“Global South is not just diplomatic term…”: PM Modi at BRICS event

 In his address, the prime minister said that '' India considers the whole world as one family ''

Asian Age : Aug 25, 2023

Johannesburg:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the Global South is not just a diplomatic term but represents the shared history of these countries against colonialism and apartheid based on which modern relations are being reshaped.

Addressing the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue in the South African capital, PM Modi said BRICS countries- and all friendly nations present at the summit can contribute to the strengthening of a multipolar world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at Open Plenary
Session of BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa,
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023. (PTI)

“I am grateful to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for giving me the opportunity to share thoughts with the leaders of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the last two days, we have focussed on the priorities and concerns of the countries of Global South,” PM Modi said.

“We believe that giving importance to them is the need of the current generation. We have also decided on the expansion of BRICS. We welcome all new partner countries. It is another step towards making the global institutions and forums competitive,” he added.

PM Modi recalled that it was on South African land that Mahatma Gandhi developed, tested the concepts of non-violence and peaceful resistance used in in India’s freedom struggle. He said that Gandhi’s thoughts provided inspiration to the South African leader Nelson Mandela.

In his address, the prime minister said that India considers the whole world as one family and has focussed on bringing the concerns of the Global South to the mainstream level.

“…This is also the core principle of our G20 presidency. To bring the concerns of the Global South into the mainstream, we have invited three African nations and several developing nations as guest countries. India has also put forward the proposal of giving permanent G20 membership to the African Union. I believe that BRICS and all friendly nations present today, can contribute to strengthening the multipolar world,” PM Modi said further.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi congratulated leaders and people of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE over their full membership of BRICS and said India has always supported the expansion of the organisation.

In a statement in the presence of other leaders from BRICS countries, PM Modi said India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation.

"India has always supported the expansion of BRICS. India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation,” he said.

PM Modi said India has “historic ties” with all the new members of BRICS.

He said India will also contribute to other countries wanting to join as partner countries of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

Mahanayakas want Prez to discuss 13A with them

 Mahanayakas want Prez to discuss 13A with them

The Morning | BY Buddhika Samaraweera 25-08-2023

The Asgiri Chapter of the Siam Sect stated that it would be best if President Ranil Wickremesinghe would discuss the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution with religious leaders including the Chief Prelates (Mahanayakas) of the main Buddhist sects.

Wickremesinghe, who came to power following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July last year (2022), pledged that he would fully implement the 13th Amendment, and work to resolve the issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Speaking to The Daily Morning on the matter, Asgiri Maha Viharaya Supreme Sangha Council Secretary Ven. Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera said that they were of the view that the 13th Amendment should not be implemented as it may cause various adverse effects, including communal conflicts. "All former Presidents didn’t implement this, and they must have done so for a fair reason. So, we don’t approve of the implementation of the 13th Amendment. However, as the President has expressed his consent to implement it, he should discuss the matter with all religious leaders, including Chief Prelates."

Wickremesinghe has had several discussions with several parties including Parliamentarians, particularly those representing the Tamil community regarding the 13th Amendment. His preparation has, however, seen opposition from several parties including the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna itself, which recently stated that he (Wickremesinghe) did not have a moral right to implement the 13th Amendment, as he is enjoying power based on the mandate given by the people to Rajapaksa.

In February this year, the Chief Prelates of the main Buddhist Sects including Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera, Makulewe Wimala Thera, and late Dodampahala Chandrasiri Thera had, in a letter addressed to the President, requested him not to implement the 13th Amendment, claiming that the granting of Police and land powers may lead to separatism.

On 29 July 1987, the Indo-Lanka Accord was signed between the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene which described the devolution of powers to the Provinces. On 14 November 1987, the Parliament passed the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Councils (PCs) Act, No. 42 of 1987 to establish PCs.

On 18 July 2023, Wickremesinghe assured a group of Tamil MPs that the 13th Amendment would be fully implemented - without Police powers - in the PCs.

BRICS: Towards a Just World Order - Sergey Lavrov

 

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s Article for South Africa’s Ubuntu Magazine, August 21, 2023

BRICS: Towards a Just World Order

On the eve of the BRICS Summit, I would like to share with our dear readers my thoughts on the prospects for cooperation among the group of five countries in the current geopolitical context.

Tectonic shifts are taking place in the world today. The possibility of dominance by one country or even a small group of States is disappearing. The model of international development built on the exploitation of the resources of the World Majority to maintain the well-being of the "golden billion" is hopelessly out of date. It does not reflect the aspirations of all humankind.

We are witnessing the emergence of a more just multipolar world order. New centers of economic growth and of global decision-making on important political issues in Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America are guided primarily by their own interests and assign paramount importance to national sovereignty. And against this background they achieve impressive success in various areas.

Attempts of the "collective West" to reverse this trend with a view to preserving its own hegemony have an exactly opposite effect. The international community is tired of the blackmail and pressure from the Western elites and their colonial and racist manners. That is why, for example, not only Russia, but also a number of other countries are consistently reducing their dependence on the US dollar, switching to alternative payment systems and national currency settlements. I recall the wise words of Nelson Mandela: "When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat." And it truly is.

Russia – a civilisation State, the largest Eurasian and Euro-Pacific power – continues to work towards further democratization of international life, building an architecture of inter-State relations that would be based on the values of equal and indivisible security, and cultural and civilisational diversity, and would provide equal opportunities for development for all members of the international community with no one left behind. As President of Russia Vladimir Putin noted in his Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on 21 February 2023: "In today's world there should be no division into so-called civilised countries and all the rest... There is a need for an honest partnership that rejects any exclusivity, especially an aggressive one." In our opinion, all this is in line with the Ubuntu philosophy, which advocates interconnectivity between nations and people.

In this context, Russia has consistently stood for strengthening the position of the African continent in a multipolar world order. We will further support our African friends in their aspirations to play an increasingly significant role in resolving the key problems of our time. This also applies in full to the process of reforming the United Nations Security Council, in which framework, in our deep conviction, first and foremost, the legitimate interests of developing countries, including in Africa, must be protected.

Multilateral diplomacy does not stand aside from the global trends. Such a grouping as BRICS is a symbol of true multipolarity and an example of honest inter-State communication. Within its framework, States with different political systems, distinctive value platforms and independent foreign policies effectively cooperate in various spheres. I think it is no exaggeration to say that the five BRICS countries are a kind of cooperation "network" over the traditional North-South and West-East lines.

Indeed, we have something to present to our public. Through joint efforts, BRICS has managed to create a culture of dialogue based on the principles of equality, respect for the choice of one's own developmental path and consideration of each other's interests. This helps us find common ground on and solutions even to the most complex issues.

The place and significance of BRICS today and its ability to influence the global agenda are determined by objective factors. The figures speak for themselves. The population of the BRICS countries is over 40 percent and the area of their territories exceeds a quarter of the world's land. According to experts' forecasts, in 2023 the five countries will account for about 31.5 percent of global GDP (at purchasing power parity), while the share of the G7 has fallen to 30 percent in this indicator.

Today, the BRICS strategic partnership is gaining momentum. The "Big Five" offers the world creative, forward-looking initiatives aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring food and energy security, healthy growth of the global economy, conflict resolution, and combating climate change, including by means of a just energy transition.

An extensive network of mechanisms has been established to address these challenges. The Strategy for Economic Partnership 2025, which defines the benchmarks of cooperation in the mid-term, is being implemented. The BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform launched at the Russian initiative is operating successfully. The BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center designed to help develop effective responses to challenges to the epidemic well-being of our countries has started its work. Initiatives on Denial of Safe Haven to Corruption, on Trade and Investment for Sustainable Development, and on Enhancing Cooperation on Supply Chains have been approved. The BRICS Strategy on Food Security Cooperation has been adopted.

 

From the moment Yevgeny Prigozhin aborted his march on Moscow it was a question of when and how – not whether – he would end up dead. Yesterday we saw a video of him for the first time talking about Wagner promoting Russia’s interests in Africa. Now, two months to the day after that coup was launched, we hear that his plane has crashed in Russia – apparently shot down. 

The Russian press is saying that Prigozhin was one of ten passengers listed on a small jet that crashed in the Tver region to the north east of Moscow earlier today. Footage has emerged on social media showing what looks like the tail of an antiaircraft missile. The plane, reportedly on its way to St Petersburg, is then seen to crash with one wing missing.

Prigozhin is not the only member of Wagner high command thought to have been on board. According to the Telegram channel VchK-OGPU, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin’s right-hand man whose call sign gave the mercenary group its name, is said to have been on board too. 

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, but few will be holding their breath for the outcome. Russian social media is already ablaze with speculation. The Wagner-sympathetic Telegram channel Grey Zone said ‘We note that the plane was shot out of the sky over Tverskaya oblast by the air defense forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense’.

While Prighozin’s death has not been confirmed, the Wagner Group’s own social media has acknowledged the crash without making any claims about his safety. Footage of the crash site has been posted on its Telegram channel. Urging supporters to remain calm, the channel claims the plane was one of a convoy of two and that it’s possible that Prigozhin was aboard the second. They say it’s currently landing. 

Was it ever plausible that Prigozhin would be allowed to lead a safe life in exile? Following Prigozhin’s coup attempt in June, many were surprised by Putin’s seemingly weak response: the Wagner leader was allowed to leave Russia for self-imposed exile in Belarus but was able to travel in and out of Russia seemingly as he pleased. He was spotted several times in St Petersburg over the past few months. CIA director Bill Burns said last month that ‘Putin is someone who generally thinks revenge is a dish best served cold… I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution’. 

Putin’s trademark is to wait, and for his enemies to die in circumstances which don’t leave much doubt about where responsibility lies. 

EURO NEWS: Wagner chief presumed dead in plane crash near Moscow

Russian authorities say Prigozhin was one of ten passengers listed for the flight, although it is not yet clear whether he was on board at the time.

A business jet en route from Moscow to St Petersburg crashed Wednesday, killing all ten people on board, Russian emergency officials said. 

The jet reportedly belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company.

Russia’s civilian aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, confirmed that Prigozhin was on the passenger list. However, it was not immediately clear if he had boarded the flight when it went down.

State news agency Tass cited emergency officials as saying that the plane carried three pilots and seven passengers. The authorities said they were investigating the crash, which occurred in the Tver region more than 100 kilometres north of Moscow.

Flight tracking data shows a private jet registered to Wagner that Prigozhin had used previously took off from Moscow on Wednesday evening and its transponder signal disappeared minutes later.

The signal was lost in a rural region where there are no nearby airfields where the jet could have landed safely.

Video shared widely on social media channels, including by a senior advisor to the Ukrainian government, appears to show a plane fall from the sky, and then burst into flames on the ground. 

The authenticity of those videos could not be immediately verified.

Prigozhin, whose private military force Wagner fought alongside Russia's regular army in Ukraine, mounted a short-lived armed mutiny against Russia's military leadership in late June.

The Kremlin said he would be exiled to Belarus, and his fighters would either retire, follow him there, or join the Russian military.

This week, Prigozhin posted his first recruitment video since the mutiny, saying that Wagner is conducting reconnaissance and search activities, and “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free.”

Prigozhin listed as passenger of plane crashed in Russia

 Prigozhin listed as passenger of plane crashed in Russia’s Tver region — aviation agency

An investigation of the Embraer plane crash that happened in the Tver Region this evening was initiated

Yevgeny Prigozhin

© Lev Borodin/TASS

MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport has launched an investigation into the crash of the Embraer plane in the Tver Region on Wednesday, the agency said noting that Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers.

"An investigation into the Embraer plane crash that occurred in the Tver Region this evening has been launched. According to the passenger list, the first and last name of Yevgeny Prigozhin was included in this list," the agency noted.

The Embraer business jet crashed in the Tver Region near the settlement of Kuzhenkino. According to preliminary data, all 10 people on board the plane have died. The plane was en route from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport to St. Petersburg.

நிலவில் இறங்கியது இந்திய விக்ரம்

 

’’இது இந்தியாவின் வெற்றி மட்டுமல்ல உலகத்தின் வெற்றி ஆகும்’’

பிரதமர் மோடி

Chandrayaan-3 livestream: Watch India’s attempted moon landing

Chandrayaan-3 livestream: Watch India’s attempted moon landing

By Matthew Sparkes New Scientist 23 August 2023

India will become only the fourth country to successfully land an intact craft on the moon if its Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touches down near the lunar south pole today. It will also become the first nation to explore the potentially water-rich polar region.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Chandrayaan-3, which takes its name from the Sanskrit word for “mooncraft”, took off onboard a Launch Vehicle Mark-III rocket from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on 14 July and has spent six weeks covering about 380,000 kilometres en route to the moon.

It is now in lunar orbit preparing to land at a spot with water reserves, which could help make a permanent lunar base possible.

The preceding Chandrayaan-2 mission ended in failure in 2019 when a software glitch caused its Vikram lander to crash into the moon’s surface. It was destroyed, along with the six-wheeled rover it contained, named Pragyan, that would have explored the moon’s south pole.

The earlier Chandrayaan-1 mission consisted of a lunar orbiter and a probe designed to deliberately hit the moon at speed, again targeting the south pole. India’s latest mission is designed to land softly and carry out scientific research.

‘Hegemonism not in China’s DNA’: Xi calls for BRICS expansion

‘Hegemonism not in China’s DNA’: Xi calls for BRICS expansion

Xi says China seeks a more just and equitable international order and rejects ‘bloc confrontation’.

Al Jazeera Published On 23 Aug 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an expansion of the BRICS grouping of emerging economies to build a more just and equitable international order, insisting “hegemonism is not in China’s DNA”.

In a speech delivered on his behalf at the start of BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday, Xi said China had no wish to engage in great power competition or create “bloc confrontation”.

“China stands firmly on the right side of history and believes a just cause should be pursued for the common good,” Xi said at a business forum, according to remarks delivered by Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

Xi said BRICS would continue to grow “whatever resistance there may be.”

“Right now, changes in the world, in our times, and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture,” he said.

It was not clear why Xi did not participate in the event, which was attended by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Xi earlier met summit host Ramaphosa, telling his counterpart their countries stood at a “new historical starting point”.

China and Russia, both of which have been heavily sanctioned by the United States, have been keen to expand BRICS to develop a counter to Western dominance over international institutions and affairs.

Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran, Argentina and Egypt are among the countries that have expressed interest in joining the bloc – currently made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – which represents about 40 percent of the world’s population and more than 25 percent of the global economy.

The grouping, however, is dividend on expansion, with Brazil and India widely seen as more ambivalent about growing the bloc.

In a possible sign of differing visions for the bloc, Brazil’s Lula said BRICS did not seek to be a “counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States”.

“We just want to organise ourselves,” Lula said during a social media broadcast.

Apart from enlarging membership, the summit is also set to discuss ways to boost the use of local currencies in trade and financial transactions to lessen dependency on the US dollar.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is not attending the summit in person, said in a pre-recorded statement that the de-dollarization of the bloc’s economic times was “irreversible” and gaining momentum.

Russia’s economy has been battered by sweeping Western sanctions imposed in response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Putin, who is wanted under an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, is being represented at the BRICS summit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

India’s Foreign Policy Progress in Sri Lanka is a Strategic Setback for China

India’s Foreign Policy Progress in Sri Lanka is a Strategic Setback for China

Since an economic crisis hit the country last year, New Delhi has reminded Colombo who its real friends are.

It was only a year ago that Sri Lanka dominated international headlines, as its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years contributed to severe domestic strife, including deadly riots, and severe shortages of fuel, food and critical medicine. The crisis was created by a confluence of domestic policy blunders under the Rajapaksa clan, on whose watch Sri Lanka’s burden of foreign debt had grown to nearly insurmountable levels, a significant proportion of it owed to Chinese creditors.

Sri Lanka’s economic troubles had been known for some time, but the Rajapaksas were unwilling to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The source of the trouble came not only the inability to service debt due to limited foreign reserves, but economic mismanagement from legitimacy challenges that compelled the government to implement tax cuts to curry favor with the public. The result is that everything that could go wrong with the economy has: Sri Lanka faces budget and current account deficits, hyperinflation, a devalued currency and massive sovereign debt.

For neighboring India, Sri Lanka’s crisis prompted severe strategic anxiety. Over the past decade, Chinese influence on the island has increased, as after the long civil war drew to a close – in part due to China’s weaponry – Mahinda Rajapaksa began borrowing heavily to pay for the war. The relationship between New Delhi strained by an Indian peacekeeping mission in the late 1980s and a number of votes by India at the U.N. Human Rights Council after the war put pressure on Sri Lanka to be held accountable for its actions and to promote reconciliation with the island’s Tamil minority population. China seized the opportunity to undermine India’s sphere of influence over Sri Lanka, partially through satisfying Mahinda Rajapaksa’s penchant for vanity and pet projects.

A prime example of the Rajapaksa-era obsession with infrastructure projects was the 99-year lease of the strategically-located Hambantota Port in 2017 to the Chinese state-owned China Merchants Port Holding Company for $1.1 billion. Sri Lanka secured loans from Chinese banks to develop the port in hopes of relieving some of the shipping burden on the country’s main port in Colombo. Only the new port failed to generate the much-needed revenue. The Rajapaksa government eventually collapsed under the weight of its debt burden to both Beijing and another $25 billion in debt to private bondholders.