‘TACTICAL THAW’ LIKELY IN INDIA-CHINA TIES & HOW SPIRITUAL EVENT TURNED INTO DEADLY HATHRAS STAMPEDE

New Delhi: A “tactical thaw” in India-China relations is more likely than a “structural shift” away from the rivalry between the two countries, writes Tanvi Madan, senior fellow – foreign policy at Center for Asia Policy Studies in a piece in Brookings, which revolves around India’s complex relationship with China, marked by periods of tension and occasional attempts at rapprochement.

Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, have expressed cautious optimism about stabilising ties with China, citing progress in border talks and reduced rhetoric, Madan highlights in ‘Is there going to be an India-China deal?’. Meanwhile, economic considerations and regional geopolitical shifts also influence India’s approach, though structural changes in the relationship remain unlikely due to persistent strategic divergences, the article says.

According to the author, the path forward could involve higher-level diplomatic exchanges or selective economic engagement, but significant hurdles and mutual mistrust continue to define the India-China dynamic. “His (Modi) government is bound to embark on any such outreach while keeping in mind the limits of those previous initiatives, and with the understanding that there has been little let up in Sino-Indian competition across several domains,” Madan writes.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The two discussed timely resolution of the border issue and agreed on the need to intensify diplomatic and military efforts.

A New York Times report, ‘They Came for Spiritual Revival, Only to Be Trapped in a Deadly Panic’, takes a deep dive into what led to the tragic stampede in northern India’s Hathras district at a spiritual gathering led by Suraj Pal, known as Bhole Baba. 

Correspondent Suhasini Raj’s report delves into how the organisers of the event underestimated attendance, with around 2,50,000 people present at the venue despite permits for only 80,000. Chaos erupted as devotees rushed to collect dirt from the godman’s path after he finished his sermon. With overcrowding and stifling heat, a “deadly” stampede followed, and by Tuesday night, at least 121 people lay dead, with dozens injured.

At hospitals like the Bagla Combined District Hospital, dead bodies on slabs of melting ice lined the corridor, the report says. “Faces bore the marks of the ghastly stampede from the afternoon — a blob of mud hanging from hair, dried trickles of blood on skin,” she writes.An Independent report by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, digs deep into the allegations against Som Distilleries and Breweries of employing child labourers, aged 13 to 17, in violation of law at a factory in central Madhya Pradesh. At least 59 children were found working illegally, enduring hazardous conditions at the factory. Their task was to fill and pack liquor bottles.

According to the report, titled, ‘Children made to work 11 hours a day at Indian distillery, inspection finds’, the horrendous 11-hour shifts included no proper training or safety measures for these children, and that they were exposed to harmful chemicals. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights found out that some of these children, with chemical burns on their bodies, were transported to work in school buses.

A thorough investigation by the state’s industrial health and safety department revealed the level of abuse, prompting suspension of Som Distilleries’ licence, the Independent report says. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav condemned the company, and said, “The careless officials related to this case have been suspended.” Meanwhile, according to the report, Som Distilleries has claimed innocence, attributing the misconduct to contractors, who failed to verify workers’ ages. 

‘India fosters wedding industry, urging rich to party at home’, published in Nikkei Asia, explores the scope of India’s wedding industry. “Indian couples, on average, spend nearly twice as much on weddings as education,” author Neeta Lal writes. Indian weddings — an integral cultural event — fuel a $130 billion industry annually, second only to food and groceries, Lal highlights.

The report refers to the upcoming wedding of Anant Ambani, youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s wealthiest man, to Radhika Merchant, which might be India’s most expensive wedding. Pre-wedding festivities in Gujarat cost an estimated $150 million, featuring performances by Rihanna and Akon, attended by global figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

While the Indian government promotes this sector with campaigns like “Wed in India,” aiming to boost domestic and international wedding tourism, luxury hotels and resorts also offer multimillion-dollar packages amid rising budgets, driven by aspirational spending, the report says. With India projected to see significant growth in ultrahigh net worth individuals, extravagant weddings remain a cornerstone of societal display and economic opportunity, Lal writes.

Biden vows to remain in presidential race, Hurricane Beryl kills at least 7 in Jamaica

United States President Joe Biden pledges to continue his re-election campaign “to the end”, as the embattled Democrat fights to keep his candidacy alive, amid growing alarm over his physical and mental fitness. Read the Al Jazeera report for more.Hurricane Beryl, which hit Jamaica with heavy winds and rain, has resulted in damage to buildings and felling of trees on the Caribbean island. The hurricane ended up killing at least seven people across the region. To know more, read this report by The Guardian.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)

Also Read: Rise of India’s ‘second republic’ & what Hathras stampede says about public safety — global media

2024-07-04T16:54:11Z dg43tfdfdgfd