New Delhi, Sep 17,2024: India and the US held the bilateral 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting at the official level on Monday, September 16, in New Delhi, during which they took stock of the progress in the bilateral agenda including strategic cooperation, defence, resilient supply chain, clean energy, maritime domain awareness.
They also discussed regional and international issues. While the Indian readout made no specific mention of Ukraine or Gaza, the US readout did.
The Indian readout said: “Both sides reviewed the progress made since the last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023.
Joint Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu, Ministry of External Affairs and Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) Vishwesh Negi, Ministry of Defense co-chaired the intersessional with US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P. Royal, a statement said.
Both sides took stock of the progress and developments in the bilateral agenda including strategic cooperation, defence, technology collaboration, space cooperation, resilient supply chain, clean energy, maritime domain awareness, development cooperation including trilateral cooperation and people to people ties.
The officials also had an opportunity to exchange assessments on a range of regional and international issues.
The 2+2 intersessional laid the groundwork in the lead up to the next 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to advance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the statement added.
The US readout said:
“The 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue advanced shared priorities, including defense cooperation, space and civil aviation collaboration, clean energy cooperation, and industrial and logistics coordination.
“The officials discussed a range of issues, across the Indo-Pacific and worldwide, including support for a just and durable peace in Ukraine, as well as support for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Assistant Secretary Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Royal reiterated the United States’ commitment to further enhancing ongoing partnerships and expanding people-to-people ties.”
Damascus, Sep 9,2024: The death toll from Israeli air strikes on the central Syrian city of Masyaf has increased to 15, chief physician of the National Hospital in Masyaf Faisal Haidar told Sputnik on Monday, adding that 34 others have been injured.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian Defence Ministry said that Israeli fighter jets attacked a number of military positions in central Syria from northwestern Lebanon, adding that air defence forces shot down several missiles.
“Israel’s attack in the Hama province overnight killed 15 people and injured 34,” Haidar said.
Jerusalem, Sept 6,2024: Israel continues negotiations with mediators to agree on the Gaza ceasefire deal and the release of hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviser Dmitri Gendelman said.
“Negotiations are ongoing to agree on details of the implementation of the framework agreement based on the US proposal put forward in May. This will allow the return of the hostages and the achievement of other goals of the war. Israel appreciates the efforts of the US and the mediating countries aimed at preventing Hamas from disrupting the deal,” Gendelman said on Telegram on Thursday.
He added that “Israel is determined and doing everything possible to return the 101 hostages – all of them, both alive and dead, including women, children and the elderly.”
Gendelman noted that military control over the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt–Gaza border is a strategic issue for Israel’s security.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. In addition, Hamas fighters infiltrated the border areas, opened fire on the military and civilians and took hostages. Israeli authorities say that about 1,200 people were killed during the raid. The IDF launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip and announced a complete blockade of the enclave. The enclave’s health ministry says that the death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has exceeded 40,800.
Mumbai, Sep 5,2024: Sculptor Jaydeep Apte, wanted in connection with the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot fort last month, was arrested from neighbouring Kalyan city in Thane district, said Dnyaneshwar Chavan, joint commissioner of police, Thane, on Thursday morning.
Apte was nabbed from a housing society at Kalyan where he had gone on Wednesday night to meet his relatives, police said, adding he would be presented in a magistrate court.
The sculptor was on the run after the Malvan Police in Sindhudurg filed a case against him and his aide, Chetan Patil, structural consultant for the statue project. Patil was arrested earlier this week from Kolhapur.
Apte was arrested by a team of the Bazarpeth Police which had been keeping watch.
The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue collapsed on August 26 due to strong winds.
The incident sparked a significant political controversy in the run-up to Maharashtra Assembly elections, with Opposition parties criticising the government led by Eknath Shinde.
The 28-feet bronze statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023 during the Navy Day celebrations in Sindhudurg.
Kinshasa, Sep 3,2024: At least 129 prisoners were killed and 59 others injured in an escape attempt at Makala Central Prison early Monday in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the DRC government announced early Tuesday.
The provisional death toll reached 129, including 24 by gunfire after a “warning,” and the others by “shoving or suffocation,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Security Jacquemain Shabani, specifying that at least 59 injured inmates were taken care of by the government, as well as some women who had been reportedly raped.
He said the administrative building, the registry, the infirmary, and food depots were set on fire during the accident.
Gunshots were heard for several hours at Makala Central Prison in the early hours of Monday, witnesses told Xinhua.
In July, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba decided that 1,284 inmates at the Makala Central Prison would be granted conditional release to ease overcrowding.
Kolhapur, Aug 30,2024: A structural consultant involved in installation of the now-collapsed statue of Chhatrapatii Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district was arrested early Friday morning from Kolhapur city’s Shivaji Peth area, police said.
Consultant Chetan Patil was arrested in a culpable homicide case registered against him and sculptor Jaydeep Apte, a resident of Thane, for the collapse on August 26, police said.
Soon after the incident, official had claimed the 35-foot metal statue, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December, crashed due to strong coastal winds.
The incident caused embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government with the Opposition parties alleging corruption in the construction of the statue.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar later sought a public apology for the incident and assured to rebuild the statue.
On Friday, Pawar visited the Fort along with Member of Parliament Sunil Tatkare and took stock of the situation at the collapse site.
He dismissed allegations that the collapse was due to hasty installation and said the government has ordered a detail probe and guilty persons will be punished.
Nukuʻalofa (Tonga)/New Delhi, Aug 29,2024: India on Thursday offered to undertake a Quick Impact Project in each of the 14 Pacific Island Countries, based on each country’s choice, worth USD 50,000.
The offer was made by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, in his address at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Dialogue Partners Session, in Nukuʻalofa, the capital of Tonga, which is hosting the PIF.
“As part of our continuous solidarity with our Pacific Partner Countries and the Pacific Islands Forum, I am pleased to announce that Government of India will undertake one Quick Impact Project or QIP of each country’s choice worth USD 50,000 in each of the 14 Pacific Island Countries. We will be happy to receive proposals in this regard from the respective countries,” he said.
He reaffirmed India’s strong commitment to work closely with the Pacific partner Countries and the Pacific Islands Forum, as the foremost regional mechanism, in line with the priorities outlined in the 2050 Strategy to help build a stronger, more resilient and prosperous Blue Pacific Continent.
Margherita said that India’s multifaceted engagement with the Blue Pacific Continent is anchored in its Act East Policy, and is strengthened both bilaterally and through different mechanisms such as the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
He highlighted the significance that India attaches to the relationship.
India’s bilateral development partnership in the form of grant-in-aid projects is worth about USD 3 million per annum. These are demand-driven and have had high impact in the 14 Pacific partner countries.
At the 3rd FIPIC Summit held in Papua New Guinea last year, Prime Minister Modi announced a 12 Point Action Plan which includes the setting up of a 100-bedded regional Super-specialty Hospital in Suva, Fiji, a Regional IT and Cyber Security Training Hub in Papua New Guinea, 1,000 Scholarships over the next five years, supply of Dialysis Units, and Generic Medicine Pharmacy outlets.
India leads a number of global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Green Grids Initiative — One Sun, One World, One Grid, the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Global Biofuel Alliance which benefit our Pacific partners.
India is committed to responding to the vulnerabilities caused by natural hazards in the Pacific, the MoS added.