By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from October 22 – October 28

AP – India ‘exploring all legal options’ after Qatari court sentences 8 Indians to death for spying

• The Indian government on Thursday vowed to explore “all legal options” after a Qatari court handed death sentences to eight Indian employees of a Qatari company on spying charges.
• According to Indian media reports, the eight men are retired Indian naval officers who worked for the consulting company Al Dahra, advising the Qatari government on the acquisition of submarines.
• India’s External Affairs Ministry said in a statement it was awaiting the detailed judgment in the case.
• “We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” it said. “We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.”

(For detailed report click on : https://apnews.com/article/indian-employees-death-sentence-qatar-spying-submarine-5eb329c7bd7fdc8d2fe97f5630d7c987)

DW- Israel-Hamas war: Where does India stand?

• The Hamas attacks on Israel prompted sharp condemnation from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading some to speculate that India might be revising its official policy.
• Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the EU, the US, Germany and many other countries. India, however, is still not one of them. Despite Modi’s comments on the attack, New Delhi seems committed to continuing its balancing act between Israel and the Palestinians.
• India has long insisted on peace talks and a two-state solution to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Five days after the Hamas attacks, India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its stance in favor of direct talks and “establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel.”

(For detailed report click on : https://www.dw.com/en/israel-hamas-war-where-does-india-stand/a-67221612)

Economist – Why China and India are watching the Dalai Lama closely

• As he ages, his movements and health are under scrutiny.
• Not so long ago, the Dalai Lama’s travel schedule was packed. In the six decades after Tibet’s spiritual leader fled to India in 1959, he visited dozens of countries, meeting royalty, religious leaders and four sitting American presidents along the way. Recently, he has slowed down. One reason is his age (he is 88). Covid-19 complicated travel too, as did the penalties exacted on his hosts by China, which considers him a separatist. But while he has not been abroad since 2018, he has committed to keep travelling within India.
• So there was understandable concern among exiled Tibetans and their sympathisers in October when the Dalai Lama cancelled four trips in India. They included one to the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh that was particularly sensitive.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.economist.com/china/2023/10/26/why-china-and-india-are-watching-the-dalai-lama-closely)

Gulf news – Indian finfluencer to refund $2.1 million to followers in latest crackdown

• Regulator banned Mohammad Nasiruddin Ansari from buying, selling or dealing in securities.
• India’s market regulator barred a popular influencer on social media from securities trading and ordered him to refund Rs172 million ($2.1 million) collected from followers after its investigation found he gave stock recommendations in the garb of providing educational training.
• The action by the Securities and Exchange Board of India follows a growing clamor on social media platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter, for a crackdown on so-called finfluencers amid concerns over the viability of their claims of making profit through trading strategies that they communicate to their followers.
• In an interim order Wednesday, the regulator banned Mohammad Nasiruddin Ansari, who operated on social media in the name of “Baap of Chart,” from buying, selling or dealing in securities. It also barred an individual and a firm linked to Ansari.

(For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/indian-finfluencer-to-refund-21-million-to-followers-in-latest-crackdown-1.98992888)

National post – Trudeau soured India relations, Poilievre says, as Modi government expresses discontent with Liberals

• ‘The problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics, and the policies which flow from that,’ said India’s foreign affairs minister.
• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a diplomatic chill with India, saying Ottawa needs a “professional relationship” with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Meanwhile, Modi’s government says it is upset with the federal Liberals and not Canada as a whole.
• Trudeau announced in the House of Commons last month that Canadian intelligence services are investigating “credible” information about “a potential link” between India’s government and the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
• The relationship between the two countries has been under strain ever since. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced last week that Canada had removed most of its diplomats from India after New Delhi threatened to strip them of special rights and protections.
• In an interview with Namaste Radio in Toronto, Poilievre blamed Trudeau for the mess.
• “He’s turned Canadians against each other at home and he’s blown up our relations abroad,” Poilievre said during the interview. A video was posted online Saturday.
• “He is so incompetent and unprofessional that now we are in major disputes with almost every major power in the world and that includes India,” Poilievre continued.
• “It’s fine to have our disagreements and to hold each other accountable, but we have to have a professional relationship,” he said, adding that he would restore one should he become prime minister.
• Canada committed to ‘closer ties’ with India, says Trudeau, despite Nijjar claims
• Later in the interview he said Trudeau “is considered a laughingstock in India — the world’s biggest democracy.”

(For detailed report click on : https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/trudeau-soured-india-relations-poilievre-says-as-modi-government-expresses-discontent-with-liberals)

Khaleej times : Watch: India sends 32 tonnes of disaster relief material, 6.5 tonnes of medical aid for Gaza

• New Delhi condemned Hamas for the ‘terrorist attack’, but it also reiterated its longstanding position for an independent Palestinian state.
• India on Sunday flew 38.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Egypt’s Sinai region for Palestinian civilians from the embattled Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said.
• An Indian air force Boeing C-17 transport plane “carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine” departed for Egypt’s El Arish airport, foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.
• “The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items”, Bagchi posted on social media.

For detailed report click on : https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/mena/india-sends-38-5-tonnes-of-humanitarian-aid-for-gaza)

Khaleej Times : Educational body recommends replacing ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in school textbooks

• “India” should be replaced with “Bharat” in the school textbooks for all classes, a high-level committee for social sciences, constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, has recommended.
• According to committee chairperson C I Isaac, the panel has suggested replacing the name “India” with “Bharat” in the textbooks, introducing “classical history” instead of “ancient history” in the curriculum and including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the syllabus for all subjects.
• NCERT officials, however, said no decision has been taken yet on the panel’s recommendations.
• “The committee has unanimously recommended that the name ‘Bharat’ should be used in textbooks for students across classes. We have also recommended introducing ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history’ in the textbooks,” Isaac told PTI.
• He said the committee has also recommended highlighting “Hindu victories” in various battles in the textbooks.
• “Our failures are presently mentioned in the textbooks. But our victories over the Mughals and sultans are not,” said Isaac, who is also a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).
• The NCERT is revising the curriculum of the school textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The council recently constituted a 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) to finalise the curriculum, textbooks and learning material for these classes.
• “The committee has also recommended the introduction of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the curriculum of all subjects,” Isaac said.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/ncert-panel-recommends-replacing-india-with-bharat-in-school-textbooks)

Independent.co.uk – India’s capital Delhi records the world’s most toxic air yet again

• The start of the winter every year sees Delhi’s air quality – which is polluted throughout the year – worsen significantly due to burning of stubble by farmers in nearby regions. The air quality is further exacerbated by urban activities like construction and pollution from vehicles.
• On Tuesday, the air quality index (AQI) for most regions of Delhi was in the orange category, with some stations in west Delhi reporting levels of over 300 that come under the red category.
• Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai said on Monday that actions as per stage II of the city’s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) kicked in earlier than usual this year.
• All these moves have been in use in Delhi in the recent years, but experts said they help very little, if at all. Delhi’s pollution is a complex mix of the smoke coming from burning crop and the city’s transport pollution.

(For detailed report click on : https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/delhi-air-pollution-india-aqi-b2434874.html)

Cbc.ca – Crowds doubled this year at Hindu celebration for Navratri festival in Moncton

• An indoor stadium packed with people wearing colourful outfits and dancing in high spirits.
• The Hindu community in Moncton is celebrating Navratri, a nine-day festival about the victory of good over evil.
• According to the Hindu scriptures, the festival marks the fierce battle between the Hindu goddess Maa Durga and the  powerful demon Mahishasura, which lasted for nine nights and 10 days.
• During Navratri, a Sanskrit word meaning nine nights, members of the Indian community dedicate each day to a different avatar of Maa Durga over the course of the festival, and each avatar symbolizes something unique.
• Kaivan Ganwani, who lives in Moncton but is originally from Gujarat, India, said they cleaned their house last Sunday and seated an image of Maa Durga in their temple.

(For detailed report click on the link : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-navratri-hindu-2023-celebration-1.7001669)

DW- Why is India boosting its diplomatic workforce?

• India is planning to restructure its foreign service and increase the number of entry-level officers. But will the South Asian nation approach the recruitment drive in the most effective way possible?
• The government of India earlier this month approved a proposal to review and restructure the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), which is expected to create more than 200 additional posts within the next five years.
• The move comes after a parliamentary committee on external affairs concluded that the country’s diplomatic service is “most short-staffed” compared to other nations that have smaller economies than India.
• The committee also recommended that the review should include comparisons between the IFS and the diplomatic missions of China, as well as the foreign services of major developing nations.
• “The country’s interests and influence extend into more continents and it needs more diplomatic representation,” a senior officer told DW, requesting anonymity. “While India has increased the number of missions on those continents, they are inadequate.”

(For detailed report click on : https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-india-boosting-its-diplomatic-workforce/a-67198699

(The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)