Category: WORLD

Johannesburg, Nov 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of interactions with several world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg on Saturday.

“A very productive conversation with PM Lawrence Wong of Singapore. The India-Singapore partnership remains a key driver of growth and stability,” PM Modi posted on X after meeting his counterpart from Singapore.

PM Modi also held discussions with Angola President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, who is the current chair of the African Union.

“Had a wonderful discussion with President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenço of Angola, who is also the Chair of the African Union. Had the honour of welcoming him to Delhi earlier this year. India values the friendship with Angola and our nations are working closely to increase trade as well as cultural linkages,” PM Modi stated.

PM Modi also had a “great exchange of views” with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, asserting that India and Malaysia continue to work together to diversify bilateral cooperation.

He also met Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phạm Minh Chinh. “Our commitment to a stronger, future-oriented friendship between India and Vietnam remains steadfast,” emphasised PM Modi after the meeting.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korea’s President Lee Jae-Myung, British counterpart Keir Starmer, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Brazil President Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy PM Giorgia Meloni and several other world leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Prime Minister Modi also announced the launch of a new trilateral initiative — the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership — along with Australian and Canadian counterparts Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney in Johannesburg on Saturday.

In his address at the session titled ‘Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the idea of ‘Integral Humanism’ based on India’s civilizational wisdom, to bring harmony between progress and planet. He also noted that some of the historic decisions taken during the New Delhi Summit have been carried forward.

He also appreciated the work done under the South African presidency in the areas of skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI, digital economy, innovation and women empowerment, calling for giving greater voice to the Global South in global governance structures.

Giving shape to the vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth and leaving no one behind, Prime Minister Modi made four proposals during his remarks at the first session.

It included the setting up of a ‘Global Traditional Knowledge Repository’ under the G20; a ‘G20-Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative’; a ‘G20 Global Healthcare Response Team’; and, a G20 initiative on ‘Countering the Drug–Terror Nexus’.

–IANS

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Dhaka, Nov 22 (IANS) Bangladesh’s rapid drift towards Islamisation is evident with Dhaka emerging as a hub for a range of terrorist and extremist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami, Ansarullah Bangla, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI), local Islamic State units, and numerous lone-wolf extremists, a report said on Saturday.

It added that the rise of powerful Islamist movements in Bangladesh, like Khatm-e-Nabuwat, coupled with their robust linkages to Pakistan, appears to mark a decisive push to Islamise the state, governance, and constitution, paving the way for a Sharia-governed state and highly regressive measures targeting women and minorities.

“Bangladesh is getting a booster dose of Islamist radicalisation. It is witnessing significant developments that are going unnoticed in the global media. However, they mark significant steps in Dhaka’s onward march towards Islamisation, emulating Pakistan’s playbook. One such event was an international conference on the concept of Khatm-e-Nabuwat, ie, the finality of Prophethood, held in the Bait-ul-Mukarram Mosque after the Jumma prayer on January 3, 2025,” policy analyst Abhinav Pandya, also the founder of think tank ‘Usanas Foundation’, wrote in First Post.

“According to this concept, the idea of Prophet Mohammad being the final one is the central tenet of Islam, and any deviation from this is tantamount to apostasy. Ali Omar Yaqub Abbasi, Imam of Masjid Al-Aqsa in Palestine, attended the conference as the chief guest. In the two-session conference, the first session was presided over by Junayed Al Habib, the executive president of International Majlish-e Tahaffuje Khatme Nubuwwat, while Acting President Sajidur Rahman chaired the second session. The direct fallout of this idea is on the Qadianis, or Ahmadiyya Muslims, who reject Prophet Mohammad as the last one,” he added

According to the report, while the former Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina unleashed a sweeping crackdown on Islamist groups after 2005, her ouster in 2024 has enabled their aggressive resurgence, turning Bangladesh into fertile ground for the expansion of global pan-Islamist forces.

In these conferences, the calls to declare Qadianis as non-Muslims have dominated, with the Islamist groups – having earlier targetted Iskcon and the non-Muslim minorities — now directing their attention towards Qadianis.

“This is the replication of Pakistan’s playbook of Islamisation. In Pakistan, in the early 1950s, the Islamisation drive began with anti-Ahmadiya riots and a campaign by the Deobandi extremists. Later, it resulted in persecution of Ahmadiyas and banishment from Islam. In parallel, Deobandi activism in anti-Ahmadiya riots strengthened their grassroots support base and muscle power. The state began to view them as powerful assets and proxies to pursue Jihadist projects,” the report noted.

–IANS

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Islamabad, Nov 22 (IANS) At least 85 women have faced violence daily over the past six months in Pakistan’s Punjab province, including nine cases of rape each day, according to a biannual report released by the Islamabad-based Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO).

Additionally, Punjab recorded 51 cases of kidnapping during the same period, while as many as 25 women were subjected to domestic violence each day.

The findings obtained through Right to Information (RTI) from the police department shed light on the prevalence and patterns of violence against women in Punjab from January to June 2025, including rape, kidnapping, honour killing, trafficking, and cyber harassment, with more than 15000 cases reported.

Lahore emerged as the district with the highest burden, reporting 340 cases of sexual assault, 3,018 kidnappings and 2,115 cases of domestic violence. The provincial capital also recorded one of the highest numbers of honour killings in the province.

Other districts with persistently high rates of violence against women included Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Kasur, Toba Tek Singh and Nankana Sahib.

On the other hand, five districts — Okara, Sheikhupura, Layyah, Pakpattan and Gujrat — reported cases of cyber harassment, a figure SSDO attributed to the limited access to digital complaint systems and significant underreporting . Muzaffargarh and Pakpattan recorded the highest trafficking-related offences,

The report expressed grave concerns over missing data from multiple districts. Despite repeated directives from the Punjab Information Commission, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Chakwal, Chiniot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Hafizabad, Narowal, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal and Sargodha failed to submit the necessary information, Pakistan’s leading daily The Express Tribune reported.

The SSDO warned that significant gaps in data foster disinformation, erode public trust, and conceal the truth about the crisis.

It noted that under the RTI Act, law enforcement agencies are legally obliged to disclose these records, and the absence of data undermines the transparency and accuracy of provincial statistics on violence against women.

Describing the situation as ‘alarming’, the SSDO called for coordinated action to improve reporting and referral systems, strengthen police investigative capacity, expedite judicial proceedings and broaden survivor support services, including shelters, legal aid and psycho-social assistance.

–IANS

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Washington, Nov 22 (IANS) India, for nearly a decade, had been gradually shedding the rhetoric of strategic restraint, with its cycle of responses to major Pakistan-based terrorist attacks, including Uri in 2016, Balakot in 2019, and Pahalgam in 2025 revealing an unavoidable reality, renowned international analysts reckoned on Saturday.

John Spencer, the Executive Director at the US-based Urban Warfare Institute and Lauren Dagan Amoss, an international academic expert on India’s foreign and security policy, argued that limited and predictable retaliation against cross-border terrorism has not deterred attacks; rather, it has enabled them.

According to the experts, restraint, once assumed to be stabilising — had become strategically risky; its predictability enabled militant groups to plan the next attack, while shattering the belief that terrorism could be contained below the threshold of interstate conflict.

“After observing the planning, execution, and aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the conclusion is clear. India has crossed a doctrinal threshold. It is no longer a state that responds to terrorism with calibrated warnings or waits for international partners to validate its choices. It is building a new operating logic rooted in coercive clarity and a willingness to act first when its citizens are threatened. Operation Sindoor did not create this shift. It revealed it,” Spencer and Amoss wrote in an article titled ‘The End of Old Assumptions: What India’s New Security Paradigm Actually Looks Like’ which Spencer shared on X.

“Strategic restraint was designed to prevent escalation with Pakistan. In practice, it did the opposite. Terror groups backed by Pakistan’s security agencies exploited the firebreak between terrorism and state aggression, assuming India would avoid decisive retaliation or cross-border action. Limited responses produced predictable patterns. Predictability invited more violence,” the article added.

According to the experts, India’s counterterrorism doctrine has evolved, treating proxy groups as instruments of state policy. They noted that India’s zero-tolerance policy now targets not only acts of terrorism but also the networks that enable it, with the wider ecosystem surrounding terrorist groups considered as a legitimate set of targets.

“A final dimension is often overlooked. China is the silent second audience for India’s choices. Signals meant for Pakistan carry an implied message for Beijing. India’s interception of Chinese-origin PL-15 air-to-air missiles and its successful defeat of Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence systems during Operation Sindoor provided valuable intelligence on Chinese weapons design and vulnerabilities. India’s new deterrence logic is built for a two-front environment in which actions in one direction have consequences in the other,” the experts stated.

“What emerges is the picture of a state transforming under fire. India is not becoming reckless. It is becoming coherent. It is aligning doctrine, public expectations, defence industrial capacity, and geopolitical messaging around a single principle. Security must be achieved by India, not granted through outside mediation or constrained by outdated assumptions,” they further mentioned.

–IANS

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Riyadh, Nov 22 (IANS) The last rites of Indian pilgrims killed in the tragic bus accident in Saudi Arabia were performed on Saturday in the Kingdom’s Medina city.

As many as 45 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad died when a bus carrying them caught fire after a collision with an oil tanker early Monday morning near Medina.

The victims included 17 males, 18 females and 10 children. Most of the pilgrims were from Asif Nagar, Jhirra, Mehdipatnam and Toli Chowki areas of Hyderabad.

According to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Governor of Andhra Pradesh S. Abdul Nazeer participated in the funeral prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque and burial of the mortal remains at the sacred cemetery of Jannat ul Baqi at Medina.

Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Khan and India Consul General in Jeddah Fahad Suri also joined the relatives and well-wishers during the final rites.

The Indian Embassy once again expressed deep condolences on this tragic accident.

The Indian Consulate General in Jeddah earlier set up a camp office in the Indian Haj Pilgrims Office, Medina, for extending assistance to the families of the Indian Umrah pilgrims who died in the bus accident.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sadness over the loss of lives in the Saudi Arabia bus accident involving several Indian Umrah pilgrims and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Deeply saddened by the accident in Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured.”

“Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities,” he added.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar also expressed deep concern, saying, “Deeply shocked at the accident involving Indian nationals in Medinah, Saudi Arabia. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are giving fullest support to Indian nationals and families affected by this accident. Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”

–IANS

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Quetta, Nov 22 (IANS) Several human rights organisations on Saturday condemned the enforced disappearance of a teenage Baloch girl during a raid by Pakistani forces in Balochistan.

Human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) mentioned that 15-year-old Nasreena Baloch was allegedly abducted during a raid conducted by Pakistani security forces in the early hours of Saturday in the Daroo area of Hub Chowki city in the province.

“The targetted raid and subsequent disappearance of a minor highlight the intensifying pattern of repression faced by Baloch women and girls,” the BVJ stated.

The rights body urged international human rights organisations, including the United Nations and global civil society groups, to urgently intervene to ensure the protection of Baloch women from Pakistan-led intimidation, harassment, and abductions.

It also demanded the immediate and safe recovery of Nasreena, and called on the Pakistani authorities to uphold their obligations under international human rights law by ending enforced disappearances and ensuring accountability for those responsible.

Condemning the incident, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) demanded the immediate release of Nasreena, stating that her detention has shaken the societal norms.

According to BWF, she has been moved to an unknown location, which has not been disclosed to her family, nor has she been produced at the city’s police station.

“For the last few years, women victimisation has increased through various means. Other than the societal dilemmas, they are facing direct state brutes, along with Baloch men, including enforced disappearances in particular. Earlier, Sayad Bibi, Sakeena and other two Baloch women were forcibly detained back in 2019, followed by the illegal arrest of Mahal Baloch, to Sibi’s Noor Khatoon abducted from Quetta (then released), Asma of Khuzdar, Mahjabeen of Quetta and a growing list of women victims of the heinous state’s illegal practice of enforced disappearances are a part of state’s illegal campaign against the indigenous Baloch,” the BWF detailed.

Expressing concern over the enforced disappearance, Tara Chand, President of Baloch American Congress, accused Pakistani soldiers of patrolling Balochistan day and night, targeting innocent civilians. He stated that Baloch women and girls are also being abducted and subjected to torture and severe cruelty.

“I appeal to the world to raise its voice against the ongoing military operations carried out by the Pakistani army in Balochistan and the systematic oppression of the Baloch people. The international community must speak out and stand with the Baloch people,” the Baloch leader posted on X.

–IANS

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Johannesburg, Nov 22 (IANS) The leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20), who have gathered in South Africa’s Johannesburg for the historic first Summit on the African Continent under the South African G20 Presidency, on Saturday adopted a declaration addressed major global challenges after discussing ways to promote solidarity, equality and sustainability as key pillars of inclusive growth.

The Leaders’ Declaration was adopted despite the United States boycotting the key summit featuring several top world leaders, accusing the host nation of mistreating its minority white farmers.

“The G20 underscores the value and relevance of multilateralism. It recognises that the challenges we all face can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration and partnership. The adoption of the declaration from the summit sends an important signal to the world that multilateralism can and does deliver. It sends a message of hope and solidarity. It tells the world that as the leaders of the G20, we will keep fast to our solemn pledge to leave no person, no community and no country behind,” said South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa at the opening of the Summit on Saturday.

Ahead of the Summit, Ramaphosa had insisted that South Africa will not be “bullied by anyone” and the G20 declaration will proceed, with or without the United States.

“The talks are going extremely well. I am confident we are moving towards the declaration, and they are now just dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s,” Ramaphosa said on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the G20 Social Summit in Boksburg on Thursday.

The declaration adopted on Saturday took forward the priorities set by India during its highly successful presidency in 2023. India has been pushing for a collective resolve to prioritise the development imperatives of the world through the grouping which features the most powerful economies of the world.

“For the first time, G20 Leaders have convened in Africa. In the spirit of Ubuntu, we recognise that individual nations cannot thrive in isolation. The African philosophy of Ubuntu, often translated as “I am because we are”, emphasises the interconnectedness of individuals within a broader communal, societal, economic, and environmental context. We understand our interconnectedness as a global community of nations and reaffirm our commitment to ensure that no one is left behind through multilateral cooperation, macro policy coordination, global partnerships for sustainable development and solidarity,” read the South Africa Leaders’ Declaration.

It highlighted that, in the face of a challenging political and socio-economic environment, the G20 leaders underscore belief in multilateral cooperation to collectively address shared challenges.

“We further reaffirm that, in line with the UN Charter, all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state and that states should develop friendly relations among nations, including by promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion,” it stated.

Condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the G20 leaders also backed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF-style regional bodies in overseeing the effective implementation of the FATF standards to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing across the global network.

“We emphasise the need to intensify global efforts to prevent the misuse of legal entities, foster increased asset recovery, facilitate rapid, constructive, inclusive and effective international cooperation enhance payments transparency, and promote responsible innovation within the virtual assets sector while mitigating illicit finance involving virtual assets,” they vowed.

Earlier in the day, in his address at the session titled ‘Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the idea of ‘Integral Humanism’ based on India’s civilizational wisdom, to bring harmony between progress and planet. He also noted that some of the historic decisions taken during the New Delhi Summit have been carried forward.

He also appreciated the work done under the South African presidency in the areas of skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI, digital economy, innovation and women empowerment, calling for giving greater voice to the Global South in global governance structures.

Giving shape to the vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth and leaving no one behind, Prime Minister Modi made four proposals during his remarks at the first session.

It included the setting up of a ‘Global Traditional Knowledge Repository’ under the G20; a ‘G20-Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative’; a ‘G20 Global Healthcare Response Team’; and, a G20 initiative on ‘Countering the Drug–Terror Nexus’.

–IANS

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Johannesburg, Nov 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India–France ties remain a force for global good as he met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg.

“Delighted to meet President Macron during the Johannesburg G20 Summit. We had an engaging exchange on different issues. India–France ties remain a force for global good,” PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.

The two leaders had held a phone conversation in September, exchanging views on efforts towards bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine while reiterating India’s consistent support for peaceful resolution of the issue and early restoration of peace and stability in the entire region.

They had also spoken over the phone on August 21, coordinating their positions on the war in Ukraine in order to move towards a just and lasting peace.

During their conversations over the past few months, the two leaders have reviewed and positively assessed the developments in bilateral cooperation across different sectors including economic, defence, science, technology and space. They had reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening of the India-France Strategic Partnership, in line with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, the Indo-Pacific Roadmap and the Defence Industrial Roadmap.

Prime Minister Modi had thanked President Macron for accepting the invitation to the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in February 2026, and looked forward to welcoming the French leader in India.

“On trade issues, we agreed to strengthen our economic exchanges and our strategic partnership in all areas — this is the key to our sovereignty and independence. Following up on the AI Action Summit held in Paris last February, we are working towards the success of the AI Impact Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2026. For more effective multilateralism, we agreed to work closely together in preparation for the French presidency of the G7 and the Indian presidency of the BRICS in 2026,” Macron had posted on X on August 21.

Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi also met South Korea’s President Lee Jae-Myung, British counterpart Keir Starmer, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Brazil President Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy PM Giorgia Meloni and several other world leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Prime Minister Modi also announced the launch of a new trilateral initiative — the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership — along with Australian and Canadian counterparts Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney in Johannesburg on Saturday.

–IANS

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Johannesburg, Nov 22 (IANS) In what was their second meeting this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the strategic partnership between both countries as they met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg.

“Had a wonderful meeting with President Mr. Lee Jae-myung of the Republic of Korea during the Johannesburg G20 Summit. This is our second meeting this year, indicative of the strong momentum in our Special Strategic Partnership. We exchanged perspectives to further deepen our economic and investment linkages,” PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.

Both leaders had last met in June this year on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada’s Kananaskis.

Following their first meeting, PM Modi had said that India and the Republic of Korea seek to work together in sectors like commerce, investment, technology, green hydrogen, shipbuilding and more.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had stated on June 18 that PM Modi and President Lee “reaffirmed their commitment to deepening India-South Korea Special Strategic Partnership by exploring new avenues for cooperation through partnerships in areas of trade and economy, critical and emerging technologies” including “culture and P2P (people-to-people contacts), among others”.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ special strategic partnership, President Lee had expressed hope for elevating bilateral relations to a new level “across the board”.

He had highlighted that around 550 Korean companies are operating in India and emphasised the need to boost high-level communication while expanding cooperation in areas, including the economy, advanced technology, defence, the arms industry, and culture.

Earlier, PM Modi also met British counterpart Keir Starmer, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Brazil President Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy PM Giorgia Meloni and several other world leaders on Saturday on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Prime Minister Modi also announced the launch of a new trilateral initiative — the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership — along with Australian and Canadian counterparts Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney in Johannesburg on Saturday.

–IANS

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