By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from October 15 – October 21

Reuters – India and Japan will be Asia’s next power couple

• India and Japan are edging closer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governments form part of the so-called Quad security grouping with the United States and Australia to counter Chinese expansionism in Asia. Now the two countries are setting up an investment fund together. It’s a fresh sign that financial ties will strengthen to match the geopolitical bond between the world’s third- and fifth largest economies.
• India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, which boasts nearly $5 billion in equity investments, said on Oct. 4 that it was setting up a $600 million fund with the government-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation to invest in renewable energy and other projects. That’s delivering on a pledge by Kishida to invest 5 trillion yen, or some $42 billion, into India over the next five years. India is already the largest recipient of Japan’s overseas development assistance.
• The South Asian country needs to invest heavily in upgrading infrastructure and moving to greener sources of energy. It will need $350 billion in power generation investment in the next decade to meet growing demand, Wood Mackenzie estimates. A fund with NIIF will help; Japanese lenders have unrivalled access to cheap funding thanks to their country’s ultra easy monetary policy and are hunting for overseas returns.
• India and Japan can partner further afield too. They are the world’s second- and third largest producers of steel.
• India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund on Oct. 4 said it was establishing a fund with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.  The India-Japan Fund will invest in India’s environmental preservation sector, including renewable energy, e-mobility businesses, and sectors such as waste management and water. The Indian government will contribute 49% towards the 49 billion rupee ($589 million) fund. The remaining 51% will be contributed by JBIC.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/india-japan-will-be-asias-next-power-couple-2023-10-19/)

DW- Kashmir: Ex-rebel’s wife finally returns to Pakistan

• The Pakistani wife of a former insurgent who accompanied him to India-administered Kashmir has returned to Karachi after 16 years of being separated from her loved ones across the border.
• Tears ran down Saira Javaid’s eyes when she finally returned to visit her hometown of Karachi in Pakistan.
• Saira is married to a former rebel, Javaid Ahmad, one of thousands of Kashmiri men who traveled from Indian-administered Kashmir into Pakistan in the early 1990s for training during the peak of an armed insurgency against Indian rule in the region.
• In 2010, authorities in India announced a rehabilitation policy and amnesty for former rebels while their families were stuck in Pakistan

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.dw.com/en/kashmir-ex-rebels-wife-finally-returns-to-pakistan/a-67134303)

DW – Indian army ramps up AI, but how effective will it be?

• With one eye on enhancing its operational capabilities, the Indian Army has been deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) surveillance systems along its borders with Pakistan and China.
• Officials pointed out that the army has deployed 140 AI-based surveillance systems, which include high-resolution cameras, sensors, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) feed and radar feed. These are then collected and applied through AI, all in the name of detecting intrusions at borders while classifying targets.
• Increasing deployment of AI

AI-based real-time monitoring software has also been deployed for generating intelligence in counter terrorist operations.

• The army has also begun leveraging hi-tech military simulator technologies to train its first batch of recruits, a trend that is likely to mark its prevalence across military training in the near future.
• “AI can be a game-changer in logistics, information operations, intelligence collection and analysis,” a senior defense ministry official told DW. “Though India’s adoption of military AI technology is relatively recent, we have made substantial progress in launching AI-enabled military devices.”
• Using AI-powered drones and robots to patrol borders provides increased coverage and reduces the need for human intervention in dangerous situations.
• The United States and India have also agreed to launch an inaugural Defense Artificial Intelligence Dialogue and expand their joint cyber training.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.dw.com/en/indian-army-ramps-up-ai-but-how-effective-will-it-be/a-67134664)

Bloomberg – India Plans to Launch Its First Crewed Moon Mission by 2040

• India plans to send its first crewed mission to the moon by 2040, building on a successful landing earlier this year. 
• The country is creating a road map for lunar exploration, which will involve a series of News Media House: Bloomberg Author: Ragini Saxena Wire News 10 missions, developing a next-generation launch vehicle and a new launchpad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said in a statement Tuesday.
• Placing humans on the moon would further bolster India’s position in the space race. The country became the first to land near the south pole in August after Russia failed in a similar attempt. The South Asian nation has also sent a probe to study the sun.
• India will demonstrate its human spaceflight capabilities in a mission called Gaganyaan, scheduled to launch in 2025. The country will set up a space station by 2035 and work on a Venus orbiter as well as a Mars lander, according to the statement.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-17/india-plans-to-launch-its-first-crewed-moon-mission-by-2040?leadSource=uverify%20wall)

Reuters – India to consider more LGBTQ rights but not legalising same-sex marriage, sources say

• India will consider giving equal financial rights and legal protection to the LGBTQ community but legalising same-sex marriage is not on the agenda despite the Supreme Court saying the onus for this is on parliament, two government sources said.
• India’s top court declined to give a ruling this week and said parliament should decide on whether to legalise same-sex marriage, agreeing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that the legislature is the forum to rule on the issue.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-consider-more-lgbtq-rights-not-legalising-same-sex-marriage-sources-2023-10-20/)

Reuters – EU only wants free trade deal with India that gives it ‘real’ market access

• European Union member states want to close a free trade deal with India, but only if it grants real access to the Asian country’s markets, Spanish Deputy Trade Minister Xiana Mendez said on Friday at an EU meeting chaired by her country.
• The EU and India last year revived negotiations to forge a free trade agreement that could act as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, but the bloc has deemed India’s proposals so far as too soft to lead to a comprehensive pact.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/markets/eu-only-wants-free-trade-deal-with-india-that-gives-it-real-market-access-2023-10-20/)

Globe & Mail – India-Canada relations are on the rocks. Should you invest there?

• When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rose in the House of Commons last month to accuse India of complicity in the June murder of a Canadian citizen, he plunged relations between the two countries into a deep freeze.
• What we do know is that the Indian government was enraged. India ordered dozens of Canadian diplomats out of the country (although that hasn’t happened yet), issued a warning against travel to Canada, suspended issuing visas, put a freeze on trade negotiations, and generally bad-mouthed this country at every opportunity.
• India now has the largest population in the world. It is a rising power, both politically and economically. In a report released last week, the International Monetary Fund raised its Indian growth forecast for the current fiscal year to 6.3 per cent from 6.1 per cent previously. That’s higher than the prediction for China.
•  All this leaves investors with a dilemma. Do you want to invest in India right now, given the dark cloud cast by the Prime Minister’s accusations? If so, there are two Canadian based ETFs worth considering.
•  Despite the high cost, returns are very good. The fund is up 8.11 per cent so far this year (to Oct. 12) and has a 10-year average annual compound rate of return of 12.26 per cent (to Sept. 30). While North American markets were being hammered in 2022, this ETF lost less than 1 per cent.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/inside-the-market/article-india-canada-relations-are-on-the-rocks-should-you-invest-there/)

Reuters – Simmering tensions between India and Canada not to imperil trade, investments, sources say

• India is not planning to impose any measures to curb imports or investments from Canada, despite simmering diplomatic tensions between the two countries, two senior government sources in New Delhi said.
• While officials from both India and Canada will try to resolve the diplomatic dispute, India’s government has no plans to impose curbs on imports or investments from Ottawa, said two senior government sources, who declined to be identified as they are not authorised to talk to media.
• India imports potash, lentils, and energy News Media House: Reuters Author: Neha Arora and Nikunj Ohri Filed from: New Delhi Wire News 8 products such as coal, coke and briquettes among other goods from Canada.
• India’s exports to Canada include consumer goods, garments, and engineering products such as auto parts, aircraft equipment and electronic items.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/simmering-tensions-between-india-canada-not-imperil-trade-investments-sources-2023-10-20/)

DW – India: LGBTQ activists slam same-sex marriage verdict

• India’s Supreme Court has unanimously declined to legalize same-sex marriage, passing the responsibility back to Parliament. Where does this leave people in India who are in same-sex relationships?
• India’s Supreme Court unanimously declined to legalize same-sex marriage on Tuesday, passing the responsibility back to Parliament.
• The long-awaited judgment was a letdown for members and supporters of India’s LGBTQ community, many of whom had gathered outside the court for the decision. Within hours, their dream had soured. 
• India’s Supreme Court recognized transgender people as a third gender in 2014, but Rangnekar pointed out that it took a long time for state governments across India to implement the court’s ruling.

(For detailed report click n the link – https://www.dw.com/en/india-lgbtq-activists-slam-same-sex-marriage-verdict/a-67122793)

Newyork Times – India’s Top Couts reject Gay-Marriage, While voicing Sympathy

• India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea to legalize same-sex marriage, a stinging setback for gay people seeking equal rights in this socially conservative country of 1.4 billion people.
•  “The judgment is extremely disappointing,” said Anjali Gopalan, a petitioner in the case and the head of the Naz Foundation, a nonprofit group in New Delhi that works on sexual health issues.
• India’s conservative government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had argued that it had a legitimate interest in preserving marriage as a union between a man and a woman, calling it part of the foundation of the state.
• Members of India’s gay, lesbian, transgender and queer community face widespread discrimination, both legal and illegal, that often turns violent. Discussion of gay sex is still widely regarded as taboo in India, despite the groundbreaking 2018 ruling.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/world/asia/india-same-sex-marriage.html?searchResultPosition=10

Bloomberg – India Will Bid to Host Olympic Games in 2036, Modi Says

• India will bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games as it attempts to bring the planet’s biggest sporting event to the country for the first time.
• India has proved its capability to organize global events, including the Hockey World Cup and the ongoing Cricket World Cup, Modi said.
• The world’s fifth-biggest economy, which aspires to become a developed country by 2047, is keen to register its presence on the global stage.
• The country of 1.4 billion people — the world’s most-populous — is also keen to host the 2029 Youth Olympics, Modi said. One of the biggest sports tournaments India has organized so far was the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-15/india-will-bid-to-host-olympic-games-in-2036-modi-says)

Bloomberg – Apple’s India Map Provider Doubles as It Rivals Google’s Product

• A Mark Mobius-backed company’s stock has doubled in about six months as its mapping service grows more popular in India, pitting it against Alphabet Inc.’s Google Maps. Market watchers are split on whether the rally will continue.
•  MapmyIndia was founded by the husbandand-wife duo Rakesh and Rashmi Verma, who decided to create digital maps of India long before Google revolutionized web cartography. The Vermas traversed India’s mega-cities by foot, painstakingly charting streets and landmarks. Their son Rohan Verma, a graduate in electrical engineering from Stanford, is now the firm’s chief executive officer.
• MapmyIndia is also expanding internationally on demand from their clients, most of which are multinationals

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-16/maymyindia-apple-s-india-map-provider-doubles-as-it-rivals-google-s-product#xj4y7vzkg)

Reuters – Options for G7 discussion for a ban on Russian diamonds

• Group of Seven (G7) officials will discuss options on Thursday for imposing a ban on Russian diamonds in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine with a view to reaching a deal by the end of the year, according to documents seen by Reuters.
• India’s diamond industry employs millions of people who cut and polish 90% of the world’s diamonds. Backed by the government and through its Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), India proposes that diamond firms, including laboratories, must register with the government and receive a “GEMPACT certificate” in order to export diamonds to G7 countries and be compliant with the ban.
• The taskforce overseeing the scheme would include members of India’s ministry of commerce and industry, customs, the GJEPC and G7 representatives.
• India said a G7 office could be opened in the diamond hub Surat or Mumbai to oversee the scheme.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/options-g7-discussion-ban-russian-diamonds-2023-10-18/)

(The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)