By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from November 19 – November 25

Reuters – India warns Facebook, YouTube to enforce rules to deter deepfakes – sources

• India’s government on Friday warned social media firms including Facebook (META.O) and YouTube to repeatedly remind users that local laws prohibit them from posting deepfakes and content that spreads obscenity or misinformation, two sources told Reuters.
• The warning was conveyed by deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a closed-door meeting where he said many companies had not updated their usage terms despite 2022 rules that prohibit content “harmful” to children, obscene or that “impersonates another person”.
• It comes amid growing concerns over deepfakes – realistic yet fabricated videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms trained on online footage – which a top minister this week said this week India is drawing up rules to address.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-warns-facebook-youtube-enforce-rules-deter-deepfakes-sources-2023-11-24/)

Khaleej Times – India donates $2.5 million to UN agency for Palestinian refugees

• Earlier on Sunday, India had delivered 32 tonnes of humanitarian assistance via the El Arish Airport in Egypt
• India has donated $2.5 million to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, prompting the UNRWA on Tuesday to welcome the generous contribution at a “difficult time”, particularly in Gaza.
• During an Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference for UNRWA held on June 23, 2020, India announced that it would contribute $10 million to UNRWA over the next two years.
• During the first-ever Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Palestine in February 2018, India increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the UNRWA core budget, from $1.25 million to $5 million

(For detailed report click on : https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/mena/india-donates-2-5-million-to-un-agency-for-palestinian-refugees)

Reuters – Property seized in money laundering probe linked to Indian opposition’s Gandhis

• India’s money laundering investigators on Tuesday said they seized properties worth 7.52 billion Indian rupees ($90.34 million) in a probe linked to a nine-year-old complaint against opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia.
• The property belonged to a firm that published the National Herald newspaper, founded in 1937 by India’s first prime minister and Rahul Gandhi’s great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The seized assets include properties spread across Indian cities including New Delhi and Mumbai as well as investments in equity shares, the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/property-seized-money-laundering-probe-linked-indian-oppositions-gandhis-2023-11-21/)

DW – Myanmar’s rebel offensive: How worried should India be?

• A Myanmar rebel offensive that analysts say poses a threat to the miliary junta’s grip on power has led to growing concerns about a spillover of tensions into border areas in India’s northeast.
• India has been cautiously eying an expanding rebel offensive by the “Three Brotherhood Alliance” (3BHA) in neighboring Myanmar.
• India has called for an end to the violence. “We reiterate our call for the return of peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar,” India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters.
• Avinash Paliwal, who teaches at SOAS University in London, said that Indian authorities have adopted a dual defensive approach of continuing to support the junta to avoid dislocation of their broader interests in Myanmar, while beefing up cross border checks.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.dw.com/en/myanmars-rebel-offensive-how-worried-should-india-be/a-67507328)

Bloomberg – India to Host ‘Quad’ Meet Next Year as China’s Influence Grows

• New Delhi will host a meeting of the Quad, a regional partnership that comprises Japan, India, US and Australia, early next year as the group looks to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Australia and India held the second 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue and discussed intelligence sharing on shipping and military activities along with trade and investments.
• Separately, the two nations also agreed to News Media House: Bloomberg Author: Sudhi Ranjan Sen Filed from: NA Wire News 19 jointly map the Indian Ocean sea floor which is critical for submarine operations and work out formal arrangements for air-to-air refueling, according to a statement from India’s defense ministry.
• In April 2022, the two countries also signed the precursor on the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expected to visit India next year to sign the economic agreement.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-21/india-to-host-quad-meet-next-year-as-china-s-influence-grows)

New York Times – India Faces Questions About Another Reported Foreign Assassination Plot

• U.S. officials did not publicly accuse India of trying to orchestrate the killing of the dual citizen, reported by news outlets to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a vocal advocate of the cause of Sikh separatism.
• Responding to those reports, which cited anonymous U.S. officials, the Indian foreign ministry issued a vaguely worded statement acknowledging discussion with the United States on the matter.
• “The U.S. side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries, and they decided to take necessary follow-up action,” the statement said.
• A new case was filed against him this week following his comments about Air India.
• “Pannun’s assertions and threats have triggered a high alert as well as investigations by security forces in Canada, India and certain other countries where Air India flies,” India’s National Investigation Agency said in a statement after filing the case.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/23/world/asia/india-assassination-plot.html)

New York Times – At BRICS Summit, Countries Diverge Slightly on Israel and War in Gaza

• They called for the release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive, as well as a humanitarian truce that would lead to a cessation of hostilities.
• The BRICS group of developing countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — held a virtual summit on the war in Gaza on Tuesday, articulating divergent positions on the conflict that together reflected the reluctance of some nations outside the world’s largest industrialized democracies to fall in behind Washington’s support for Israel. 
• But the statement obscured subtle differences among the positions of the BRICS members. South Africa voiced stronger criticism of Israel than China, Brazil and Russia did, while India took a quieter approach.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India did not address the gathering, and it was unclear whether this reflected a shift in the country’s position on the war in Gaza.
• Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks, Mr. Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter, that India stood in “solidarity with Israel.” Late last month, India also abstained from a U.N. General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, arguing that the text did not condemn Hamas.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/world/middleeast/brics-summit-israel-gaza-war.html)

The Washington Post – How the World Bank’s new boss is navigating a clash over climate change

• Ajay Banga, born and raised in India, has ties to the developing world and corporate finance. Can he navigate the divide on climate change? Fighting climate change increasingly comes down to money — who has it, who doesn’t and who has the levers to help the world’s developing countries withstand the ravages of climate change.
• A product of elite schools in India, Banga became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2007.
• To this day, he often cites stories from India, which led the world with $4.3 billion of borrowing from the World Bank, to illustrate the links between poverty and climate change.
• Many farmers in India, he says, expect and depend upon two crops a year because of the nation’s temperate climate and regular rainfall. But sometimes the rains do not come and farmers are left with one crop, which triggers a cascade of other problems and inequities.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/20/ajay-banga-world-bank-climate-change/)

AP – India in G20 summit welcomes Israel-Hamas cease-fire, urges action on climate, other issues

• India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed a cease-fire in Gaza that’s expected to enable the release of dozens of hostages taken by Hamas, and urged leaders of the top rich and developing nations to work together to ensure the Israel-Hamas war doesn’t expand.
• Hosting a virtual meeting of Group of 20 leaders, Modi said the hostages should be released and humanitarian assistance expedited. India has the G20 presidency for 2023. “Terrorism is not acceptable and civilians’ death is condemnable,” he said.
• U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and China’s Premier Li Qiang represented their countries at the virtual summit. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attending the virtual summit.
• Putin in his speech pointed to shifts on the global stage to argue that the world is going through a process of radical transformation with “new, powerful centers of global economic development emerging and strengthening.”

(For detailed report click on : https://apnews.com/article/india-g20-virtual-summit-2fb49905776532b01d9eb094cc82cba0)

AP – India restores e-visa services for Canadians. The move could ease diplomatic tensions

• India restored electronic visa services for Canadian nationals, an Indian foreign ministry official said Wednesday, two months after Canada alleged the South Asian nation was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.
• The electronic visa was back in order on Wednesday, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters.
• The move could ease tensions between the two countries that swapped accusations and expelled each other’s diplomats, with India introducing a visa ban on Canadian nationals.
• India eased the ban and resumed services for entry, business, medical and conference visas for Canadian nationals.

(For detailed report click on the : https://apnews.com/article/india-canada-electronic-visa-restored-7e005db054584819ef03e16b34ada122)

Bloomberg – India Closer to Agreement With Tesla to Import EVs, Set Up Plant

• Factory being considered in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu.
• India is closing in on an agreement with Tesla Inc. that would allow the US automaker to ship its electric cars to the country from next year and set up a factory within two years, according to people familiar with the Indian government’s thinking.

(For detailed report click on : India Closer to Agreement With Tesla to Import EVs, Set Up Plant – Bloomberg

AP – India, Australia commit to boosting strategic ties as their diplomats and defense chiefs hold talks

• India and Australia on Tuesday said they were committed to boosting economic and strategic ties, as their top diplomats shared concerns over China, regional security and the Israel-Hamas war.
• Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong a day after the two along with the countries’ defense chiefs held talks in New Delhi.
• Jaishankar said he and Wong took stock of their growing ties in trade and defense, and there was “a real momentum” in their relationship.
• The Indo-Pacific was a key priority for both countries, they said. Both Jaishankar and Wong said their nations are committed to a free, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
• While neither of them named China, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles on Monday said China remained a top concern for India and Australia.
• “For both of us, China is our biggest trading partner. For both of us, China is our biggest security anxiety,” Marles said.
• India and Australia are also working to strengthen the Quad, a security alliance that also includes Japan and the United States.

(For detailed report click on : https://apnews.com/article/india-australia-talks-ccaecb76ae2d9e029aa80554b55f3e02)

Reuters – India’s most populous state bans some Halal-certified products

• Authorities in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh have banned the distribution and sale of Halal-certified products, including dairy, garments and medicines saying it was illegal.
• Bakery products, sugar, edible oil and other products which were labelled as ‘Halal-certified’ by the companies manufacturing them would be banned from distribution and sale, a state government notification said on Saturday.
• Uttar Pradesh, which is ruled by firebrand Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, who belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, is India’s largest and most populous state. • Both Adityanath and his government have been accused by critics of having a divisive

(For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-most-populous-state-bans-some-halal-certified-products-2023-11-20/)

(The Report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)