
India's neighbours preparing for full scale war over border dispute, situation alarming, not Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, they are...
Cambodia's PM Hun Manet said on Monday, July 14, that compulsory recruitment of citizens in the army will start from next year. The provision making military recruitment compulsory was implemented in Cambodia's law in the year 2006. Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have increased a lot in the past few weeks. How did the controversy erupt?
This entire controversy erupted when a Cambodian soldier died in firing on the disputed border on 28 May. Since then, the border between the two countries has been closed. Cambodia has filed a petition in the International Court of Justice. Not only this, some imports coming from Thailand have also been stopped. Thailand has suspended its PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Shinawatra's conversation with Cambodia's former PM Hun Sen was leaked. What is strength of Cambodia's army?
Cambodia's PM Hun Manet said at a military training center, 'This period of confrontation is like a lesson for them. This is an opportunity to review, assess our army and set our goals.'
Cambodia's parliament implemented a law in 2006 which said that it will be compulsory for all Cambodian youths between 18 and 30 years to undergo military training. This training will be of 18 months. This law was not implemented till now. Now it has been implemented. What does CIA's World Factbook say?
The World Factbook of American intelligence agency CIA estimates that Cambodia's army has 2 lakh soldiers. Thailand's army has about 3.5 lakh soldiers. In his speech, the Cambodian PM appealed to the country to increase the military budget. He also asked Thailand to reopen the closed border. China has recently built a huge naval base in Cambodia and increasing its presence and influence in Cambodia apart from giving a lot of weapons to Cambodia.
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India.com
32 minutes ago
- India.com
The Milk India Refuses To Drink: Why ‘Non-Veg Dairy' Is A Red Line In Trade Deal With US
New Delhi/Washington: In the backrooms of New Delhi's diplomatic zone, trade officials kept circling one issue that simply would not move. It was not fighter jets, data servers or farm subsidies. It was milk. Yes, milk. One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the India-U.S. trade pact is white, creamy and sacred to millions. And the problem lies not in how it is consumed, but how it is produced. Washington wants access to India's $16.8 billion dairy market, the largest in the world. It wants to sell its butter, cheese and milk powder to a country that churns out over 239 million metric tonnes of milk a year. But New Delhi is not opening that door. At the centre of India's resistance lies one demand – an assurance that the milk entering Indian homes comes from cows that were never fed meat, blood or animal remains. No exceptions. No compromises. Indian officials are calling it a red line. The idea of 'non-veg milk' does not sit well with millions of Indian households, especially vegetarians who see dairy as nutrition as well as ritual. Ghee is poured into sacred flames during prayer. Milk is bathed over deities. The concept of cows being fed pig fat or chicken remains crosses dietary boundaries and lines of faith. Trade experts struggled to explain this to Washington. 'Imagine eating butter made from the milk of a cow that was fed meat and blood from another cow. India may never allow that,' said Ajay Srivastava from the Global Trade Research Initiative in New Delhi. Despite U.S. claims that the concern is exaggerated, several American reports confirm the reality. A Seattle Times investigation documented how American cattle feed can legally include ground-up remains of pigs, horses and poultry. Even chicken droppings, known as poultry litter, sometimes make their way into the mix. The logic is economic – feed animals cheap and grow them fast. For Indian regulators, it is simply unacceptable. India's Department of Animal Husbandry mandates certification on all imported food items, including milk, to ensure no animal-derived feed is involved. This has long been criticised by the United States at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a 'non-scientific barrier'. But for India, it is not about science but belief. In 2006, the Indian government formalised this belief in trade rules. It resulted into high tariffs – 30% on cheese, 40% on butter and a whopping 60% on milk powder. For countries like New Zealand or Australia, breaking into India's dairy space is nearly impossible. For the United States, it is a billion-dollar hurdle. India's dairy sector feeds over 1.4 billion people. It employs more than 80 million, many of them smallholder farmers. Cheap American imports, experts say, could collapse local markets. A report from the State Bank of India estimates an annual loss of Rs 1.03 lakh crore if U.S. dairy is allowed to flood in. That is nearly 2.5-3% of the country's entire Gross Value Added. And the risk is not theoretical. 'If American butter comes in cheap, our milk prices drop. What happens to the village woman who sells five litres of milk a day?' asks Mahesh Sakunde, a dairy farmer from Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Washington sees India's refusal to open up as 'protectionist'. But India's negotiators stood firm. 'There is no question of conceding on dairy. That is a red line,' said a senior Indian official. The United States exported over $8.2 billion worth of dairy last year. Gaining access to India's vast market could supercharge those numbers. But Indian officials are unwilling to allow milk from cows that ate meat to be offered at temple altars or poured into toddler cups. And so, while the two countries hammer out trade terms with hopes of reaching $500 billion in bilateral commerce by 2030, the dairy debate remains unresolved. It may seem like a small detail in a massive negotiation, but in India, this is sacred, culture and a line that will not be crossed.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Trump eases immigration crackdown? 2,000 National Guard troops to leave Los Angeles; Newsom calls them ‘political pawns of president'
4000 guards had been stationed in Los Angeles The Pentagon has ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to leave Los Angeles, scaling down a deployment that began in response to protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The decision to withdraw nearly half of the soldiers stationed in the city was made on Tuesday amid ongoing tensions. About 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines had been stationed across LA since early June. Officials did not provide a clear reason for the sudden move, but it appeared to be a step back from the heavy military presence that had previously drawn criticism from LA mayor Karen Bass and California governor Gavin Newsom. The Trump administration's decision to deploy troops had sparked widespread protests. On June 8, demonstrators flooded city streets, blocked a major freeway, and clashed with police using rubber bullets, tear gas, and flash bangs. In the chaos, several Waymo driverless cars were set on fire. The unrest continued the following day, as officers pushed protesters using flash bangs and projectiles. Bystanders, including restaurant workers, rushed to get out of the way. In response, mayor Karen Bass imposed a week-long curfew. By Tuesday afternoon, there was no sign of military presence at the downtown federal complex, which had been the centre of early protests. National Guard troops had first secured the area before Marines were assigned to protect federal buildings. Some soldiers had also helped with immigration operations in the city. Newsom had strongly opposed the deployment and sued the federal government, arguing it violated both state rights and the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the military from performing law enforcement duties on American soil. Although a federal judge first ruled in favour of Newsom, a higher court later overturned the decision, letting the federal government keep control of the Guard. The court is expected to hear more arguments next month. In a statement following the Pentagon's decision, Newsom criticised the ongoing mission. 'The National Guard's deployment to Los Angeles County has pulled troops away from their families and civilian work to serve as political pawns for the President,' he said. He added, 'We call on Trump and the Department of Defense to end this theatre and send everyone home now.' The withdrawal of troops follows last week's heavily criticised federal operation at MacArthur Park, where troops and agents arrived with guns and horses. Department of homeland security (DHS) declined to explain the mission or confirm any arrests, with locals accusing the move of being a show of intimidation.


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"Going To Have Access": Trump Amid India-US Trade Talks
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States is close to securing full trade access into India. He also announced a new trade deal with Indonesia, after which the latter will face a reduced tariff rate of 19 per cent. Announcing progress on the India part, Trump stated, "We're going to have access into India. And you have to understand, we had no access into any of these countries. Our people couldn't go in. And now we're getting access because of what we're doing with the tariffs." Trump said that the United States has reached a trade agreement with Indonesia after speaking with the country's President Joko Widodo, also known as Prabowo Subianto, as per CNN. Hours after announcing the agreement on Truth Social, Trump told reporters that it calls for Indonesia not to charge any tariffs on American exports, while the US will impose a 19 per cent tariff on Indonesian exports. "So we made a deal with Indonesia. I spoke to their really great president, very popular, very strong, and smart. And we made the deal. We have full access to Indonesia... As you know, Indonesia is very strong in copper. But we have full access to everything. We will pay no tariffs," he said. "So they are giving us access into Indonesia, which we never had. That's probably the biggest part of the deal. And the other part is that they are going to pay 19 per cent, and we are going to pay nothing. I think it's a good deal for both parties. But we will have full access into Indonesia. And we have a couple of those deals that are going to be announced," the US President added. Further, Trump emphasised that "Indonesia has some great products, and they also have some very valuable earths and various other materials, and they're known for is very high-quality copper, which the US will be using." In a subsequent post on Truth Social, he said the agreement was "finalised." However, the Indonesian government had yet to make any similar announcements on its end, as of Tuesday afternoon. According to CNN, Indonesia shipped USD 20 million worth of copper to the US last year, according to US Commerce Department data, that's far behind top suppliers Chile and Canada, which sent USD 6 billion and USD 4 billion worth of the metal to the US last year. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)