India and the World

World Hindi Conference kicks off in Bhopal: Modi stresses on the importance of languages

- by India Writes Network

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal on September 10. He spoke about the importance and significance of the language.
Speaking at the event India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the emphasis this time is more on the possibilities of propagating Hindi in various fields rather than on just literary aspects of the language. She said that this time conference is different from the previously held summits involving literature and litterateurs.

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West calling: Bengal’s Baul singers reach foreign shores

- by India Writes Network

Bauls, the singing minstrels from India’s state of West Bengal, are now looking West. In a globalising world, it’s hard to say no to new opportunities, even for the tradition-bound Bauls.

Mimlu and Paban Das Baul, a couple living in France for the last three decades, write and make Baul music. “Paban is a big hit. His music is on local FM radio in France and people consider him a big star. In India this is his first album (Notun Sopon – The Sugar Mule Project) being produced,” says Mimlu.

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Ahead of Modi’s Silicon Valley visit, Infosys cleared in US visa probe

- by India Writes Network

In a shot in the arm for the Narendra Modi government ahead of his US visit, the US Department of Labour has cleared Indian IT giant Infosys of visa violation charges. The non-immigrant visas of H-1B and L-1 are the most sought after visas in the US by foreign workers to work in high skill technology sectors and Indians get the maximum number of these visas in the US. However, it has been a major point of contention between India and the US, with India pushing the US to liberalise the visa regime in this category.

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Ahead of BSF-Rangers talks, Sartaj Aziz accuses Modi of anti-Pakistan policy

- by India Writes Network

A day before India’s Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers meet for some straight talk on intensifying ceasefire violations, the atmosphere could not have been more tense, with charges and counter-charges flying thick and fast. In a calculated attempt to provoke New Delhi, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Sartaj Aziz on September 8 accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of following an “anti-Pakistan policy” and insisted that Islamabad will participate in any future talks with India only if Kashmir is part of the agenda.

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Branding SDGs: Star power blitz & glitz to tell world about UN Global Goals

- by Manish Chand

Seven billion people, seven days and 17 goals. Call it Mission 7717, if you like, or simply Mission 17. Blending glamour, glitz, star shower and snappy story-telling, the staid United Nations, known for pompous well-meaning speeches, has launched an audacious path-breaking campaign to tell the world about its “Global Goals” of weeding out poverty, combating inequality and climate change by 2030.

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Blending strategy with economic ballast, India, UAE raise the bar

- by Manish Chand

There is a new upswing in India’s relations with the United Arab Emirates, home to 2.6 million-strong Indian community and New Delhi’s third largest trading partner after China and the US. Barely weeks after the successful trip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Gulf state in August, UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India on September 2 and 3, imparting a fresh momentum to multilayered bilateral ties.

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China mounts spectacular V-day parade, trumpets peaceful rise

- by India Writes Network

In a spectacular show of strength, tanks, missiles and troops filed past the iconic Tiananmen Square in Beijing in perfect military precision at the victory parade on September 3. The parade was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan’s World War II defeat. The military pageant, which involved 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of cutting-edge military hardware and 200 aircraft, made a compelling power statement and underlined China’s President Xi Jinping’s determination to make China the sole Asian power. Addressing a huge gathering at Tiananmen Square that included some major world leaders, President Xi said, “The aim of our commemoration is to bear history in mind, honour all those who laid down their lives, cherish peace and open up the future”.

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India, Australia, set to bolster Indo-Pacific bonding, defence ties

- by India Writes Network

The Indo-Pacific bonding between New Delhi and Canberra is set to get stronger amid China’s assertive posturing in the region during Defence Minister Kevin Andrews’ ongoing visit to India which will focus on bolstering security ties between the two countries.

Mr Andrews’ visit to India comes ahead of AUSINDEX, the first-ever joint maritime exercise to be held between India and Australia in mid-September. The joint naval exercise between both countries will be held at the Visakhapatnam port in the Bay of Bengal.

In a column for the Hindu, Mr Andrews spoke about how India is an important player and a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region. Speaking about the relation between the two countries, he said as emerging powers both countries would seek to advance their own interests, while they would cooperate in some areas they would also compete in the other areas.

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