastille Day celebrations on Friday in Paris, where around 240 Indian troops will take part in the military parade, French officials said

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.wsj.com/articles/india-to-buy-french-rafale-fighter-jets-submarines-5ea0231?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1)

 

Al Jazeera – Military deals in focus as France rolls out red carpet for Modi

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in France for a two-day visit as New Delhi signalled that it would approve plans to buy French jets and submarines.
• The Hindu nationalist leader was welcomed at Orly airport near Paris by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and met members of the Indian diaspora. Later, he is to attend a lavish dinner at the Louvre Museum with Macron.
• Analysts said that while France and India have differing positions on the Russia Ukraine war, these views are unlikely to impact the foundations of their relationship.
• Manoj Joshi, a senior analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, told Al Jazeera that the visit will focus on India-France ties and is “not really aimed at the European situation”.

“The differences between the Indian position and that of France is well known and is unlikely to be an issue,” Joshi said. Modi’s visit will boost the pair’s relationship.

• “France has a view of strategic autonomy which is much like that of India. As for the defence industry, again the relationship is old, and India is seeking to move it now from arms transfer and co-development to joint development of weapons and systems.”

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/13/military-deals-in-focus-as-france-rolls-out-red-carpet-for-modi)

 

Globe and Mail – ‘Heated’ demonstration at Indian consulate in Toronto sees one arrested

• A rally this weekend involving hundreds of people from Toronto’s South Asian community was “heated,” police said, but officers made only one arrest and that person was not charged.
• Sikh separatists squared off with counter protesters supporting the government of India at the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday, with both sides shouting at each other for hours from behind barrier fences.
• There were similar demonstrations in Vancouver, London, San Francisco and Melbourne on the weekend as Sikh protesters press for the province of Punjab to be carved from India to form an independent homeland called Khalistan.
• Pro -Khalistan Sikhs in Toronto allege that Indian envoys are engaging in foreign interference and trying to keep track of their activities in Canada.
• At the peak of Toronto’s protest, about 100 yellow -and -blue flags Khalistan flags flapped on the north side of Bloor Street East. This was about twice as many as the Indian tricolour flags on the south side of the street, where counterprotesters had gathered in front of the building where the Indian consulate occupies the seventh floor.
• On July 16, Toronto -area Sikhs will vote in a global referendum campaign asking them whether they want an independent Khalistan.
• Dozens of professionally printed placards bearing Mr. Nijjar’s image were distributed to pro -Khalistan protesters in Toronto with the text reading that he was “assassinated by India.”

For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-sikh-protests-toronto-vancouver/

 

Khaleez Times – India to bring back 150 artefacts from US in next 6 months

• About 150 Indian artefacts would be returned to the country by the United States in the next six months, according to a senior official.
• Addressing a Press briefing ahead of the third G20 Culture Working Group meeting, secretary in the Culture Ministry Govind Mohan said India had discussed the 1970 convention extensively among all the countries.
• “We are trying to develop a broad consensus that all these G20 countries should at least become signatories to the convention and certainly, India would be a big gainer from this process,” he said.
• Mohan said bilaterally also, India is working with countries like the United States.
• “If you have seen the joint statement of the prime minister’s visit to the United States recently, there is a mention about a cultural property agreement between India and the United States, where the United States will do everything within the government’s power to intercept smuggled goods at the borders and return them expeditiously,” he said.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/india-to-bring-back-150-artefacts-from-us-in-next-6-months?_refresh=true)

 

Independent – The India-Pakistan PUBG love story that has gripped a nation

• A Pakistani woman and her Indian partner were reunited after a court released them on bail following their arrest because she illegally crossed over to India to be with him.
• The couple told the court that they got married in Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu – a revered Hindu temple in the Nepal capital.
• The couple has become famous on the internet and are being referred to in both countries as the real-life Veer Zara – a reference to a popular Bollywood movie by the same name which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers from India and Pakistan.
• The couple has become famous on the internet and are being referred to in both countries as the real-life Veer Zara – a reference to a popular Bollywood movie by the same name which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers from India and Pakistan.
• The court has however put a condition on Ms Haider – she has been asked to not change her residence till the case was ongoing. It was reported that the couple has been asked to mark their presence before the court regularly.
• Hemant Krishna Parashar, a lawyer representing the Indo-Pak couple, said that the two married in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu earlier this year.
• Ms Haider has claimed that she would not be safe in Pakistan.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/seema-haider-pakistani-girl-pubg-b2373108.html)

 

 

 

The Guardian – Tomato crisis hits India as rain ravages crops and prices rise 400%

• Listening to the chatter at Delhi’s vegetable markets, only one question is on everyone’s lips: just how much will a tomato cost today?
• Prices of tomatoes, a staple of Indian cooking, have soared by more than 400% in recent weeks as the country has been gripped by a nationwide shortage.
• The shortage has been attributed to the irregular weather that has ravaged India during this year’s season for tomatoes, including unseasonable high rainfall in recent months, which devastated the growing crops and fuelled a deadly fungal disease.
• The shortage has even hit outlets of the fastfood chain McDonald’s in India. In branches of McDonald’s across north, east and south India, signs were put up to state that tomatoes would no longer be put in burgers and other dishes, due to a lack of availability.
• The human-caused climate emergency is making extreme rainfall more common and more intense, while heatwaves are increasingly likely to happen.
• Other staple produce, including onions, ginger and chillis have been affected by rising prices due to weather-related issues damaging the crops.
• Traders said it could take up to three months for supplies and prices to normalise, likely to

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/tomato-crisis-hits-india-as-rain-ravages-crops-and-prices-rise-400-percent)

 

(The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)