UNSC voices 'strong concern' for UN peacekeepers after Israeli attacks

THE UN Security Council expressed "strong concern" as Israel has fired on and wounded UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon during intensified fighting, reiterating its support for their role in supporting security in the region.

It's the first statement by the UN's most powerful body since Israel's attacks on the positions of the peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, drawing international condemnation.

Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed that peacekeepers will remain in all their positions even as Israel has urged the peacekeepers to move 5 km north during its ground invasion in Lebanon. 

The UNSC statement did not name either Israel, Lebanon or Hezbollah. It urges all parties "to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and UN premises." Council members also expressed "deep concern" at civilian casualties and suffering.

'Same old Trudeau saying same old things': India rejects Canada PM claim

Deepening the diplomatic row between Delhi and Ottawa over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India strongly rejected Canada's assertion that it had shared credible evidence of Indian involvement in the Nijjar case.

The Indian pushback came on the day Canada reached out to the UK and New Zealand, along with the US and Australia, who is also India's Quad partners, Canada, the UK and New Zealand made the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance - and briefed them on its probe into allegations of Indian involvement. 

Pradhan announces 3 AI Centres of Excellence

Union education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced three Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence (CoEs) focused on healthcare, agriculture and sustainable cities.

The CoEs will be led by top educational institutions, in consortium with industry partners and startups.

"The three CoEs in Al-'health- care, agriculture and sustainable cities', will democratise Al innovations and research to revolutionise healthcare delivery, strengthen food security and address critical urban challenges.

These CoEs led by our top academic institutions will strengthen India's Al capabilities and power the growth of India's Al ecosystem," Pradhan said. 

India needs over $1 tn in 30 years to move away from coal mining: Study

In the next 30 years, India will require more than a trillion dollars, or 284 lakh crore at current rates, to transition away from coal mining and thermal power plants, estimates a first-of-its-kind study by environmental thinktank iForest. 

These costs will largely be required to close mines that produce 1,315 million tonnes per annum of coal cumulatively and to phase out coal-based thermal power plants which have a capacity of 237.2 gigawatts, said the new study. 

The energy transition estimate did not include the investment cost of setting up new green energy plants and infrastructure, which alone is estimated to be in trillions of dollars. It also excluded costs of transitioning for industries such as steel and cement that use coal directly.

SCO meet today: Jaishankar in Islamabad is the first EAM to visit Pakistan in 9 years

At the Wagah border, a poster of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani with the inscription "Long Live Pakistan" is plastered on the wall.

Pakistan Rangers guard the gates at the 'zero point' on the India-Pakistan border, about 400 km from Islamabad where the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government are meeting.

On Islamabad's streets, LED lights welcoming the visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang illuminate the evening, with the flags of Pakistan and China adorning the roads. Li, the first Chinese premier to visit Pakistan in 11 years, was received at the airport by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The centre is located at the show-piece China-Pakistan project in the capital 'China-Pakistan Friendship Centre', built by Beijing as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's pet project, the Belt and Road Initiative.

A tough road from the brink

India-Canada relations truly reached a low point on October 14. This is because the two countries' public recriminations have gone beyond the realm of intelligence and diplomacy into the dangerous territory of personal political attacks. 

That is a stage from which attempts at restoring even a modicum of normalcy to bilateral ties becomes a difficult and long-drawn-out process even after anger and passions cool down.

India-Canada ties went into a steep decline last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed his Parliament on September 18 that there were "credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar". 

India had strongly refuted Canadian allegations. It pointed to Canadian indifference and hypocrisy in preventing its citizens from promoting violent separatism in India through their support for Khalistan. 

However, while the Canadian charges were grave, they had remained confined to the sphere of diplomacy. 

With India-Canada diplomatic ties in a tailspin, business links could see a chill

In one of the most significant escalations of tensions between India and Canada, India ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats on Monday and announced the withdrawal of its High Commissioner to Canada, along with other "targeted diplomats," raising concerns about a spillover effect on bilateral business engagements. 

This includes Canadian pension fund investments worth $75 billion in India, the fate of paused negotiations for a proposed trade agreement and the inflow of remittances into India.

This escalation comes at a time when India and several Western countries have been seeking closer economic integration in a bid to decouple from China. 

Capitalising on the geopolitical opportunity, India has been negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) with nearly half a dozen economic blocs and countries, including the European Union and the UK. 

India to allot satellite internet spectrum administratively: Scindia

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that India will administratively

allocate spectrum for satellite communication, as laid down in the Telecommunications Act, of 2023. 

This is being seen as a blow to Reliance Jio, which has been calling for an auction of the spectrum, and a win for the likes of Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper.

"For Satcom, spectrum will be allocated administratively... that does not mean that spectrum does not come without a cost. 

Global governance framework needed for ethical AI: PM Modi

The world's global institutions should work on a common global governance framework for digital technologies, especially around the ethical use of artificial intelligence and data privacy while respecting the diversity of various countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

No country can protect its citizens from cyber threats on its own. We have to work together," PM Modi said during his inauguration speech at the International Telecommunication Union's

World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (ITU-WTSA) and the India Mobile Congress.

THAAD

Even as Israel faces increasing criticism for targeting United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon, the United States said initial components required to operate the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery had arrived in the country, along with a team of American military personnel.

A THAAD battery consists of 95 soldiers, six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors (eight per launcher), radar surveillance and radar, and a tactical fire component, according to a paper by the US Congressional Research Service.

Greenwashing guidelines

Seeking to restrain companies from making false or misleading claims about the environment-friendly nature of their products or services, the Centre on Wednesday re- leased new guidelines that make it mandatory for companies to substantiate their claims with scientific evidence. 

The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing or Misleading Environment Claims were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) which works under the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

The move is part of the government's crackdown on misleading advertisements. The new norms would complement the existing Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsement for Misleading Advertisements, framed in 2022, which deal with false or exaggerated claims in advertisements in general.