Rajnath Singh meets Belarusian counterpart on sidelines of SCO summit in Qingdao, China
Qingdao [China], June 26 (ANI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Gennadievich Khrenin on Thursday on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Meeting in Qingdao, China.
Singh also held a bilateral meeting with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the meeting of the members of the 10-member bloc.
In continuation of these engagements, the Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation visited the Qingdao International Conference Centre, the venue where the SCO Summit meeting was held in 2018.
The SCO Defence Ministers' meeting being held from June 25 to 26 brings together member states to discuss key regional and global security issues.
As part of the broader agenda, the discussions are expected to focus on international and regional peace and security, counter-terrorism cooperation, and enhanced collaboration among the defence ministries of SCO member states.
Upon his arrival at the venue, Singh was received by Chinese Defence Minister, Admiral Dong Jun.Singh joined Admiral Dong and other participating leaders for a group photograph ahead of the official proceedings.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif arrived at the venue after Rajnath Singh.
In a press release, the Ministry of Defence stated, 'Defence Ministry is expected to highlight India's continued commitment to the principles and mandate of the SCO, outline India's vision towards achieving greater international peace & security, call for joint & consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism & extremism in the region, and stress on the need for greater trade, economic cooperation and connectivity within SCO. He will also hold bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of some participating countries, including China and Russia, on the sidelines of the meeting.'
India, the Ministry noted, places special importance on the SCO as a platform for promoting multilateralism and cooperation across politics, security, economy, and people-to-people ties in the region.
'SCO pursues its policy based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity of nations, non-interference in internal affairs, mutual respect, understanding and equality of all member states,' the Defence Ministry statement read.
The SCO is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. India became a full member in 2017 and held the rotating chairmanship in 2023. Member countries include India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus. China has assumed the Chair of the SCO for 2025 under the theme 'Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.' (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
9 minutes ago
- Time of India
Big Beautiful Bill: Tax, subsidy cut on clean energy trigger outrage
Washington: The US Senate's proposed cuts to clean energy subsidies and the introduction of a new tax on wind and solar energy in its version of President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill have drawn searing criticism from business and labour groups since they were unveiled over the weekend, with some arguing the moves could lead to power shortages, raise power prices and kill jobs. The pushback, which includes a swipe from Trump ally and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, comes as senators started voting on a potentially long list of amendments to the bill on Monday, giving renewable energy advocates on both sides of the political spectrum a last window to push for changes. "Taxing energy production is never good policy, whether oil & gas or, in this case, renewables," said Neil Bradley, policy director of the US Chamber of Commerce, in a post on X over the weekend. "Electricity demand is set to see enormous growth & this tax will increase prices. It should be removed." "This would be incredibly destructive to America!" Musk posted on X, saying the cuts could endanger the development of energy-hungry artificial intelligence technology, among other things. Trump has said he intends to maximise US energy production, with a focus on fossil fuels, in part to ensure the power industry can supply the AI industry's growth. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo But he has also promised to wipe out subsidies for renewables. The Senate bill would roll back incentives for wind, solar, batteries and other clean energy technologies created by President Joe Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, and add a new tax on these projects if they cannot prove their products are made without Chinese parts. Energy secretary Chris Wright on Monday seemed to brush off warnings about the loss of generation capacity amid soaring demand. "The more we load our grid with intermittent generation, the worse the grid performs during times of maximum demand," he posted on the social media platform. Sean McGarvey, president of the North America's Building Trades Unions, which represents over 3 million construction workers, blasted the bill's impact on jobs. "If enacted, this stands to be the biggest job-killing bill in the history of this country. Simply put, it is the equivalent of terminating more than 1,000 Keystone XL pipeline projects," he said in a statement, referring to an oil pipeline project blocked by Biden's administration. Republican leaders are rushing to overcome internal fights over the massive tax and spending package. Senate Republicans were still at odds Monday over how much to cut from Medicaid and other social safety-net programmes. Trump remained in contact with lawmakers Monday, as he was over the weekend, said an official who added the White House is optimistic the president would get the legislation to sign by Friday.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
US brings charges in North Korean remote worker scheme that officials say funds weapons program
The Justice Department announced charges in a North Korean scheme. North Korea funded its weapons program. It used salaries of remote IT workers at U.S. companies. Workers used stolen identities to get jobs. Companies were tricked into paying wages to North Korean accounts. Some workers stole sensitive military technology. Cases were filed in Georgia and Massachusetts. FILE - The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Justice Department announced criminal charges Monday in a scheme by North Korea to fund its weapons program through the salaries of remote information technology workers employed unwittingly by U.S. charges arose from what law enforcement officials described as a nationwide operation that also resulted in the seizure of financial accounts, websites and laptops that were used to carry out the cases in Georgia and Massachusetts represent the latest Justice Department effort to confront a persistent threat that officials say generates enormous revenue for the North Korean government and in some cases affords workers access to sensitive and proprietary data from the American corporations that hire scheme involved thousands of workers who, armed with stolen or fake identities, were dispatched by the North Korean government to find work as remote IT employees at American companies, including Fortune 500 corporations. The companies were duped into believing that the workers they hired were based in the U.S. when many were actually stationed in North Korea or China, and the wages the victimized companies paid were transferred into accounts controlled by co-conspirators affiliated with North Korea, prosecutors say."These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime's illicit programs, including its weapons programs," Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a one case exposed on Monday in federal court in Massachusetts, the Justice Department said it had arrested one U.S. national and charged more than a half dozen Chinese and Taiwanese citizens for their alleged roles in an elaborate fraud that prosecutors say produced several millions of dollars in revenue and affected scores of conspiracy, court papers say, involved the registration of financial accounts to receive the proceeds and the creation of shell companies and fake websites to make it look like the remote workers were associated with legitimate businesses. Enablers inside the United States facilitated the workers' remote computer access, tricking companies into believing the workers were logging in from U.S. Justice Department did not identify the companies that were duped, but said that some of the fraudulent workers were able to gain access to and steal information related to sensitive military case filed in Georgia charges four North Korean IT workers with stealing virtual currency worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from their employers. The defendants remain at Justice Department has filed similar prosecutions in recent years, as well as created an initiative aimed at disrupting the threat.
The Hindu
43 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The Hindu Morning Digest: July 1, 2025
Netanyahu to visit White House as Gaza truce pressure mounts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, a U.S. official said Monday, as Washington ramps up the pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza. The July 7 visit — Mr. Netanyahu's third since Mr. Trump returned to power in January — comes after Mr. Trump said that he hoped for a truce in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory within a week. PM Modi's five-nation tour likely to focus on defence cooperation, Africa outreach, and multilaterals Defence, rare earth minerals, cooperation on counter-terror and south-south cooperation will be among the focus areas during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 2-9 five-nation tour covering Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia . Officials announced that during the visit to Brazil, the two sides are expected to take up defence production and cooperation, as Brazil has displayed interest in the technology for more secure communication and India's Akash surface-to-air missile system that was used during Operation Sindoor. Border dispute with India complicated, takes time; ready to discuss delimitation, says China China on Monday said the boundary dispute with India was complicated and would take time to settle, but at the same time, it expressed its readiness to hold discussions on the delimitation of the border and keep it peaceful. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in his meeting with Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in Qingdao on June 26, proposed that India and China should solve the 'complex issues' under a structured road map comprising steps to de-escalate tensions along the frontiers and rejuvenate the existing mechanism to demarcate the borders. Massive explosion at Sigachi pharma unit leaves 17 dead, several injured near Hyderabad As many as 17 persons were killed and 30 others injured when a massive explosion ripped through Sigachi Industries Private Limited, a pharmaceutical unit in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad, on Monday morning. A majority of the victims were trapped under the production unit housing the reactor when it collapsed. 'Five of the persons were charred in the fire. We (NDRF) alone managed to pull out around 30 workers from under the rubble. Some 25 of them were rushed to three nearby hospitals with varying degrees of burns and injuries,' said NDRF Deputy Commander Damodar Singh. 5 policemen held in Sivaganga custodial torture case; victim's body bore over 30 injury marks Five policemen were arrested late on Monday night in connection with the custodial torture of a temple security guard, Ajith Kumar, 27, which led to his death last week in Sivaganga district, according to a note from the Police Department. The arrests were made on a day the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed that the case had to be viewed seriously. 'If it was an armed person, the police could counter-attack. But it was an unarmed person in police custody,' Justices S.M. Subramaniam and A.D. Maria Clete said, when a mention of a writ petition was made by an AIADMK advocate. Bengal police summon Padma-awardee monk after woman alleges rape The West Bengal police on Monday summoned a Padma Shri awardee monk, Kartik Maharaj, after a woman filed an FIR against him alleging rape and sexual assault. 'In exercise of the power conferred under sub section (3) of section 35 of BNSS, I do hereby inform you that during the investigation of FIR No-395/25 dt-26/06/25 u/s 376(2)(k)/313/417/506 IPC, registered at Nabagram Police Station. Murshidabad Police District it is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain the actual facts and circumstances from your end,' the official letter addressed to the monk from sub-inspector Apurba Mondal read. 337 tonnes of Union Carbide toxic waste incinerated in M.P.'s Pithampur Toxic waste weighing 337 tonnes from the defunct Union Carbide factory has been completely incinerated at a private waste treatment facility in Dhar district's Pithampur industrial area in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Monday. The waste was moved to Pithampur in January this year, more than 40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, in which 5,479 people lost their lives and thousands suffered physical disabilities due to the leak of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide India Ltd. (UCIL) factory. More than five lakh people suffered health implications from the tragedy over the decades. Trump signs an executive order ending U.S. sanctions on Syria U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending U.S. sanctions on Syria, following through on his promise to do so. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was designed to 'promote and support the country's path to stability and peace.' Sanctions will remain in place on ousted former President Bashar Assad, his top aides and family. 6 killed in a crash of a small plane in Ohio, officials say Six people were killed when a small plane crashed minutes after taking off from an Ohio airport, officials said. The twin-engine Cessna 441 turboprop crashed near Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport on Sunday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There were no survivors in the crash, Western Reserve Port Authority Executive Director Anthony Trevena said at a news conference. The agency owns the airport. IMF to provide Ukraine with $500 million after review The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it has completed its eighth review under an extended arrangement as part of the Extended Fund Facility for Ukraine, providing the country with a disbursement of about $500 million (SDR 0.37 billion) .Total disbursements under the IMF-supported program for Ukraine will reach $10.6 billion with the new $500 million, which will be channeled for budget support, the fund said. Ind vs Eng 2nd Test: Chris Woakes loving life as leader of England pace pack Ahead of England's opening Test against India in Leeds, the home bowling line-up was under the microscope. Both Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes hadn't bowled much in the lead-up, and Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse were inexperienced. But over the course of the match, Woakes' body held up for 43 overs and Stokes' for 35, and Tongue and Carse scalped a combined 11 wickets. Jofra Archer's return to Test-match fitness just made everything sweeter.
