By TNV Desk
This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from July 23,2023 to July 29,2023
The Economist – China wants to choose the next Dalai Lama. He has other plans
- The boy’s existence had been little more than a rumour. When he appeared during a ceremony in March on a small throne below the Dalai Lama, the ageing leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the monks and nuns in the audience didn’t seem to recognise him. The boy, about eight years old with short black hair, wore a copper-tinted robe with oversized cuffs covering his hands and – as if to add to the mystery – a white mask over his face.
- Midway through the ceremony, held in Dharamsala, the north Indian refuge for Tibetan exiles, the Dalai Lama paused and gestured nonchalantly toward the boy: “We have the reincarnation of Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché of Mongolia with us today.”
- The last Jetsun Dhampa – one of the religion’s most important figures – died in 2012. But the significance of the announcement was not only religious. The Dalai Lama had managed to outmanoeuvre China in the geopolitical chess game of reincarnationTens of thousands of Tibetan refugees followed the Dalai Lama, arriving in India with no skills and few prospects for employment beyond road construction and farming.
- A skirmish in 2020 between Indian and Chinese troops left some 20 dead, and 50,000 troops are still massed on either side of the border. If the next Dalai Lama is discovered there, China would be outraged – and it could signal that India, which has maintained a studied silence on the question of Tibet, is ready to take a more confrontational stance.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.economist.com/1843/2023/07/27/china-wants-to-choose-the-next-dalai-lama-he-has-other-plans)
Bloomberg – China’s Push to Expand BRICS Membership Falters
- India and Brazil are pushing back against a Chinese bid to rapidly expand the BRICS group of emerging markets to grow its political clout and counter the US, officials with knowledge of the matter said.
- Brazil wants to avoid expansion partly because of these worries, while India wants strict rules on how and when other nations could move closer to the group, without formally expanding it India and Brazil want to use the summit to discuss potentially bringing in additional countries with observer status, the officials said.
- India has put forward the idea that BRICS nations should look to emerging economies as well as democracies like Argentina and Nigeria if they want to expand the group, rather than Saudi Arabia, with its dynastic and autocratic rule, one of the officials said.
- India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed issues with Saudi Arabia’s potential admission with the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman last month, the official said.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-28/india-brazil-push-back-against-china-over-brics-expansion#xj4y7vzkg)
France24 – G20 environment ministers fail to reach agreement on climate crisis
- Environment ministers from G20 nations failed to agree on peaking global emissions by 2025 and other crucial issues to address the global climate crisis at their meeting in India on Friday, France’s representative said.
- No breakthrough was possible on several key points ahead of this year’s COP28 climate talks, with negotiations also failing to reach a consensus on drastically scaling up renewable energy use.
- “We are not able to reach an agreement of increasing drastically renewable energies, we are not able to reach an agreement on phasing out or down fossil fuels, especially coal,” he said.
- “Records of temperatures, catastrophes, giant fires, and we are not able to reach an agreement on the peaking (of) emissions by 2025.”
- The discussions with China, Saudi Arabia, and on climate issues with Russia had been “complicated”, he added.
- The Chennai meeting comes days after energy ministers from the bloc — which represents more than 80 percent of global GDP and CO2 emissions — failed to agree on a roadmap to cut fossil fuels from the global energy mix.
- That was seen as a blow to mitigation efforts even as climate experts blame record global temperatures for triggering floods, storms and heatwaves.
- Some major oil producers — such as Russia and Saudi Arabia — were blamed for the lack of progress.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230728-g20-environment-ministers-race-to-reach-climate-consensus-1)
BBC – Sudha Murty: Why her comment over spoons divided Indians
- Food is used across the world to unite people. But in India, a comment from popular author, philanthropist and educator Sudha Murty on her food habits has set social media abuzz with a lively debate about vegetarianism.
- The lives of Ms Murty and her husband – Indian software billionaire NR Narayana Murthy – have been under a lot more scrutiny ever since their son-in-law Rishi Sunak became the prime minister of Britain.
- But the 72-year-old mother and grandmother’s recent remark – made on a popular food show called “Khaane Mein Kya Hai?”, which roughly translates to “What’s for lunch/dinner?” – has seen her name trend on Twitter for three full days.
- Describing herself as “a pure vegetarian” who doesn’t even eat eggs, Ms Murty said that on her travels abroad, she often carried her own food and that “one of my biggest fears is that the same spoon may have been used for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes”.
- Ms Murty’s critics say that someone of her stature and eminence should be more aware of what she says in public.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66336500)
BBC – Bawaal: Bollywood film accused of trivialising Holocaust
- A Jewish organisation has written to Amazon Prime asking the streaming service to remove Bollywood film Bawaal from its platform for its “insensitive portrayal” of the Holocaust.
- The Simon Wiesenthal Center says the film trivialises the “suffering and systematic murder of millions”.
- Many in India have also criticised the film for the way it has used the Holocaust in the romantic drama. But the cast and director have called the criticism unwarranted.
- Websites that track the performance of Bollywood films have declared Bawaal a commercial hit – they say it has already attracted between six and seven million views and, on Thursday, the Prime Video app showed it leading the “Top 10 in India” list.
- But ever since its release, the film has been making news for the wrong reasons – it did not get many positive reviews, with critics pointing out that the use of the Holocaust imagery and dialogue was in bad taste. In another instance, she says “every relationship goes through their Auschwitz” – a reference to Nazi Germany’s largest death camp where almost a million Jews were killed.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66323528)
BBC – Manipur video: Minister Amit Shah says CBI to investigate sexual assault
- Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would take over the case from police in violence-hit Manipur state.The video, filmed in Manipur, showed two women being paraded naked and groped and molested by a mob.
- Deadly violence has plunged Manipur, a scenic Indian state bordering Myanmar, into turmoil for almost three months. Clashes have erupted between members of the majority Meitei and the minority Kuki tribal communities, leaving at least 130 dead and displacing tens of thousands.
- According to the police, seven people have been arrested so far in connection with the case. Mr Shah told journalists on Thursday that the person who allegedly recorded the incident has also been arrested. The government has also asked India’s Supreme Court to transfer the trial in the case out of Manipur, he said.
- Opposition leaders have demanded that Mr Modi address parliament about the issue. They have also moved a no-trust motion against Mr Modi’s government which they say will force him to speak on the ethnic clashes.
- Mr Shah has said his government was “ready to have a discussion” but blamed the opposition for not allowing it.
- He said on Thursday that six rounds of talks had been held with representatives from Kukis and Meiteis, with retired bureaucrats and judges acting as interlocutors.
- “They have made good progress and encouraged the hope that we may soon be able to get them to the negotiating table,” he told the Times of India newspaper.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66333890)
Reuters – India’s offer to privatise rocket has 20 potential bidders
- The Indian government’s effort to privatise part of its space programme by opening bids to build its small satellite launch rocket has attracted initial interest from 20 companies, an official overseeing the process told Reuters.
- India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation, the national space agency, and had its first successful satellite launch in February.
- India’s newly created space regulatory body, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, known as IN-SPACe, opened the process on July 11 by allowing qualified companies to register an interest.
- Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, said 20 companies had submitted an “expression of interest” (EOI) in the rocket programme.
- INSPACe will have a pre-EOI consultation with these 20 applicants within two weeks, Goenka told Reuters.
- India is aiming to increase its share of the global satellite launch market by fivefold within the next decade.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-offer-privatise-rocket-has-20-potential-bidders-2023-07-27/)
Reuters – Harley-Davidson CEO says India model pre-orders ‘exceeding expectations’
- Harley-Davidson (HOG.N) said on Thursday that pre-orders were “exceeding expectations” for a new model the U.S. big-bike maker launched this month in India in partnership with a local manufacturer.
- Harley and British rival Triumph have unveiled their cheapest models globally in India, the largest motorbike market by sales, to tap into higher spending in premium segments across categories as varied as mobile phones and cars.
- “We’ve been extremely pleased with the reception that the X440 has received since launch, with pre-orders exceeding initial expectations from launch,” Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz said on an earnings call with analysts.
- The motorcycle makers, however, will have to reckon with India’s 100-plus-year-old brand Royal Enfield, which has an entrenched fan base with a large number of showrooms and a strong after-sales service network.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/harley-davidson-ceo-says-india-model-pre-orders-exceeding-expectations-2023-07-27/)
Reuters – India’s prime minister’s office probing dumping of Chinese stainless steel, Jindal Stainless executive says
- India’s Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has launched a probe into potential dumping of Chinese stainless steel products into the country, Abhyuday Jindal, managing director of Jindal Stainless said on Wednesday.
- Jindal also said that Chinese stainless steel products have taken over around 30% of India’s domestic market at 15-20% lower prices than local products.
- Earlier this month, Reuters had reported that India was likely to reject the call to impose CVD to protect steel consuming firms from higher prices.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/indias-pmo-probing-dumping-chinese-stainless-steel-jindal-stainless-exec-2023-07-26/)
Gulf Today – Tiger conservation mitigating climate change
- India’s tiger conservation policy has helped in preserving and increasing tiger populations and played a role in climate change mitigation by avoiding forest loss according to latest research findings, a Mongabay-India report highlights.
- Citing a study published in Nature in May 2023,’Climate co-benefits of tiger conservation’, the Mongabay-India report points out that India is home to more than 70% of the world’s endangered tiger population.
- The report adds that enhanced conservation management of tiger reserves in India has helped avoid forest loss, preventing one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. This represents $93 million in ecosystem services from the avoided social cost of emissions.
- Researchers say that findings suggest that integrating species conversation programmes into global carbon markets could provide additional opportunities for funding the protection and restoration of natural habitats. The Mongabay-India report highlights that carbon markets are well-established trading systems where carbon credits, representing a reduction or removal of greenhouse gas emissions, are bought and sold.
- But the report also states that some experts feel tiger conservation does not represent a useful co-benefit for carbon sequestration in India’s protected area landscape
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.gulftoday.ae/opinion/2023/07/25/tiger-conservation-mitigating-climate-change)
AP – What are cloudbursts and is climate change making them more frequent?
- Last Saturday, Mohammed Aslam was working in his kitchen garden when he heard his fellow villagers shouting that water was coming from the nearby foothills in southern Kulgam area in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Within moments, the farmer said, mud and muck from gushing water swept through the village, damaging scores of homes.
- Intense rainfall in the Himalayan regions of India’s Kashmir state and the adjacent mountainous cold desert of Ladakh last week destroyed roads and caused flooding of dozens of villages. • Cloudbursts are a common occurrence in Himalayan regions but experts are alarmed by the increase in extreme weather-related events
(For details click on the link – https://apnews.com/article/cloudbursts-india-climate-change-extreme-weather-kashmir-d67ef786514bbe04bad8b48c0f34ae73)
Reuter – Exclusive: India pharma exports soaring despite cough syrup deaths, trade body says
- India’s pharmaceutical exports this fiscal year are set to grow nearly twice as fast as last year to hit sales of $27 billion, driven by strong U.S. buying, a government-backed trade body told Reuters, despite deaths linked to Indian-made cough syrups.
- India is the world’s third largest maker of drugs by volume after the United States and China, and senior pharma trade official Udaya Bhaskar said the country was too big a player for buyers to move away because of “these aberrations” in Gambia and Uzbekistan.
- India’s pharma exports rose 3.25% in the year to March 31 to $25.4 billion and Bhaskar said it was set to grow by about 6.3% to $27 billion this fiscal year.
- India has denied links to the deaths in Gambia but found another company guilty of sending adulterated products to Uzbekistan and cancelled its licence. The company, Marion Biotech, has denied wrongdoing.
- Gambia has made it mandatory for all Indian drugs to be tested before being exported to the African country since July 1. India has since June 1 made it compulsory for all cough syrups to be tested before export.
- Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year and until June 5 this year, India’s pharma exports to Russia fell 4.6% to about $691 million from the corresponding period a year earlier, a government source told Reuters.
(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/india-pharma-exports-surging-despite-cough-syrup-deaths-trade-body-2023-07-25/)
(The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)
