logo
Brics Summit: India, Malaysia review bilateral cooperation in trade, investment

Brics Summit: India, Malaysia review bilateral cooperation in trade, investment

Hindustan Times3 days ago
The review of the India-Asean free trade agreement and bilateral cooperation in areas ranging from trade and investment to defence figured in a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim on the margins of the Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro. PM Modi congratulated Malaysia for its successful stewardship of Asean. (AFP photo)
The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral ties since Anwar's visit to India in August 2024, including in trade, investment, defence, education, healthcare, tourism and people-to-people contacts, the external affairs ministry said after the meeting late on Sunday.
Modi congratulated Malaysia for its successful stewardship of Asean and welcomed the country's support for a strengthened Asean-India comprehensive strategic partnership, including the 'early and successful completion of the review of the Asean-India FTA', the ministry said.
India has been concerned about the lack of progress in nine rounds of negotiations held so far to review the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA). The Indian side believes the pact's weak provisions for rules of origin have led to dumping of Chinese-made goods through some of the 10 member states of Asean. The next round of negotiations will be held in August.
Modi also thanked Anwar for his strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, and the leaders discussed cooperation in regional security and the multilateral arena.
Modi held a separate meeting with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on the margins of the Brics Summit to review bilateral ties in economic cooperation, development partnership, fintech, capacity building, science and technology, disaster management and healthcare.
Also Read: PM Modi thanks Malaysia, Cuba for condemning Pahalgam terror attack: MEA
Diaz-Canel acknowledged India's expertise in the digital domain and expressed interest in the country's digital public infrastructure and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) digital payment system, the external affairs ministry said.
Modi proposed Cuba should recognise Indian pharmacopoeia, which will lead to the Cuban national healthcare system having access to Indian generic medicines.
The two leaders also agreed to work on issues of concern to the Global South, including health, pandemics and climate change.
Modi also had pull-asides with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Vietnam's Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bharat Bandh evokes mixed response
Bharat Bandh evokes mixed response

Hans India

time11 minutes ago

  • Hans India

Bharat Bandh evokes mixed response

Tirupati: The nationwide general strike 'Bharat Bandh' called by 10 national trade unions against Modi government's 'pro-corporate policies' and restoration of labour rights evoked mixed response in pilgrim city on Wednesday. All the nationalised banks and insurance major LIC remained closed while contract workers working in government departments, universities and TTD have attended their duties. The farmers and rural workers in all the mandals in the district held rallies in support of general strike. The members of trade unions AITUC, IFTU and activists of Left parties CPI and CPM took out rallies in the streets which culminated into a meeting at Nalugukalla Mandapam in the city. Shops also remained closed in the morning. However train services, RTC services and private transport including buses to Tirumala functioned normally. Anganwadi centres and PHCs in most areas did not function with the employees joining the strike. Leaders of Left parties CPI and CPM K Narayana and Kandarapu Murali addressed the meeting at Nalugukalla Mandapam and lambasted the Central government for suppressing labour rights which were achieved after a prolonged struggle by the employees and workers in the country. The leaders vowed that the fight will continue till the Modi government bows down and restores labour rights including the right to strike to form associations by employees. The leaders alleged that the Modi government was more interested to protect the interest of corporates and not the people at large. In the meanwhile, CITU general secretary Kandarapu Murali in a statement claimed the general strike was a success in Tirupati district. He saud a large number of employees, workers and farmers took to streets in support of the general strike demanding the Centre to take concrete measures to check rising prices and stop pro-corporate policies.

Bihar Voter List Row: SC to hear pleas challenging Election Commission's decision today
Bihar Voter List Row: SC to hear pleas challenging Election Commission's decision today

Mint

time17 minutes ago

  • Mint

Bihar Voter List Row: SC to hear pleas challenging Election Commission's decision today

Bihar Voter List Row: The Supreme Court will today hear the batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The SC bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, has over 10 related matters, including the SIR issue, listed for hearing on July 10 On July 9, the top court agreed to hear a fresh plea by two social activists, Arshad Ajmal and Rupesh Kumar, challenging the poll panel's decision to undertake extensive revision of electoral rolls in the state. The activists have said the exercise undermines the principles of free and fair elections and representative democracy, both integral features of the Constitution's basic structure, by introducing arbitrary, unreasonable and disproportionate documentation requirements related to birth, residence and citizenship. Besides, lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has filed a separate plea supporting the move and seeking a direction to the poll panel to conduct the SIR to ensure only Indian citizens decide the polity and policy, not the illegal foreign infiltrators.' The demography of 200 districts and 1,500 tehsils has changed after independence due to massive illegal infiltration, deceitful religious conversion and population explosion. Demography is destiny, and dozens of districts have already seen their destiny being shaped by those who aren't Indians," he said. On July 7, the bench noted the submissions of lawyers led by senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who was representing several petitioners, and agreed to hear the pleas on July 10. Sibal, who is representing RJD MP Manoj Jha, urged the bench to issue notices to the poll panel on the petitions, calling it an "impossible task" within the timeline as elections were to happen in the state in November. Senior advocate Abhishek M Singhvi, appearing for another petitioner, said of the eight crore voters in the state, four crore voters would have to submit their documents under the exercise. "The timeline is so strict, and if by July 25 you don't submit the documents, you will be out," Singhvi added. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for another petitioner, said the poll panel was not accepting Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards as proof for the exercise. Posting the matter on July 10, Justice Dhulia said the timeline was not sanctified at present as elections hadn't been notified yet. The bench asked the petitioners to give advance notice of their petitions to the counsel for the Election Commission of India. Election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) is also one of the petitioners. Beside RJD MP Jha and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Congress' K C Venugopal, Supriya Sule from the Sharad Pawar NCP faction, D Raja from Communist Party of India, Harinder Singh Malik from Samajwadi Party, Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), Sarfraz Ahmed from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI (ML) have jointly moved the top court. All leaders have challenged the Election Commission's order directing for SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and sought direction for its quashing. Jha, in his plea filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil, argues that the EC's June 24 order should be quashed for violating Articles 14 (fundamental right to equality), 21 (fundamental right to life and liberty), 325 (no person can be excluded from electoral roll based on caste, religion, and sex) and 326 (every citizen of India who has attained 18 years of age is eligible to be registered as a voter) of the Constitution. "The impugned order prescribes a schedule and requires the submission of enumeration form within 30 days, followed by filing of claims and objections and their disposal within 30 days," the plea said. Moitra sought a direction from the apex court to restrain the EC from issuing similar orders for SIR of electoral rolls in other states of the country. The poll panel's SIR exercise, which started in Bihar on June 25, has triggered a political storm. The opposition Congress has dubbed it 'a rigging attempt' orchestrated by the Election Commission under instructions from the ruling regime. At least half a dozen petitions by political parties, individuals, and civil society groups have been filed in the Supreme Court against what they call a 'blatantly unconstitutional' exercise. The impugned order prescribes a schedule and requires the submission of enumeration form within 30 days, followed by filing of claims and objections and their disposal within 30 days. Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and several others of the INDIA bloc led a march to the Election Commission's office in Patna as part of the protest. The poll panel has said that the intensified revision's objective is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll so as to enable them to exercise their franchise, that no ineligible voter is included in the electoral roll, and that complete transparency is introduced in the process of adding or deleting electors in the electoral roll.

'Fighting alone': Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested; concerns over evidence destruction risk
'Fighting alone': Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested; concerns over evidence destruction risk

Time of India

time18 minutes ago

  • Time of India

'Fighting alone': Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested; concerns over evidence destruction risk

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (Image credits: AP) Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time on Thursday and placed in solitary confinement as investigations continue into allegations of insurrection. Yoon is accused of attempting to subvert civilian rule by declaring martial law on December 3 and deploying armed soldiers to parliament to prevent lawmakers from rejecting the declaration. The incident triggered a major political crisis in South Korea. He was first arrested in January after resisting detention for weeks, using his presidential security team to block investigators. That arrest made him the first sitting president in South Korean history to be taken into custody. He was later released in March on procedural grounds, though his trial on insurrection charges remained ongoing. Following his impeachment in April, confirmed by the Constitutional Court, Yoon refused to comply with multiple summons from investigators. Authorities then sought a second detention, citing concerns he would destroy evidence. A judge at the Seoul Central District Court approved the latest arrest early Thursday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เปรียบเทียบสเปรด: ระหว่าง Bitcoin และ Ethereum CFDs IC Markets อ่านเพิ่มเติม Undo Yoon, 64, was then moved to a detention center near Seoul, where he will remain in solitary confinement for up to 20 days while prosecutors prepare formal charges. If indicted, he could be held for up to six additional months. "Once Yoon is indicted, he could remain detained for up to six months following indictment," said Yun Bok-nam, president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, while talking to AFP. "Theoretically, immediate release is possible, but in this case, the special counsel has argued that the risk of evidence destruction remains high, and that the charges are already substantially supported," he added. On Wednesday, Yoon attended a seven-hour hearing where he denied all charges. He told the court he was 'fighting alone' and that his legal team was under pressure, with lawyers withdrawing one by one. "One by one my lawyers are stepping away, and I may soon have to fight this alone," said Yoon as quoted by AFP. Yoon's lawyers argued the detention was unnecessary, noting he no longer holds any official power. However, prosecutors pointed to the risk of evidence destruction and the seriousness of the charges. Investigators recently questioned Yoon about his resistance during the failed arrest in January and allegations that he authorised drone flights to Pyongyang to justify martial law. He also faces charges of falsifying official documents tied to the martial law attempt. The former President has defended his actions, saying martial law was necessary to eliminate pro–North Korean and anti-state elements. But the Constitutional Court called his actions a 'betrayal of people's trust' and a 'denial of the principles of democracy.' Current President Lee Jae Myung, elected in June, has approved special investigations into Yoon's declaration of martial law and other criminal allegations involving his administration and wife.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store