S.Jaishankar News

NEW DELHI: External affairs Minister S Jaishankar rejected US President Joe Biden’s description of India as “xenophobic” and grouping it with countries said to be economically troubled. “First of all, our economy is not faltering,” he said at the ET Roundtable on Friday. “India is always… India has been a very unique country… I would say actually, in the history of the world, that it's been a society which has been very open… different people from different societies come to India." Jaishankar also cited the Narendra Modi government’s legislation that facilitates such a welcome. “That's why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which is to open up doors for people who are in trouble… I think we should be open to people who have the need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India.”

The Times Of India that his visit could take place early next week. This will be the first high-level visit by either since the pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu defeated his India-friendly predecessor Ibrahim Solih and took office last year. Since then, India's relations with its neighbor in the Indian Ocean have suffered repeatedly as a result of Muizzu's efforts to restrict defense and security cooperation with India.

The police crackdown on protests against the Gaza War in American universities, where students were staging sit-ins to demand a rollback of policies seen to be supportive of Israel’s offensive that has left over 35,000 Palestinians dead so far, leaves one aghast. Reminiscent of how the 1960s’ peace protests over the Vietnam War were thwacked back, cops used the sort of brutal force that makes the country’s claims of free-speech tolerance ring hollow across a globe that the US says is seeing a clash of democracy and autocracy, with America on the side of freedom.

What is Blue Whale challenge?IT Ministry has decribed the Blue whale challenge game as “abetment to suicide." In this game, the participants are given 50 tasks to be completed in 50 days. The task given to players get challenging day by day.

Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Amir-Abdollahian conveyed this to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a telephonic conversation on Sunday, according to an Iranian readout. In the talks, Jaishankar called for release of the Indians onboard Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel MSC Aries.

West Asia. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote, “Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary Lord@David_Cameron today. Discussed the emerging situation in West Asia as also our bilateral ties." Additionally, India has also called on Iranian authorities in Tehran and Delhi to secure the early release of 17 Indians stuck on the cargo ship ‘MSC Aries’, said sources as quoted by PTI. The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is also working closely with relevant authorities for the welfare of all 25 crew members and the return of the vessel, the company said.

Russia, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala Saturday said the Ministry of External Affairs has informed him that the Indian embassy in Moscow has raised the matter with authorities there. Surjewala said he had written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on April 7, seeking his intervention to ensure the safe return of the eight youngsters stuck in war-torn Ukraine. The Congress Rajya Sabha MP said he received a reply from the ministry on April 12 which stated that the Indian embassy in Moscow has taken up the matter with the Russian authorities concerned. «Larger issue of other Indian nationals who had been misled into joining the Russian Army was also taken up by Foreign Secretary with Russian Ambassador in New Delhi. In order to preclude recurrence of such incidents in future, we have also advised Indian citizens to stay away from the conflict,» according to the communication Surjewala received from the ministry.

Congress on Saturday hit out at the Narendra Modi government on the issue of Chinese transgressions and said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's reported remark that «China has not occupied any of our land» is akin to giving another free pass to the neighbouring country. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the EAM's statement is a «copy-paste» of Modi's clean chit to China after the Galwan skirmish in 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Kharge responded to the remark in a post on X, «Wearing '56-inch' long Chinese Blinkers, on the 'Laal Aankh,' Modi Government has given a free pass to the Chinese, twice in a week's time.» He added, «First, @narendramodi ji's interview in foreign press where he failed to put forth India's case strongly at the global stage. Now, his Foreign Minister, handing over another Clean Chit to expansionist China.»

Laos, who were lured into unsafe and illegal work, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his commitment towards the safety of citizens. Jaishankar took to social media platform X to express his gratitude to Indian Embassy im Laos for their diligent efforts in coordinating the rescue operation. He also extended appreciation to the authorities in Laos for their cooperation in ensuring the safe return of the workers. «Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad. 17 Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation,» said Jaishankar in a post on X.

Rajnath Singh said that it will always remain India’s and that the time has come to remove Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu & Kashmir. “PoK was, is and will always remain an integral part of India. “Be assured that the people of Pakistan will themselves demand that they be with India. You must have seen that there were a few demonstrations there since they want to merge with India. After the abrogation of Article 370, normalcy has returned to Kashmir and development has been fast-tracked,” he said in an interview to Network 18 aired on Friday.

Sri Lanka's Cabinet has not discussed the Katchatheevu issue so far as it was never raised, a government spokesman said here on Tuesday, after India's ruling BJP blamed the Congress Party for ceding the tiny island to Colombo in 1974. «The Cabinet did not discuss it as it was never raised,» Bandula Gunawardena, the Cabinet spokesman and minister of information told reporters here today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cited a media report to assert that new facts reveal that the Congress Party «callously» gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.

Hindu temple in Hayward, California, has been defaced with pro-Khalistan graffiti. This incident at Sherawali Temple comes weeks after the Swaminarayan temple in Newark, California was defaced by anti-India graffiti.

NEW DELHI : An uninhabited island has sparked a political controversy in the election season. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reignited a longstanding debate in Indian politics by criticizing the Congress party for relinquishing control of the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in 1974, under Indira Gandhi's leadership. This move has elicited responses from opposition parties, bringing the island's status back into the spotlight.

Katchatheevu island issue, opposition leaders on Monday cited a 2015 RTI reply, which stated that the agreements in 1974 and 1976 did not involve either acquiring or ceding of territory belonging to India, and asked whether the «change» in Modi government's stance was for «election politics». The opposition's response came after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island and gave away Indian fishermen's rights despite legal views to the contrary. Jaishankar's remarks at a press conference were made a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited a media report to assert that new facts reveal that the Congress «callously» gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram hit out at the government over the issue.

Katchatheevu Island row, saying the ruling alliance parties of Tamil Nadu have done nothing to safeguard the state’s interests. The Prime Minister’s charge on the opposition escalates the controversy in the run-up to the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. “Rhetoric aside, DMK has done nothing to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests.

Katchatheevu island was neither acquired nor ceded and lies on the Sri Lankan side of the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line. The 2015 response by MEA assumes significance considering the ongoing political flash point over RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said that former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi had ceded the Island to Sri Lanka.

India and Ukraine «traditional friends', Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Kyiv is looking forward to restoring relations with New Delhi that existed before the conflict, adding that there is much more both the nations can do in the interest of global development and security architecture. He stated that Ukraine will be looking forward to discussing new areas of cooperation with India. At the meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Kuleba stated that Ukraine will be looking forward to discussing new areas of cooperation with India.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized the enduringly positive relationship between India and Russia, highlighting that both nations have consistently prioritized each other's interests. “I will ask myself...Has Russia helped us or harmed us?...

terror attack in the Moscow region, evidence of radicalised Central Asian youth penetrating Russia is emerging as a threat. ET has learnt that the Russian security agency FSB had eliminated two terror groups comprising youth from Central Asia between February and early March before the third group struck at Crocus City Hall last week, killing more than 100 people. The Indian security establishment is closely monitoring the situation and the emerging pattern of terror threat in Russia and Central Asia. On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and conveyed condolences over the terrorist attack. Russian national security advisor Nikolai Patrushev has called for wider partnership to counter the terror threat and radical cells. On the morning of March 7, the FSB conducted a special operation in the village of Koryakovo, Kaluga region of Russia. Two terrorists from Central Asia were killed in the operation, according to security analysts. FSB was assisted by Kazakh security officials in the operation.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday dismissed China's repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as «ludicrous» and asserted that the frontier state was a «natural part of India». In probably his first public comments on China's frequent claims on Arunachal Pradesh and its opposition to Indian leaders visiting the state, Jaishankar said it was not a new issue. «This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today,» he said in response to a question on the Arunachal issue after delivering a lecture at the prestigious Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) of the National University of Singapore (NUS) in Singapore. Jaishankar, who is here on a three-day visit, emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh was a «natural part of India.»

Hyderabad's Nacharam, Abdul went to the United States to pursue a Masters degree in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023. The ‘kidnapper’ asked for a $1,200 ransom, and threatened to sell Abdul's kidney if the amount is not paid. However, no mode of payment was explained.