By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from October 01 – October 07

Sputniknews.in – ‘Historic Achievement’: Modi Hails Indian Athletes For Record Asian Games Show

• Before the Asian Games commenced in Hangzhou, the Indian contingent aimed to win 100 medals at the prestigious continental event.
• On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Indian athletes for their record performance in the 19th Asian Games held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
• With 107 medals in Asia’s Olympics, the Indian athletes collected their best-ever tally of medals at the Games.
• The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951 and in the 18 editions before Hangzhou, India’s best tally in the event was 70, recorded in 2018 in Jakarta.
• However, according to Modi, the Indian athletes broke the 100-medal mark in Hangzhou through their “unwavering determination, relentless spirit and hard work.”

(For detailed report click on the link – https://sputniknews.in/20231008/historic-achievement-modi-hails-indian-athletes-for-record-asian-games-show-4672115.html)

Sputniknews.in – India Asks Citizens in Israel to ‘Observe Safety Protocols’

• A ‘state of war’ was declared by Israel on Saturday after at least 5,000 rockets were fired by Hamas militants from Gaza. This is said to be the biggest attack on Israel in years.
• Indian citizens living in Israel have been asked to observe safety protocols and remain vigilant amid a declared “state of war” in the country.
• In a statement on Saturday, the Indian Embassy also urged the citizens to “exercise caution, avoid unnecessary movement and stay close to safety shelters.”
• Along with this, the embassy also shared an emergency contact number and an email id for Indian citizens so that they could contact it when needed.
• The advisory came hours after Israel declared a “state of war” following an attack by Hamas militants from Gaza.
• Soon after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “we are at war, and we will win” in a video statement.

(For detailed report click on the link –

https://sputniknews.in/20231007/india-asks-citizens-in-israel-to-observe-safety-protocols-4658897.html

Reuters –  Death toll rises to 40 after glacial lake flooding in Indian Himalayas, dozens still missing

• At least 40 people were killed after a glacial lake burst its banks and triggered flash floods this week in the Indian Himalayas, government officials told Reuters on Friday as rescuers searched for dozens missing for a second day.
• The Lhonak Lake in the mountainous northeastern state of Sikkim overflowed on Wednesday after a cloudburst triggered torrential rains and an apparent avalanche, causing major flooding in the Teesta river.
• It is one of the worst disasters in the region in more than 50 years and the latest in a series of extreme weather events that have caused widespread damage in South Asia’s Himalayas in recent years, blamed by scientists on climate change.
• Authorities in Sikkim said the latest disaster, which came ahead of a popular festive and tourism season in the scenic state, had impacted the lives of 22,000 people.
• “We got calls from people that river levels could rise at 3 a.m. and we ran for our lives,” said Javed Ahmed Ansari, 44, a resident of Teesta valley, who owns a river rafting business.
• “We ran towards the hill in the jungle … We saw houses getting swept away. I can now only see the first floor of our house which is filled with sand, everything is submerged.”
• Scientists and government authorities were working on an early warning system for glacial floods at Lhonak Lake which could have given people more time to evacuate if fully operational, officials involved in the project told Reuters.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/least-40-killed-after-glacial-lake-flooding-indian-himalayas-officials-2023-10-06/)

AP – India says it’s firm on Canada reducing diplomatic staff in the country but sets no deadline

• India said Thursday it has set no deadline so far but remains determined to reduce Canada’s diplomatic presence in the South Asian country amid a confrontation over Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver.
• New Delhi has dismissed the accusations as absurd. India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters at a news conference on Thursday that the two countries are discussing “modalities on achieving” parity as to the levels of diplomatic representation.
• Earlier this week, a Canadian official said India has told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country.
• Bagchi did not reply when asked whether Canada has provided credible evidence to back up its accusations but only reiterated New Delhi’s stand that it is open to look into “anything relevant and specific” that Canada may put forward.
• India has also canceled visas for Canadians. Canada has not retaliated for that. India previously expelled a senior Canadian diplomat after Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat.
• For years, India has accused Canada of giving free rein to Sikh separatists who have been fighting for the creation of “Khalistan,” a separate Sikh nation in India’s northern Punjab state.
• Bagchi on Thursday insisted that Canada improve the security situation for Indian diplomats there. New Delhi has argued that Indian diplomats in Canada are not safe going to and from their jobs at the diplomatic missions in the North American country because of an alleged climate of fear created by Sikh separatists.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://apnews.com/article/india-canada-diplomatic-row-sikh-separatists-bd4494551022fa12a707d9e480687613 )

BBC – Chandrayaan-3: India Moon lander’s reawakening unlikely as lunar night looms

• On Friday, former Indian space agency chief G Madhavan Nair told the BBC that “since Vikram lander has not sent any communication so far, chances of its waking up are extremely remote”.
• “It is not designed to withstand the extreme weather conditions on the Moon where night temperatures can go down to -200C to -250C (-328F to -418F),” he said.
• Mylswamy Annadurai, chief of India’s first Moon mission, told the BBC that “attempts will still be made once in a while to communicate with Vikram lander”, but they will have to be tapped down.
• “We can’t keep resources locked up indefinitely to wake up the Moon lander. We have to move them to tracking Aditya L-1, India’s first mission to study the Sun. Now Aditya needs to be watched and the attention would shift there,” he said.
• “We have to accept that it’s there and move on,” he added.
• Isro has provided regular updates on the lander and the rover’s movements and findings, and shared images taken by them.
• It has also said the mission had met all its stated objectives. A few days back, Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel said “the lander performing a hop experiment on the Moon was unplanned and exceeded its mission objectives”, India Today reported.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67026006)

BBC – The mysteries of a mass graveyard of early Indians

• Scientists estimate the presence of at least 500 graves at the 40-acre burial site in Gujarat
• Scientists have unveiled a sprawling burial site in India belonging to one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations. In 2019, as scientists embarked on excavating a mound of sandy soil near a remote village in the sparsely populated Kutch region, situated not far from Pakistan in India’s western state of Gujarat, they had no inkling of the surprise that lay in store for them.
• “When we began digging, we thought it was an ancient settlement. Within a week, we realised it was a cemetery,” says Rajesh SV, an archaeologist with the University of Kerala, who led the search.
• More chemical studies and DNA testing of the human remains will tell us more about some of the earliest Indians who lived and died here.
• Mysteries about the Indus civilisation endure: the writing, for example, has still not been deciphered. This winter, scientists plan to excavate a site north of the cemetery near Khatiya aiming to uncover a potential settlement. If they find one, one part of the puzzle will be solved. If they don’t, they will continue to dig. “Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we will have some answers,” says Mr Rajesh.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66562257)

Financial Times – Steel plants and cinemas: Modi banks on Indian business to bring Kashmir into the fold

• Contested region has been pacified since New Delhi scrapped special constitutional status in 2019 crackdown

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.ft.com/content/5c160baf-d143-4d43-9720-87ee5f4a5b35)

Gulf News – Nanoparticle emissions from vehicles in Delhi may raise health risks: Study

• Various previous studies have shown that inhaling nanoparticles are harmful as they can get deposited in the human body causing lung flammation, neurological problems and more.
• Vehicular emissions that release toxic nanoparticles in Delhi may be hazardous to health, according to a study.
• Nanoparticles or ultrafine particles are usually defined as a particle of matter that is between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter and are invisible to the naked eye.
• Due to rapid urbanisation, Delhi experiences frequent pollution events, and the particulate matter load exceeds the prescribed limit often.
• The study, led by researchers from the Delhi Technological University (DTU), analyses nanoparticles (10 to 1090 nanometre) during different emission scenarios, seasonal and meteorological conditions in two phases: April to June 2021 (Period I) and October to November 2021 (Period II).

(For detailed report click on the link – https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/nanoparticle-emissions-from-vehicles-in-delhi-may-raise-health-risks-study-1.1696428798372)

Reuters – Indian police widen probe into funding of news portal

• Indian police expanded on Thursday an investigation into suspected illegal foreign funding of a news portal, accusing it in court of having sought to create an incorrect map of the country and also sabotage general elections in 2019.
• An official of the home (interior) ministry said Delhi police began questioning nine journalists and social activists linked to the portal NewsClick, including six people first questioned on Tuesday.
• Police told a court on Wednesday they sought custody of the two officials because NewsClick emails accessed by investigators showed them, and the firm’s American billionaire funder, Neville Roy Singham, “discussing how to create a map of India without Kashmir and to show Arunachal Pradesh as disputed area”.
• Police also told the court that NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha conspired with a little-known group to “sabotage the electoral process during 2019 general elections”, but gave no details.
• In its statement of Wednesday, NewsClick added that it had been accused of crimes under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for purportedly carrying Chinese propaganda on its website.
• A day earlier, officials said the investigation followed a New York Times report in August that identified NewsClick as part of a global network receiving funds from Singham, allegedly to publish Chinese propaganda.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-police-widen-probe-into-funding-news-portal-2023-10-05/)

(The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)