MOSCOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Russia on Monday, as the Indian leader treaded a fine line between maintaining a longstanding relationship with Moscow and courting closer Western security ties.
The visit is Modi’s first since Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine and since he was returned to power last month as leader of the world’s most populous country.
“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues,” said Modi in a statement.
“We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region.”
Moscow remains a key supplier of cut-price oil and weapons to India, but the Kremlin’s isolation from the West and blooming friendship with Beijing have impacted its time-honored partnership with New Delhi.
Western powers have in recent years also cultivated ties with India as a bulwark against China and its growing influence in the Asia-Pacific, while pressuring it to distance itself from Russia.
Modi last visited Russia in 2019 and hosted Putin in New Delhi two years later, weeks before Russia began its offensive against Ukraine.
“Indian Prime Minister Modi arrived in Russia on an official visit,” state media agencies confirmed on Monday afternoon.
India has shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia ever since and has abstained on United Nations resolutions censuring Moscow.
But Russia’s fight with Ukraine has also had a human cost for India.
New Delhi said in February it was pushing the Kremlin to send back some of its citizens who had signed up for “support jobs” with the Russian military, following reports some were killed after being forced to fight in Ukraine.
Moscow’s deepening ties with China have also been a cause for concern.
Washington and the European Union accuse China of selling components and equipment that have strengthened Russia’s military industry — allegations Beijing strenuously denies.
China and India are intense rivals competing for strategic influence across South Asia.
India is part of the Quad grouping with the US, Japan and Australia that positions itself against China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.
New Delhi and the Kremlin have maintained a close relationship since the Cold War, and Russia was for a long time India’s largest arms supplier.
But Ukraine has stretched Russia’s arms supplies thin, forcing India to eye other sources for weapons — including growing its own defense industry.
Russia’s share of Indian imports of arms has shrunk considerably in recent years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
At the same time, India has become a major buyer of Russian oil, providing a much-needed export market for Moscow after it was cut off from traditional buyers in Europe.
That has dramatically reshaped energy ties, with India saving itself billions of dollars while bolstering Moscow’s war coffers.
India’s month-on-month imports of Russian crude “increased by eight percent in May, to the highest levels since July 2023,” according to commodity tracking data compiled by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
But this has also resulted in India’s trade deficit with Russia rising to a little over $57 billion in the past financial year.
From Russia, Modi will travel to Vienna for the first visit to the Austrian capital by an Indian leader since Indira Gandhi in 1983.
India’s Modi lands in Russia for first visit since Ukraine offensive
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India’s Modi lands in Russia for first visit since Ukraine offensive
- Moscow remains a key supplier of cut-price oil and weapons to India, but the Kremlin’s isolation from West has impacted its ties with Delhi
- Western powers have in recent years also cultivated ties with India as a bulwark against China and its growing influence in the Asia-Pacific
Carrying pro-Hezbollah signs at Gaza and Lebanon protests a ‘criminal act,’ says British minister
- The Metropolitan Police made at least 17 arrests during the protests, including two individuals suspected of supporting banned organizations
LONDON: A British government minister warned on Sunday that displaying support for Hezbollah constituted a “criminal act.”
Science Secretary Peter Kyle said any show of support for the group, a proscribed terrorist group in the UK, should be punished after signs with pro-Hezbollah slogans were seen during a pro-Palestine demonstration in central London over the weekend.
The Metropolitan Police made at least 17 arrests during the protests, including two individuals suspected of supporting banned organizations, Sky News reported.
The force said it was “aware” of social media posts showing people “holding placards with messages of support for Hezbollah,” adding that the footage had been passed to specialized officers.
Kyle appeared on the Sky News program “Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips” and stated law enforcement agencies had “the full support” of the home secretary, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the government “in doing what they need to do to make sure that criminal acts like that are tackled.”
The protests come amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with Israel conducting targeted raids against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran launching missiles into Israel.
The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks has led to more than 2,600 protests in the UK over the past year, resulting in 550 arrests.
UK political and faith leaders, including Starmer, have called for calm and rejected any incitement of hate, urging communities to unite ahead of the first anniversary of the Hamas attack that has seen around 42,000 people killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
The prime minister, writing in The Sunday Times, said the “flames from this deadly conflict now threaten to consume the region,” adding “the sparks light touchpapers in our own communities here at home.”
He continued: “During difficult times, our differences and diversity should bind us together more strongly, not drive us apart. But there are always some who would use conflict abroad to stoke conflict here.
“Since Oct. 7, we have watched vile hatred against Jews and Muslims rise in our communities. Any attack on a minority is an attack on our proud values of tolerance and respect. We will not stand for it.”
Nearly 1,000 migrants cross Channel into UK on same day as 4 killed
- Figure for Saturday is the highest single-day number of migrants making the cross-Channel journey this year
- On same day, a boy and three adults died after overloaded boats got into trouble during the crossing
LONDON: A record 973 migrants crossed the Channel on small boats on the same day in which four died while attempting the journey from France to England, UK Home Office figures showed Sunday.
The figure for Saturday is the highest single-day number of migrants making the cross-Channel journey this year, surpassing the previous high of 882 set on June 18.
On the same day, a two-year-old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats got into trouble during the dangerous crossing attempted by several thousand every year.
The tragedies bring the number of migrants killed attempting Channel crossings this year to 51, according to Jacques Billant, France’s prefect for the Pas-de-Calais region.
Over 26,600 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats in 2024 according to UK Home Office figures.
The deaths on Saturday were likely caused due to the victims being crushed in overloaded dinghies, according to authorities and prosecutors.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday that it was “appalling that more lives have been lost in the Channel.”
“Criminal smuggler gangs continue to organize these dangerous boat crossings,” she wrote on X.
“The gangs do not care if people live or die — this is a terrible trade in lives.”
Keir Starmer’s new Labour government has been at pains to reduce cross-Channel arrivals in small boats, a key issue in this year’s general election in July.
The government has repeatedly pledged to “smash the gangs” of people smugglers who organize the perilous journeys.
Thousands rally in Jakarta to mark one year since start of Gaza war
- Indonesians have held huge protests since Israel’s deadly onslaught on the territory
- Protesters in Indonesian cities of Bandung, Surabaya also staged protests on Sunday
JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesians rallied in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta on Sunday to protest Washington’s “double standard” policy on Palestine as they mark a year since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Indonesia has been a staunch supporter of Palestine for decades, with its people and authorities seeing Palestinian statehood as mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.
Protesters were mostly dressed in black and white and wore traditional Palestinian scarves on Sunday morning as they waved Palestinian flags and carried banners reading: “Free Palestine,” “Forgive us Gaza,” and “Stop Genocide.”
A group of protesters who had marched toward the US embassy were holding mock-ups of dead Palestinian babies while others stepped on a banner featuring a portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We are standing here in front of a building housing an embassy, or we can say, the ‘Embassy of Double Standards, the United States.’ We are here to reject all forms of double standard, because we are no different than our brothers in Palestine. This is not a religious issue … this is an issue for humanity,” Abdullah Muharrik, one of the protest’s youth coordinators, told demonstrators.
“As we mark one year of genocide, we must remember that this did not begin on Oct. 7 last year, this started more than 70 years ago, and we must note that the colonization that took place … must be abolished.”
Israeli forces have killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 94,000 others since they escalated attacks on Gaza last October, according to estimates from the strip’s health ministry.
The real toll, however, is believed to be much higher as the ministry’s data does not include people buried under rubble, those who died of their injuries or who starved to death, as Israeli forces have been blocking international aid.
Sunday’s demonstration in Jakarta was organized by an alliance of Islamic mass organizations and youth groups, which also called for the new Indonesian government to continue fighting for a free Palestine and to reject normalizations with Israel.
Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto will take office on Oct. 20 to replace incumbent President Joko Widodo, whose cabinet included Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who has been vocal in representing Jakarta’s support for Palestine. The Southeast Asian nation has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
The protest in the Indonesian capital also called on the US not to veto UN Security Council resolutions, as such moves would “destroy humanity.”
Sarah Motiva, from the youth-led community group dedicated to Palestine advocacy Baik Berisik, urged demonstrators to continue voicing their support for Palestinians.
“We have the power of social media, creativity and spirited souls to use (social media) platforms to continue advocating for Palestine, so we can win with our pro-Palestine narrative in the world,” Motiva said.
“Continue to educate as many young people as possible to make noise on social media, so that we can pressure zionist Israel.”
Indonesian protesters have held a number of huge demonstrations since the beginning of Israel’s deadly onslaught on Gaza, calling for a permanent ceasefire in the besieged enclave and demanding Washington to stop its support for Tel Aviv.
Indonesians in other parts of the country, including Bandung, West Java and Surabaya, East Java, also took to the streets on Sunday in solidarity with Palestine.
“Our demonstration today is nothing compared to what our (Palestinian) comrades have to go through — oppression and genocide — at the hands of zionist Israel,” Amirsyah Tambunan, secretary general of the Indonesian Ulama Council, said at the Jakarta rally.
“Let us continue to voice up for justice, let us continue to reject oppression and genocide … Free Palestine!”
Floods in Bangladesh leave five dead, thousands stranded
DHAKA: At least five people have died and more than 100,000 remain stranded as devastating floods, triggered by heavy rains and upstream torrents, continue to ravage northern Bangladesh, officials said on Sunday.
In Sherpur, one of the hardest-hit northern districts, the water levels of major rivers have surged, submerging new areas and displacing thousands of families.
Local authorities fear widespread damage to agriculture, with crops and farmlands, particularly rice fields, facing potential devastation. Many homes and roads are under several feet of water, cutting off villages and leaving residents in desperate need of rescue.
“I have never seen such flooding in my life,” said Abu Taher, a resident of the district.
Army personnel, using boats and helicopters, have joined rescue efforts, delivering emergency supplies and evacuating those trapped by the floods.
Bridges have collapsed, and roads have been submerged, making it difficult for local authorities to reach affected areas.
“Our priority is to evacuate people to safe shelters and provide them with essential supplies,” said Sherpur district administrator Torofdar Mahmudur Rahman.
He said another decomposed body, suspected to have floated from India, had been found.
The low-lying nation of 170 million has experienced multiple floods this year, underscoring its vulnerability to climate change. A 2015 World Bank Institute analysis estimated that 3.5 million people in Bangladesh are at risk of annual river flooding, a risk scientists say is worsening due to global climate change.
As water levels continue to rise, concerns grow about the long-term impact on the region’s agriculture, particularly rice crops. If the floodwaters do not recede soon, the economic toll on farmers could be severe.
Adding to the worries, the weather office has predicted more rain in the coming days, raising fears of further inundation.
The floods in August in eastern Bangladesh, which left more than 70 dead, caused damage estimated at $1.20 billion, according to a study by the Center for Policy Dialogue, a leading think-tank.
The United Nations and its partners have launched a $134 million humanitarian appeal to provide urgent relief and support to communities affected by ongoing floods and cyclones in Bangladesh.
UK PM Starmer’s chief of staff steps down, takes new role
- Gray will be replaced by Morgan McSweeney who previously was chief adviser to the prime minister
- She will take up a new post as Starmer’s envoy for the regions and nations
LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray has resigned just over three months after the Labour Party won a parliamentary election, after rumors about in-fighting in Starmer’s team.
“In recent weeks it has become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change,” Gray said in a statement.
Gray will take up a new post as Starmer’s envoy for the regions and nations, the prime minister’s office said.
Gray will be replaced by Morgan McSweeney who previously was chief adviser to the prime minister, it said.
