India’s national security advisor is in Russia for a meeting of the grouping’s security officials
Existing global institutions are unable to deal with the world's conflicts and there is an “urgent need” to reform multilateralism in global affairs, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval stated on Wednesday.
Addressing the 14th Meeting of BRICS+ security officials in St. Petersburg, Doval said there is a “demand” from the organization’s members for a “serious, constructive and collective approach” to dealing with security challenges and future threats.
“All ways of handling sensitive issues of common concern are no longer capable of addressing modern threats and new situations,” Doval said, adding that he was happy that the BRICS+ meeting in Russia included many countries of the Global South. He underscored the “spirit of mutual respect, understanding, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness and consensus” in the group.
India has emerged as one of the leading nations of the Global South, and has been advocating for sweeping reforms in the United Nations to make it more inclusive and provide greater representation to developing countries. Doval noted that New Delhi had hosted three ‘Voice of the Global South’ summits in less than one year, aiming at creating a new common platform where developing countries can share their perspectives and priorities across a range of issues.
New Delhi has also been bidding for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council since 1994. However, experts and diplomats have voiced concern over the lack of progress toward the inclusion of new members. Besides India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan are also interested in a permanent seat at the UNSC, and the issue is expected to be at the center of discussion at the Summit of the Future later this month.
Meanwhile, Doval’s visit to Moscow comes close on the heels of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kiev in August and amid discussion of India’s possible role in mediating between Russia and Ukraine.
During his recent meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Modi reiterated New Delhi’s stand that problems “cannot be resolved on the battlefield” and that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the only way to achieve peace. He made similar statements in Moscow in July, when he held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Doval accompanied the prime minister on both visits.
“India and the world want the Ukraine war to end and in that context PM Modi is talking to all parties,” an unnamed official told Hindustan Times ahead of the national security adviser’s trip to Russia. He added however that Modi “has no desire” to become a mediator in the conflict.
Last week, Putin said that he was in touch with BRICS members India, China, and Brazil over the conflict in Ukraine. “We respect our friends and partners, who, I believe, sincerely seek to resolve all issues surrounding this conflict,” he said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
https://www.rt.com/india/603864-india-brics-nsa-meeting-reforms/
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
