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The Print
30-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
All-party delegations meet leaders and diplomats from several countries to galvanize international action against terrorists
Tharoor 'reaffirmed India's stance on terrorism and expressed disappointment over Colombia's response which has offered condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan, rather than sympathizing with the victims of terrorism in India,' said BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who is part of the nine-member delegation. In Bogota, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party delegation, elaborated India's position on terrorism and voiced his disappointment over Colombia offering condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan following Indian strikes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Bogota/Copenhagen/Jakarta, May 30 (PTI) All-party parliamentary delegations on Friday met leaders and diplomats from several countries to galvanize international action against terrorists and decisively counter the tactics of those who perpetrate, support and sponsor cross-border terror activities against India. 'There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend,' he said in a social media post. Surya said India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will continue to deliver strong responses to terrorism. During its stay in Bogota, the delegation will interact with Members of Congress, ministers and other key interlocutors in think tanks. In Latvia, the all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi arrived on Thursday to convey India's resolute and proactive policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. On Friday, Ambassador Namrata S. Kumar briefed the delegation on India-Latvia relations and Latvia's role in the Baltics, the European Union, and the United Nations, the Indian Embassy in Riga said. The delegation, which arrived in Riga from Greece, will meet members of the parliament of the Republic of Latvia 'Saeima', high officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, think tanks, academia and other stakeholders, the embassy said in a statement. In Copenhagen, the delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday met the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of Danish Parliament Christian Friis Bach and member Trine Pertou Mach. 'During our discussion, we briefed the Danish representatives on the horrific Pahalgam terrorist attack and India's decisive response through Operation Sindoor, emphasizing that those responsible for terrorism will be held accountable. We all welcomed Denmark's unequivocal condemnation of terrorism, valuing the country's strong stance against this global threat,' Prasad said in a post on X. In Sierra Leone, the delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Eknath Shinde interacted with foreign diplomats to galvanize international action against terrorists and decisively counter the tactics of those who perpetrate, support and sponsor cross border terror activities against India, the High Commission of India in Freetown posted on X. 'Whatever India is going through, it is not just your problem, it is our problem too…though not permanent we are members of UN Security Council..,' Deputy Leader of the Opposition Daniel Brima Koroma told the Indian delegation during their meeting, according to the Indian mission. In Riyadh, the all-party Indian delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, concluded a 'productive' visit to Saudi Arabia, reasserting India's zero-tolerance and 'New Normal' approach to terrorism during its interaction with a range of political and diplomatic leadership. 'The visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of India-Saudi Arabia in the fight against terrorism,' said a post on X by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. 'We have very clearly conveyed India's position and the threat that we have faced from cross-border terrorism. India has a deep relationship with Saudi Arabia… Stands taken on terrorism are the same,' Panda told PTI Videos. The delegation later left Riyadh for Algiers, where members will highlight India's decisive and resolute stance on terrorism, particularly its fight against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. 'Taking Bharat's message to the world! A warm welcome to all-party delegation of Members of Parliament led by Baijayant Jay Panda, upon their arrival in #Algiers today afternoon,' the Indian mission in Algiers posted on X. Ambassador Swati V Kulkarni received the delegation at the airport along with Mourad Heraki, Director (Ceremonial) and Zineddine Goufi, Deputy Director (Asia Oceania), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs of Algeria, it added. In South Africa, the delegation led by NCP MP Supriya Sule met with the leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) and informed them about India's new resolve to respond to any incident of cross-border terrorism without drawing distinction between terrorists, their organizations or their state sponsors. The ANC reaffirmed its commitment to standing in solidarity with the people of India, emphasising that terrorism must be condemned in all its forms, the High Commission of India in Pretoria said in a statement on Friday. The delegation on Friday left for Ethiopia, carrying forth to the world India's strong message on zero-tolerance against terrorism. In Jakarta, the all-party delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha met with KH Ulil Abshar Abdalla, Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU), and Kholili Kholil, Committee Member of NU, the world's largest Islamic organisation and sought their unwavering support against violence and religious extremism. 'As peace-loving countries with the largest Muslim populations with shared values of Unity in Diversity or 'Binneka Tunggal Ika' practised as state policy as well as in daily lives, the leader of the delegation urged NU leaders to support India and condemn cross border terrorism to give a strong message to the world,' the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said on X. 'Condemning terrorism and the attack on innocent civilians, KH Ulil said he felt the pain of India & called for India and Indonesia to walk hand in hand to promote peace, economic development,' it said. On Thursday, the delegation met with National Mandate Party (PAN) leaders who categorically stated that 'religion and race cannot serve as a basis for exporting terrorism.' Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. PTI NSA/NPK ZH ZH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Denmark is first in Europe to raise retirement age to 70
Denmark has raised its retirement age to 70 for everyone born after 1970, becoming the first European country to reach the symbolic threshold. While other nations are bogged down in seemingly intractable political battles over increasing the state pension age, the Danes are following a long-established principle that it should go up broadly in line with life expectancy. The average for Danes is 81.7 years. The legislation was passed with an overwhelming majority in the Danish parliament. However, there is a good deal of public unease at the plan to oblige many people to keep working until the end of their seventh decade. Some MPs look aghast at projections that the retirement age could rise as high as 77. Even Mette Frederiksen, the Social Democratic
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Europe turned its back on nuclear. Now it's racing to build reactors
In the end, it took Denmark just minutes to scrap a ban on nuclear power that had stood for 40 years. The totemic change – rammed through in a parliamentary vote – passed with only a few murmurs from the country's MPs, two thirds of whom supported it. 'It was so fast I thought I'd missed it,' says Mark Nelson, an energy consultant who was invited to watch the vote on Thursday. 'I was texting a parliamentarian, and I'm like, 'Was that it? Did it pass?'' The historic nature of the vote should be in no doubt. Denmark's ban has been in place since 1985 and was so draconian that it forbade the government from even considering atomic energy as an option. It is a sharp change for a country that has pioneered green energy in Europe. Around 60pc of Denmark's annual power needs are already met by wind farms and the country has set itself a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045 – five years earlier than Britain. The country's focus on renewables has so far failed to deliver cheap electricity. Out of all the countries in the European Union, Danish households pay the second-highest prices at about €0.38 per kilowatt hour (£.32 kWh). Only Germany is more expensive, according to official figures from Eurostat. Now, the Danes will formally investigate whether they should, for the first time, add nuclear power plants into that mix, as a way of bolstering the overall stability of the system. 'We all know that of course we can't have an electricity system based on solar and wind alone – there has to be something else to support it,' Lars Aagaard, the country's climate minister, said recently. It follows an about-turn by prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who previously supported prioritising the expansion of renewables rather than nuclear. Public attitudes have also been shifting, according to polling. The change in Denmark underscores a broader shift taking place across Europe, as previously nuclear-sceptical countries reassess plans to rely on renewables and batteries alone to reach their net zero targets. Several had previously announced plans to wind down their nuclear fleets following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan. Even in France, where two thirds of electricity comes from atomic energy, Emmanuel Macron had proposed plans to close nuclear plants and focus more on wind and solar power. But after the energy crisis that erupted following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and with the growth of data centres creating an explosion in demand for electricity, a renewed focus on secure and 'always on' supplies is driving a nuclear renaissance.
