Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931–1945) and the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese military has released a short video titled “The Guardians” to showcase the dedication of its soldiers in safeguarding their homeland, ensuring everyday peace and promoting global harmony. Chinese soldiers are deserving of our trust. The Chinese military serves as the guardians of all we hold dear.
India’s bowling attack suffered a double blow on Monday when Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the remainder of their tour of England due to a knee injury while fellow seamer Arshdeep Singh will also miss the fourth test in Manchester.
India’s board (BCCI) did not share details of Reddy’s injury but cricket news website ESPNcricinfo reported the 22-year-old had damaged a ligament while training in the gym on Sunday.
The bowling all-rounder, who played in two of the three tests so far in England, would be returning to India, the BCCI added.
Arshdeep’s wait for a test debut goes on after the 26-year-old suffered a hand injury, and right-arm pacer Anshul Kamboj has been drafted into the squad as cover.
“He sustained an impact injury to his left thumb while bowling in the nets at a training session in Beckenham,” the BCCI said in a statement.
“The BCCI medical team is monitoring his progress.”
With seamer Akash Deep nursing a groin issue, India could be left with no choice but to play pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the Manchester test beginning on Wednesday.
India had planned to limit Bumrah’s workload after the pacer had back surgery early this year, and he was due to be available for only one of the remaining two tests.
Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Geneva, 21 July 2025– In a move to strengthen refugee access to international labour markets, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have launched a pioneering “train-to-hire” programme for displaced individuals in the Asia-Pacific region.
The government should streamline business formalization and reduce entry costs for SMEs. To achieve this, the government should fully digitize the business registration process and ensure platforms are user-friendly and accessible to enterprises of all sizes. Registration procedures should be consolidated into a single step across all provinces, including for enterprises subject to additional regulatory oversight under the “control list.” In parallel, eliminating registered capital requirements and simplifying the fee structure, based on enterprise type rather than location or sector. would further lower barriers to entry and incentivize compliance.
Simplifying the tax system will reduce burdens and encourage formal participation. Abolishing the renewal requirement for tax TINs would eliminate an unnecessary administrative burden and reduce opportunities for informal payments. Tax reporting procedures, particularly for micro and small enterprises, should be simplified and adapted to reflect firms’ varying accounting capacities. The expansion of online tax filing systems and electronic bank transfer mechanisms would improve compliance and reduce transaction costs. Additionally, linking tax compliance to access to credit by using tax history as a basis for creditworthiness can incentivize more accurate income reporting and formal participation in the financial system.
Modernizing institutions and scaling up e-governance will improve regulatory transparency. To reduce discretionary enforcement and promote a predictable regulatory environment, the government should expand e-government platforms for approvals, licensing, and compliance reporting. Standardized digital procedures will enhance predictability and reduce reliance on informal networks. Ensuring the consistent application of national policies across provinces is essential to providing a level playing field for businesses and increasing confidence in public institutions.
Investments in infrastructure and skills are essential to strengthen the enabling environment. Improving the SME operating environment requires sustained investment in reliable electricity, roads, and telecommunications—especially in underserved or high-potential regions. Regulatory enforcement mechanisms should be used to ensure the quality and maintenance of infrastructure assets, such as enforcing vehicle weight limits to preserve roads. At the same time, labor market competitiveness should be addressed through wage policy reform and improved retention strategies, including vocational and on-the-job training programs that align more closely with private sector needs.
Targeted support for women entrepreneurs can unlock inclusive business growth. To increase women’s participation in the formal economy, it is important to recognize the impact of unpaid care responsibilities and promote family-friendly workplace policies. Introducing tax concessions for childcare expenses and expanding mobile-enabled platforms would enhance access to services and information for women entrepreneurs. Targeted training programs, combined with improved access to digital trade platforms, will help address gender-specific barriers in trade, formalization, and enterprise growth.
[1] The ProFIT survey is a collaborative effort between the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asia Foundation, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Government of Australia, and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI).
Porirua City Council is set to create a memorial for more than 1800 former patients of the local hospital buried in unmarked graves. But Pacific leaders are asking to be “meaningfully involved” in the process, including incorporating prayer, language, and ceremonial practices.
More than 50 people gathered at Porirua Cemetery last month after the council’s plans became public, many of whom are descendants of those buried without headstones.
Cemeteries Manager Daniel Chrisp said it was encouraging to see families engaging with the project.
Chrisp’s team has placed 99 pegs to mark the graves of families who have come forward so far. One attendee told him that it was deeply moving to photograph the site where two relatives were buried.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve got to this point, having the descendants of those in unmarked graves encouraged to be involved,” he said.
“These plots represent mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children and other relatives, so it’s important to a lot of people.”
The Porirua Lunatic Asylum, which later became Porirua Hospital, operated from 1887 until the 1990s. At its peak in the 1960s, it was one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest hospitals, housing more than 2000 patients and staff.
As part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, the government has established a national fund for headstones for unmarked graves.
Porirua City Council has applied for $200,000 to install a memorial that will list every known name.
Some pegs that mark the resting places of former patients buried in unmarked graves at Porirua Cemetery. Image: Porirua Council/RNZ/LDR
Criticism over lack of Pacific consultation Some Pacific community leaders say they were never consulted, despite Pacific people among the deceased.
Porirua Cook Islands Association chairperson Teurukura Tia Kekena said this was the first she had heard of the project, and she was concerned Pacific communities had not been included in conversations so far.
“If there was any unmarked grave and the Porirua City Council is aware of the names, I would have thought they would have contacted the ethnic groups these people belonged to,” she said.
“From a Cook Islands point of view, we need to acknowledge these people. They need to be fully acknowledged.”
Kekena learned about the project only after being contacted by a reporter, despite the council’s ongoing efforts to identify names and place markers for families who have come forward.
The council’s application for funding is part of its response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
A photograph shows Porirua Hospital in the early 1900s. Image: Porirua City Council/LDR
Kekena said it was important how the council managed the memorial, adding that it mattered deeply for Cook Islands families and the wider Pacific community, especially those with relatives buried at the site.
Reflect Pacific values She believed that a proper memorial should reflect Pacific values, particularly the importance of faith, family, and cultural protocol.
“It’s huge. It’s connecting us to these people,” she said. “Just thinking about it is getting me emotional.
“Like I said, the Pākehā way of acknowledging is totally different from our way. When we acknowledge, when we go for an unveiling, it’s about family. It’s about family. It’s about family honouring the person that had passed.
“And we do it in a way that we have a service at the graveside with the orometua [minister] present. Yeah, unveil the stone by the family, by the immediate family, if there were any here at that time.”
She also underscored the connection between remembering the deceased and healing intergenerational trauma, particularly given the site’s history with mental health.
Healing the trauma “It helps a lot. It’s a way of healing the trauma. I don’t know how these people came to be buried in an unmarked grave, but to me, it’s like they were just put there and forgotten about.
“I wouldn’t like to have my family buried in a place and be forgotten.”
Kekena urged the council to work closely with the Cook Islands community moving forward and said she would bring the matter back to her association to raise awareness and check possible connections between local families and the names identified.
Yvonne Underhill‑Sem, a Cook Islands community leader and professor of Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland, said the memorial had emotional significance, noting her personal connection to Whenua Tapu as a Porirua native.
“In terms of our Pacific understandings of ancestry, everybody who passes away is still part of our whānau. The fact that we don’t know who they are is unsettling,” she said.
“It would be a real relief to the families involved and to the generations that follow to have those graves named.”
Council reponse A Porirua City Council spokesperson said they had been actively sharing the list of names with the public and encouraged all communities — including Pacific groups, genealogists, and local iwi — to help spread the word.
So far, 99 families have come forward.
“We would encourage any networks such as Pacific, genealogists and local iwi to share the list around for members of the public to get in touch,” the spokesperson said.
Porirua councillors Izzy Ford and Moze Galo say the memorial must reflect Pacific values. Image: Porirua Council/RNZ/LDR
Porirua councillors Izzy Ford and Moze Galo, two of the three Pacific members on the council, said Pacific families must be central to the memorial process. Ford said burial sites carried deep cultural weight for Pacific communities.
“We know that burial sites are more than just places of rest, they are sacred spaces that hold our stories, our ancestry and dignity — they are our connection to those who came before us.”
She said public notices and websites were not enough.
“If we are serious about finding the families of those buried in unmarked graves here in Porirua, we have to go beyond public notices and websites.”
Funding limited Ford said government funding would be limited, and the council must work with trusted Pacific networks to reach families.
“It means partnering with groups who carry trust in our community . . . Pacific churches, elders, and organisations, communicating in our languages through Pacific radio, social media, community events, churches, and health providers.”
Galo agreed and said the memorial must reflect Pacific values in both design and feeling.
“It should feel warm, colourful, spiritual, and welcoming. Include Pacific designs, carvings, and symbols . . . there should be room for prayer, music, and quiet reflection,” he said.
“Being seen and heard brings healing, honour, and helps restore our connection to our ancestors. It reminds our families that we belong, that our history matters, and that our voice is valued in this space.”
Galo said the work must continue beyond the unveiling.
“Community involvement shouldn’t stop after the memorial is built, we should have a role in how it’s maintained and used in the future.
“These were real people, with families, love, and lives that mattered. Some were buried without names, without ceremony, and that left a deep pain. Honouring them now is a step toward healing, and a way of saying, you were never forgotten.”
Members of the public who recognise a family name on the list are encouraged to get in touch by emailing cemeteries@poriruacity.govt.nz.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Asia Pacific Report is a partner in the project.
India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow at 6.5% in the current fiscal year (FY26), driven by improving domestic consumption and other positive indicators, according to a report released by Crisil on Monday.
The Crisil Intelligence near-term outlook highlighted global uncertainty stemming from US tariff actions as the primary risk to India’s growth. However, it noted that the economy is likely to be supported by an above-normal monsoon, income tax relief, and the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) rate cuts.
GDP growth accelerated to 7.4% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of FY25, up from 6.4% in the previous quarter. Overall, GDP grew by 6.5% in FY25.
The report also pointed to a significant decline in inflation, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation falling to 2.1% in June – its lowest in 77 months – driven by negative food inflation.
“Given the current inflation trajectory, an above-normal monsoon forecast, and expectations of soft global oil and commodity prices, we project average CPI inflation to ease to 4% this fiscal, down from 4.6% last fiscal,” the report stated.
Crisil also anticipates one more repo rate cut by the RBI this fiscal, followed by a pause.
“The MPC cut the policy rate by 100 basis points between February and June 2025. Its shift in stance from accommodative to neutral in June reflects the front-loading of rate cuts and a data-dependent approach going forward,” it said. The 100 bps Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) cut will be implemented in four tranches between September and November 2025.
On the fiscal front, the Union Budget has targeted a reduction in the central government’s fiscal deficit to 4.4% of GDP this fiscal, down from 4.8% in FY25.
Gross market borrowing is estimated at ₹14.8 lakh crore for this fiscal – 5.8% higher year-on-year – with 54% of the budgeted borrowing planned for the first half of the fiscal, the report added.
As of May, the fiscal deficit stood at 0.8% of the full-year budget target, significantly lower than the 3.1% recorded in the same period last fiscal. This was attributed to higher revenue receipts and lower revenue expenditure.
The report further projects India’s current account deficit (CAD) to average 1.3% of GDP in FY26, compared to 0.6% in the previous fiscal year.
The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has strongly backed the recent designation of The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), emphasising that the group’s violent actions warrant international condemnation and justice, not leniency.
Posting on its official handle on X, the committee stated: “President Trump calls it like it is. The Resistance Front is a foreign terrorist organization and deserves the designation. When you butcher civilians, you don’t get a pass—you get JUSTICE.”
The remarks came after the US Department of State officially designated TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
The group claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were brutally killed in one of the deadliest attacks on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
In its official statement, the US Department of State said: “The Department of State is adding The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians. This was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT. TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024.”
The department emphasised that these actions reflect the Trump Administration’s commitment to national and global security.
“These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrate the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack.”
The TRF designation comes amid increasing international pressure on Pakistan to curb terror groups operating from its soil. India has long accused Pakistan of sheltering and supporting LeT and its front organisations, including TRF, which emerged in 2019 as a shadow group to avoid international scrutiny.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TOKYO, July 21 (Xinhua) — The coalition led by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may lose its majority in the House of Councillors (upper house of parliament) in Sunday’s elections, public broadcaster NHK reported.
According to NHK, the LDP-Komeito coalition will not be able to secure the 125 seats needed to maintain a majority.
The House of Councillors consists of 248 members. The term of office of statesmen is 6 years. Every three years, half of the composition of the House is renewed.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is expected to increase its seat count, while the Democratic Party for the People (DPPP) and the Sanseito Party are also expected to make significant gains, NHK forecasts. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TOKYO, July 21 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed on Monday to remain in office despite a major defeat in the House of Councillors election where the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner failed to secure a majority. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday vowed to stay in office despite a significant electoral setback in the House of Councillors election, where the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner failed to secure a majority.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon, Ishiba acknowledged the disappointing results and expressed a strong sense of responsibility.
“What is most important right now is to avoid causing stagnation in national politics,” he said, vowing efforts to fulfill the responsibilities as the leading party.
His remarks came amid growing public dissatisfaction over rising living costs and policy missteps, which analysts say contributed to the poor performance of the ruling bloc.
According to the final vote count completed in the early hours of Monday, the LDP secured only 39 seats of the 125 contested seats in the upper house election, while Komeito took eight, below their combined target of 50.
Even with their existing non-contested seats of 75, they now held fewer than the 125 seats needed for a majority in the 248-member upper chamber.
Despite the setback, Ishiba emphasized the need for stability and continuity in government, and formally declared his intention to continue serving as prime minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared an article highlighting progress made by the state of Meghalaya.
In response to an article shared by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, PM Modi said on X, “Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlights Meghalaya’s remarkable transformation driven by tourism, youth empowerment, women-led SHGs, initiatives like the PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the Vibrant Village Programme and more. With strong government support and vibrant community spirit, the state stands as a blueprint for a resilient and self-reliant India.”
In her article, FM Sitharaman highlighted Meghalaya’s remarkable progress across infrastructure, youth empowerment, agriculture, and cultural preservation – from smooth highways connecting Guwahati to Shillong, to the scenic Umiam Lake being developed as a world-class tourism hub under the SASCI scheme.
FM Sitharaman said that her visits to local Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) revealed a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit, with Meghalaya’s farmers and women leaders turning into business owners. The export of pineapples to Dubai and the cultivation of shitake mushrooms with Japanese collaboration are just a few indicators of agricultural innovation.
She added that the heritage conservation is also thriving in Meghalaya. In the village of Siej, community members are preserving the iconic living root bridges, with efforts underway for UNESCO World Heritage recognition. Her journey culminated in Sohbar and Cherrapunji (Sohra), where vibrant border villages and institutions like the Ramakrishna Ashram embody a blend of tradition, service, and self-reliance.
The visit reaffirmed Meghalaya’s position as a beacon of inclusive development, where community spirit and government initiatives together are building a confident, sustainable, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
lign=”center”>Suggestions for improvement is not condemnation or criticism, parties must engage in constructive politics, appeals VP Politics is not confrontation; I cannot visualise a political party being against the concept of Bharat-VP Have mutual respect, don’t trade unbecoming language on television, avoid personal attacks, urges VP Isn’t it tiring to the ears? Our ears are fed up, aren’t they? —VP on bitterness on TV debates We can have differences of opinion, we can have disagreements but how can we have bitterness in our hearts? -VP Hope for meaningful and serious deliberations in upcoming session, says VP
Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today calling for bonhomie and mutual respect amongst the political parties stated, “I appeal to everyone in the political spectrum — please have mutual respect. Please don’t trade unbecoming language on television or otherwise against the leadership of one party or the other. This culture is not our civilizational essence. We have to be careful with our language…..Avoid personal attacks. I appeal to politicians. Time for us to stop calling politicians names. It does no good to our culture when, in various political parties, people take on senior people of other political parties and call them names.
We must have an absolute sense of decorum, mutual respect — and that is the demand of our culture. We otherwise cannot have unity in our thought process…..Trust me, if political dialogue takes place at a higher level if leaders mingle more frequently. They have greater discourse among themselves. They exchange ideas at an individual level — interest of the nation will be served……. Why should we fight amongst ourselves? Let us not look for enemies within. Every Indian political party and every parliamentarian, to my knowledge, is a nationalist at the end of the day. He believes in the nation. He believes in the progress of the nation…….Democracy is never of a kind where the same party will ever come to power. We have seen in our lifetime, the change takes place at state level, at panchayat level, at municipal level, that’s a democratic process. But one thing is for sure, there has to be continuity of development, continuity of our civilisational ethos, and that comes only from one aspect. We must respect democratic culture.”
“A thriving democracy, friends, cannot afford an atmosphere of constant acrimony…..Your mind must be disturbed when you find political acrimony, when you find political atmosphere in a different direction. I urge everyone in the country that political temperature must be brought down. Politics is not confrontation, politics can never be unidirectional. There will be different political thought processes but politics means achieving the same object but somehow in different ways. I strongly believe no person in this country will think against the nation. I cannot visualise a political party being against the concept of Bharat. They may have different ways, different thinking; but they must learn to discuss with each other, have dialogue with each other. Confrontation is not a way out. When we fight amongst ourselves, even in the political arena, we are strengthening our enemy. We are giving them enough material to divide us. Therefore, young minds are a great pressure group. You have very strong power. Your thought process will control the politician, your parliamentarian, your legislator, your corporator. Think of the nation. Think of the development”, he added.
Addressing the inaugural programme for the eighth batch of participants of the Rajya Sabha Internship Programme (RSIP) at the Vice-President’s Enclave today, Shri Dhankhar underlined, “ Let us not have politics when there is national interest, let us not have politics over development, let us not have politics when it comes to the growth of the nation. Let us not have politics when it is an issue of national security, national concern and that can happen because India has to stand proud amongst the comity of nations. We are well regarded in the world. The very idea that Bharat can be controlled from outside goes against our claim. We are a nation, a sovereign nation. Why should our political agenda be set by forces that are inimical to Bharat? Why should our agenda be even influenced by our enemies?”
Drawing attention towards the bitterness among the political parties being reflected on television debates he stated, “ Every political party has matured leadership. Every political party, big or small, has commitment towards national development and therefore duty of the youth to ensure this mindset. This thought process must come in social media and once you will find our television debates soothing, positive, appealing, just imagine how much change can come — just take a moment to observe. What do we usually see? What do we hear? Isn’t it tiring to the ears? Our ears are fed up, aren’t they? Brother, why is it like this? We come from a great culture. There is a foundation to our ideology. We can have differences of opinion — we can have disagreements — but how can we have bitterness in our hearts? We are Indians. What does our culture teach us? Anantavad — the belief in endless dialogue. What does Anantavad mean? It means discussion and debate. What does discussion and debate mean? It means expression. And expression means — speak your thoughts freely, but do not become so convinced of your own opinion that you believe it to be the final and absolute truth. Don’t assume that no one else can possibly have a different point of view than yours.”
Highlighting the need for meaningful discussions in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament, Shri Dhankhar said, “ We must be resilient. We must believe in our point of view. But we must also have respect for the other point of view. If we believe in our point of view and think, “I am the only one who is right, and everyone else is wrong” — that is not democracy. That is not our culture. That is ego. That is arrogance. We must control our ego. We must control our arrogance. We must try to understand why the other person holds a different point of view — that is our culture. What has India historically been known for? Discourse, dialogue, debate, deliberation. These days, we do not see all this happening in Parliament. I assume the upcoming session will be an important one. I have every hope that there will be meaningful discussions and serious deliberations that will take Bharat to greater heights. It is not that everything is perfect. We will never live in times where everything is perfect. There will always be some shortcomings in certain areas at any given time. And there is always room for improvement. If someone gives a suggestion to improve something, it is not condemnation. It is not a criticism. It is only a suggestion for further development. Therefore, I appeal to political parties to engage in constructive politics. And when I say this, I appeal to all parties — those on the treasury benches, the ruling party, and the opposition parties.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed Operation Sindoor as a “Vijay Utsav” (victory celebration) for the nation, describing it as a shining testament to the strength and precision of the Indian Armed Forces. Speaking to the media ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Prime Minister called for a united parliamentary tribute to the operation’s success, which he said would further encourage national defence capabilities and inspire citizens across the country.
“This Monsoon Session is a ‘Vijay Utsav’,” PM Modi said. “The entire world has witnessed the strength of the Indian Armed Forces. The objective set for Operation Sindoor was achieved with 100 percent success. In just 22 minutes, our forces neutralised terrorists in their own hideouts.”
The Prime Minister recounted how the operation had first been announced during an event in Bihar and praised the ‘Made in India’ defence initiative, stating that it is now drawing increasing global interest.
“The ‘Made in India’ defence systems showcased during the operation reflect a new era of India’s military self-reliance. Whenever I interact with leaders of other countries, there is growing curiosity and appreciation for Indian-made weapons,” he noted.
PM Modi expressed hope that Parliament will engage in meaningful discussion on Operation Sindoor during the ongoing session. He emphasized that a unified expression of national pride by lawmakers would not only bolster the morale of the armed forces but also foster innovation, manufacturing, and job creation in the defence sector.
“When the House expresses its sentiments on this ‘Vijay Utsav’ with one voice, it will strengthen India’s defence resolve, encourage innovation, and create employment opportunities for the youth,” he said.
Highlighting another moment of national pride, the Prime Minister also recalled the recent milestone of Indian astronaut Subhanshu Shukla aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where the Indian Tricolour was unfurled for the first time.
“This session is a celebration of victory and pride. The image of our national flag on the ISS has filled every Indian with joy and pride. It has sparked a wave of enthusiasm among the youth toward science, technology, and innovation,” he said, calling it a historic chapter in India’s space journey.
PM Modi also touched on the importance of the monsoon, calling it a symbol of “renewal and rejuvenation.” He noted that the current monsoon conditions are progressing positively and will benefit agriculture, farmers, and the broader rural economy.
“The favourable monsoon is set to boost the agricultural sector, strengthen the farmers’ economy, and contribute to national growth,” he added.
JB Park, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia
Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, today announced that it’s recently-launched – Galaxy Z Fold7, Galaxy ZFlip7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 FE smartphones – have received record pre-orders, signaling huge consumer demand and excitement for the brand’s seventh generation of foldable smartphones. Galaxy Z Fold7, Galaxy ZFlip7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 FE secured 210,000 pre-orders in the first 48 hours, breaking previous records, and nearly equaling the pre-orders received for Galaxy S25 series earlier this year.
“The record pre-orders for our ‘made in India’ foldable smartphones reinforce our belief that young Indian consumers are quick to adopt latest technology. Galaxy Z Fold7 delivers our most advanced smartphone experience yet – powerful, immersive, intelligent, and portable all in one. Galaxy Z Flip7 adapts, anticipates and empowers users, unlocking a smarter, more intuitive way to engage with the world. Powered by the new One UI 8 and Android 16 right out of the box, the new devices deliver true multimodal AI experiences. The success of the new devices are a stepping stone for our larger goal – the mainstreaming of foldable smartphones in India,” said JB Park, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia.
Galaxy Z Fold7 seamlessly blends precision engineering and powerful intelligence to elevate everyday interactions – all in its thinnest and lightest design to date. At just 215 grams, Galaxy Z Fold7 is even lighter than Galaxy S25 Ultra. It is just 8.9 mm thick when folded and 4.2 mm thick when unfolded. It delivers the premium performance and experience of an ultra smartphone, while unlocking new levels of efficiency and productivity with a larger, more immersive display when unfolded.
Galaxy Z Flip7, a compact AI phone with multimodal capabilities, is powered by a new FlexWindow. Small enough to slip into a pocket, yet powerful enough to deliver the handiest assistance, it melds Galaxy AI with a new edge-to-edge FlexWindow, a flagship level camera and an ultra-compact and iconic design. From intuitive voice AI to the best selfie capabilities, Galaxy Z Flip7 is an intelligent pocket-sized companion built for seamless interaction and everyday reliability. Weighing just 188 grams and measuring only 13.7mm when folded, Galaxy Z Flip7 is the slimmest Galaxy Z Flip yet.
While Galaxy Z Fold7 is available in stunning colours such as Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow and Jet Black; the Galaxy Z Flip7 comes in Blue Shadow, Jet Black and Coral Red. Galaxy Z Flip 7FE comes in Black and White colours. Apart from this, consumers buying the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 through Samsung.com will have an additional colour to choose from – Mint.
Both devices bring multimodal AI capabilities, delivering experiences that maximize the benefits of the expansive foldable display of the Galaxy Z Fold7 to boost productivity. Designed as a true multimodal agent, One UI 8 seamlessly combines large-screen multitasking with intelligent tools that understand what users’ type, say and even see. Thanks to Google’s Gemini Live, users can share their screen in real time while speaking with the AI assistant — enabling contextual requests based on what’s visible. In addition, One UI 8 brings enhanced privacy to personalized AI experiences with the new Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection (KEEP). KEEP creates encrypted, app-specific storage environments within the device’s secures storage area, ensuring each app can access only its own sensitive information and nothing more.
The main display on Galaxy Z Fold7 is 11% larger than the previous generation. The 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display offers ultra-rich contrast, true blacks and vibrant detail that makes everything pop. It also gets Vision Booster and up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness.
The Armor FlexHinge on Galaxy Z Fold7 is thinner and lighter, thanks to an enhanced water droplet design and newly implemented multi-rail structure that reduces visible creasing. The cover display is made with Corning® Gorilla® Glass Ceramic 2, a new glass ceramic that has crystals intricately embedded within its glass matrix. Advanced Armor Aluminum in the frame and hinge housing increases strength and hardness by 10%. The main display is restructured to be thinner and lighter — yet stronger. This was achieved by implementing the Titanium plate layer. Additionally, Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) was increased to be 50% thicker, making the display tougher.
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, Galaxy Fold7 delivers stupendous performance boosts of 41% in NPU, 38% in CPU, and 26% in GPU compared to the previous generation. This power fuels Galaxy Z Fold7’s ability to process more AI experiences on-device without compromise. In addition, with the first 200MP wide-angle camera in the Galaxy Z series, it captures 4x more detail, producing images that are 44% brighter. In addition, Samsung’s next-generation ProVisual Engine processes images faster.
Galaxy Z Flip7 comes with a stunning FlexWindow display, which brings essentials front and center and makes it easy to type out quick messages. The 4.1-inch Super AMOLED FlexWindow is the largest ever on a Galaxy Z Flip7, with edge-to-edge usability that enables users to see and do more on the cover screen. With 2,600 nits of peak brightness, the FlexWindow gets an upgrade with Vision Booster, enhancing outdoor visibility so users can stay connected wherever they are. The main display is a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, built for an ultra-smooth, immersive experience.
The cover and back of Galaxy Z Flip7 are protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2. The Armor FlexHinge is thinner than the hinge on the previous generation and features a restructured design and high-strength materials for smoother folds and long-lasting durability. A robust Armor Aluminum Frame provides a tough exterior for resilience. The 4,300mAh battery is the largest ever on a Galaxy Z Flipdelivering up to 31 hours of video play time on a single charge.
Galaxy Z Flip7 FE features a 6.7-inch Main Display for an immersive viewing experience. The 50MP FlexCam enables high-quality selfies and video in Flex Mode, letting users capture content hands-free, without even opening the device.
London, UK, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the wake of global regulatory shifts and a fresh surge in Bitcoin’s valuation, the world of cryptocurrency mining is witnessing a remarkable transformation. Today, KGNCLOUD, one of the fastest-growing names in cloud mining, officially launches its Global Cloud Mining Wealth Guide, an investor-focused initiative designed to empower individuals to tap into the booming cryptocurrency economy through low-barrier, AI-assisted cloud mining.
This comprehensive framework outlines how ordinary users—without hardware, technical skills, or significant capital—can now participate in a fully legal, clean-energy mining infrastructure. With real-time daily payouts, zero maintenance burden, and automated strategies, KGNCLOUD signals a new era in crypto wealth creation.
“We believe cloud mining shouldn’t be gated behind technical complexity or massive investment,” said Victor Norrell, CEO of KGNCLOUD. “With regulatory tailwinds and AI technology finally aligning, we’re enabling anyone to plug into real mining rewards with confidence and speed.”
Profitability Without Complexity: Cloud Mining for All
KGNCLOUD has designed a diversified set of cloud mining contracts, covering everything from beginner to professional tiers:
Contract type
Investment
amount Cycle (days)
Expected income
Free experience
$100
1
$100+$1
Classic computing power (primary)
$500
4
$500+$100
Classic computing power (advanced)
$1200
5
$1200+$240
Smart miner
$2800
6
$2800+$660
Innovative mining machine
$5580
7
$5580+$2506
A user who rented 1030 TH/s computing power reportedly generated $1,750 in daily earnings, highlighting the platform’s competitive edge.
Global Reach Meets Inclusive Access
In keeping with its “zero-threshold” vision, KGNCLOUD extends the following benefits:
$100 Free Trial: New users receive an instant credit to test real mining scenarios—risk-free.
No Hardware or Power Costs: KGNCLOUD handles infrastructure, cooling, and uptime—users simply earn.
Multi-Currency Support: Withdraw in any of 11 currencies, including USDT, BTC, ETH—funds settle in under 5 minutes.
This accessibility model has already attracted tens of thousands of new participants from regions across Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America—ushering in an era of truly global mining democratisation.
How to Get Started:-
KGNCLOUD has simplified the entry process into three clear steps:
Register at KGNCLOUD and receive $100 trial mining credit.
Choose a Contract that fits your budget and time horizon.
Earn Daily Rewards, track your dashboard, and withdraw when desired.
With favourable regulations, superior green infrastructure, and scalable mining plans now available, KGNCLOUD’s Global Wealth Guide signals a turning point for mainstream crypto participation.
“The wealth wave is real, but timing is everything. We’ve built KGNCLOUD to let anyone ride it—without the friction,” added Norrell.
In its 18th commencement, Mai-Nefhi College of Engineering and Technology graduated 383 students, including 44% female graduates, in degree and diploma programs yesterday, 19 July.
The degree program graduates include 13 in Agricultural Engineering, 26 in Chemical Engineering, 30 in Civil Engineering, 39 in Computer Science and Technology, 27 in Electrical and Electronics Technology, 27 in Mechanical Technology, and 28 in Mining Technology.
The diploma program graduates include 23 in Automotive Technology, 28 in Computer Application, 18 in Computer Technology and Networking, 13 in Construction Technology, 23 in Electrical Technology, 24 in Electronics Technology, 26 in Mining Technology, 11 in Surveying, and 11 in Cooling System Technology.
Dr. Araya Zeray, Dean of the College, stated that since its establishment in 2004, the College has been providing higher education in eight fields of study in degree programs and nine in diploma programs, significantly contributing to the production of professionals who play a vital role in the country’s economic development.
Dr. Araya further noted that the College has 79 academic staff members—44 foreigners and 35 nationals. He also mentioned that as part of ongoing staff development efforts, 18 staff members are currently pursuing master’s and PhD programs abroad in Russia, China, India, Hungary, and Japan.
A representative of the graduates, commending the support of parents, lecturers, and the college community, expressed their commitment to live up to the expectations of the Government and people who provided them with the opportunity for higher education.
The honorary guest, Mr. Abraha Asfaha, Minister of Public Works, underlined the significance of engineering and technology in national economic development and called on the graduates to apply their knowledge practically in their respective workplaces.
Since its establishment, Mai-Nefhi College of Engineering and Technology has graduated 7,671 students in degree and diploma programs.
Microsoft has issued an alert about “active attacks” on server software used by government agencies and businesses to share documents within organizations, and recommended security updates that customers should apply immediately.
The FBI said on Sunday it is aware of the attacks and is working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details.
In an alert issued on Saturday, Microsoft said the vulnerabilities apply only to SharePoint servers used within organizations. It said that SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365, which is in the cloud, was not hit by the attacks.
“We’ve been coordinating closely with CISA, DOD Cyber Defense Command and key cybersecurity partners globally throughout our response,” a Microsoft spokesperson said, adding that the company had issued security updates and urged customers to install them immediately.
The Washington Post, which first reported the hacks, said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted U.S. and international agencies and businesses.
The hack is known as a “zero day” attack because it targeted a previously unknown vulnerability, the newspaper said, quoting experts. Tens of thousands of servers were at risk.
In the alert, Microsoft said that a vulnerability “allows an authorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network.” It issued recommendations to stop the attackers from exploiting it.
Microsoft has issued an alert about “active attacks” on server software used by government agencies and businesses to share documents within organizations, and recommended security updates that customers should apply immediately.
The FBI said on Sunday it is aware of the attacks and is working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details.
In an alert issued on Saturday, Microsoft said the vulnerabilities apply only to SharePoint servers used within organizations. It said that SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365, which is in the cloud, was not hit by the attacks.
“We’ve been coordinating closely with CISA, DOD Cyber Defense Command and key cybersecurity partners globally throughout our response,” a Microsoft spokesperson said, adding that the company had issued security updates and urged customers to install them immediately.
The Washington Post, which first reported the hacks, said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted U.S. and international agencies and businesses.
The hack is known as a “zero day” attack because it targeted a previously unknown vulnerability, the newspaper said, quoting experts. Tens of thousands of servers were at risk.
In the alert, Microsoft said that a vulnerability “allows an authorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network.” It issued recommendations to stop the attackers from exploiting it.
In a spoofing attack, an actor can manipulate financial markets or agencies by hiding the actor’s identity and appearing to be a trusted person, organization or website.
Earlier, Microsoft said it is working on updates to 2016 and 2019 versions of SharePoint. If customers cannot enable recommended malware protection, they should disconnect their servers from the internet until a security update is available, it added.
In a spoofing attack, an actor can manipulate financial markets or agencies by hiding the actor’s identity and appearing to be a trusted person, organization or website.
Earlier, Microsoft said it is working on updates to 2016 and 2019 versions of SharePoint. If customers cannot enable recommended malware protection, they should disconnect their servers from the internet until a security update is available, it added.
Mitchell Owen made an impressive debut as Australia beat West Indies by three wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Twenty20 International series in Jamaica on Sunday.
Owen took a wicket with his medium pace bowling before returning to smash 50 off 27 balls as Australia chased down a 190-run target with seven balls to spare.
West Indies, who lost the preceding test series 3-0, got off to a strong start after being put into bat at Sabina Park.
Captain Shai Hope (55), Roston Chase (60) and Shimron Hetmyer (38) laid the platform for a 200-plus score but the late flourish they expected never materialised.
Andre Russell, who will quit international cricket after the second T20 on Tuesday, made only eight.
Australia’s Ben Dwarshuis (4-36) mowed down the middle and lower order as West Indies were forced to settle for a modest 189-8.
While Australia lost both their openers, captain Mitchell Marsh and Jake Fraser-McGurk, inside the powerplay they were propped up by a breezy 80-run stand by Cameron Green (51) and Owen.
Green belted five sixes in his 26-ball blitz, while Owen smacked six of them before holing out in the 17th over with Australia on the cusp of victory.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will continue to host the biennial final of the World Test Championship for the next three editions till 2031, global governing body ICC said on Sunday.
The match, which crowns the world champions in the longest format of the sport, has been held in England since it was introduced, with Southampton hosting the first edition in 2021 and the two subsequent finals taking place in London.
“We are absolutely delighted that England and Wales has been chosen to host the next three ICC World Test Championship finals,” the ECB chief executive Richard Gould said.
“It’s a testament to the passion that fans in this country have for this treasured format of the game and the willingness of supporters from around the world to travel here for these games.”
The 2025 final at Lord’s, where South Africa beat defending champions Australia, was attended by 109,227 people over four days and received 225 million digital views, the ICC said in a statement last month.
“Hosting these finals is a privilege, and we look forward to working with the ICC to build on the success of the previous editions,” Gould added.
The Youth Spiritual Summit, held under the theme Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat, concluded on Sunday at the Rudraksh International Convention Centre in Varanasi with the formal adoption of the Kashi Declaration — a visionary roadmap to drive a nationwide youth-led movement against drug addiction
Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the summit brought together over 600 youth leaders from more than 120 spiritual and socio-cultural organisations, along with academicians, experts, and government representatives. The event was a moment in India’s pursuit of a drug-free society by 2047, uniting spiritual strength with youthful resolve.
Over the course of four thematic plenary sessions, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the psychological and social impacts of substance abuse, the complexities of drug trafficking and supply chains, grassroots awareness strategies, and the critical role of spiritual and cultural institutions in prevention and rehabilitation. These deliberations culminated in the Kashi Declaration, which outlines a multi-dimensional and collaborative approach to drug de-addiction, rooted in India’s civilisational ethos and driven by youth leadership.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, described the declaration as a collective Sankalp (resolve) arising from the reflections and dialogue of the summit. He emphasized that the document is not just a vision statement, but a shared commitment to national transformation.
The Kashi Declaration calls for treating substance abuse as a complex public health and societal challenge. It recommends a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, integrating efforts from spiritual, educational, technological, and cultural domains. The declaration proposes the formation of a Joint National Committee for coordination among ministries, annual progress reporting mechanisms, and a national platform to connect individuals affected by substance abuse with support services.
Dr. Mandaviya highlighted the unique role of spiritual organisations in this campaign, stating that Bharat’s spiritual legacy must now lead the charge in creating a drug-free generation. “Spiritual institutions will serve as the backbone of this Maha Abhiyan,” he said, urging collective action through community engagement.
Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla, also addressed the summit, invoking the cultural sanctity of Kashi. He described the ancient city as the “cradle of Sanatan Chetna,” where discipline and values guide personal and national progress. He warned that a nation where 65% of the population is youth cannot afford to succumb to addiction, stressing that only a liberated and conscious youth can build a strong future.
The concluding session saw the participation of several prominent leaders, including Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism; Anil Rajbhar, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs; and Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports.
The summit also marked a key step forward in the MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat) framework. Going forward, MY Bharat volunteers and affiliated youth clubs will spearhead pledge campaigns, awareness drives, and grassroots outreach across the country. The Kashi Declaration will act as a guiding document, and its progress will be reviewed at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, ensuring accountability and long-term impact.
The Youth Spiritual Summit, held under the theme Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat, concluded on Sunday at the Rudraksh International Convention Centre in Varanasi with the formal adoption of the Kashi Declaration — a visionary roadmap to drive a nationwide youth-led movement against drug addiction
Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the summit brought together over 600 youth leaders from more than 120 spiritual and socio-cultural organisations, along with academicians, experts, and government representatives. The event was a moment in India’s pursuit of a drug-free society by 2047, uniting spiritual strength with youthful resolve.
Over the course of four thematic plenary sessions, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the psychological and social impacts of substance abuse, the complexities of drug trafficking and supply chains, grassroots awareness strategies, and the critical role of spiritual and cultural institutions in prevention and rehabilitation. These deliberations culminated in the Kashi Declaration, which outlines a multi-dimensional and collaborative approach to drug de-addiction, rooted in India’s civilisational ethos and driven by youth leadership.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, described the declaration as a collective Sankalp (resolve) arising from the reflections and dialogue of the summit. He emphasized that the document is not just a vision statement, but a shared commitment to national transformation.
The Kashi Declaration calls for treating substance abuse as a complex public health and societal challenge. It recommends a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, integrating efforts from spiritual, educational, technological, and cultural domains. The declaration proposes the formation of a Joint National Committee for coordination among ministries, annual progress reporting mechanisms, and a national platform to connect individuals affected by substance abuse with support services.
Dr. Mandaviya highlighted the unique role of spiritual organisations in this campaign, stating that Bharat’s spiritual legacy must now lead the charge in creating a drug-free generation. “Spiritual institutions will serve as the backbone of this Maha Abhiyan,” he said, urging collective action through community engagement.
Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla, also addressed the summit, invoking the cultural sanctity of Kashi. He described the ancient city as the “cradle of Sanatan Chetna,” where discipline and values guide personal and national progress. He warned that a nation where 65% of the population is youth cannot afford to succumb to addiction, stressing that only a liberated and conscious youth can build a strong future.
The concluding session saw the participation of several prominent leaders, including Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism; Anil Rajbhar, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs; and Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports.
The summit also marked a key step forward in the MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat) framework. Going forward, MY Bharat volunteers and affiliated youth clubs will spearhead pledge campaigns, awareness drives, and grassroots outreach across the country. The Kashi Declaration will act as a guiding document, and its progress will be reviewed at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, ensuring accountability and long-term impact.
The Youth Spiritual Summit, held under the theme Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat, concluded on Sunday at the Rudraksh International Convention Centre in Varanasi with the formal adoption of the Kashi Declaration — a visionary roadmap to drive a nationwide youth-led movement against drug addiction
Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the summit brought together over 600 youth leaders from more than 120 spiritual and socio-cultural organisations, along with academicians, experts, and government representatives. The event was a moment in India’s pursuit of a drug-free society by 2047, uniting spiritual strength with youthful resolve.
Over the course of four thematic plenary sessions, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the psychological and social impacts of substance abuse, the complexities of drug trafficking and supply chains, grassroots awareness strategies, and the critical role of spiritual and cultural institutions in prevention and rehabilitation. These deliberations culminated in the Kashi Declaration, which outlines a multi-dimensional and collaborative approach to drug de-addiction, rooted in India’s civilisational ethos and driven by youth leadership.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, described the declaration as a collective Sankalp (resolve) arising from the reflections and dialogue of the summit. He emphasized that the document is not just a vision statement, but a shared commitment to national transformation.
The Kashi Declaration calls for treating substance abuse as a complex public health and societal challenge. It recommends a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, integrating efforts from spiritual, educational, technological, and cultural domains. The declaration proposes the formation of a Joint National Committee for coordination among ministries, annual progress reporting mechanisms, and a national platform to connect individuals affected by substance abuse with support services.
Dr. Mandaviya highlighted the unique role of spiritual organisations in this campaign, stating that Bharat’s spiritual legacy must now lead the charge in creating a drug-free generation. “Spiritual institutions will serve as the backbone of this Maha Abhiyan,” he said, urging collective action through community engagement.
Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla, also addressed the summit, invoking the cultural sanctity of Kashi. He described the ancient city as the “cradle of Sanatan Chetna,” where discipline and values guide personal and national progress. He warned that a nation where 65% of the population is youth cannot afford to succumb to addiction, stressing that only a liberated and conscious youth can build a strong future.
The concluding session saw the participation of several prominent leaders, including Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism; Anil Rajbhar, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs; and Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports.
The summit also marked a key step forward in the MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat) framework. Going forward, MY Bharat volunteers and affiliated youth clubs will spearhead pledge campaigns, awareness drives, and grassroots outreach across the country. The Kashi Declaration will act as a guiding document, and its progress will be reviewed at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, ensuring accountability and long-term impact.
lign=”center”>There is no power on the planet to dictate India how to handle its affairs-VP We work in tandem, we have mutual respect, diplomatic dialogues. But at the end of the day, we are sovereign, we take our own decisions-VP Is it required to have wrestling sessions as to who said what?, VP expresses concern Our object is not to just simply grow our economy, Our object is to develop the people-VP Vice-President Addresses Officer Trainees of the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) 2024 Batch
Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said that, “Don’t be guided by narratives outside. All decisions in this country, a sovereign nation, are taken by its leadership. There is no power on the planet to dictate India how to handle its affairs. We do live in a nation and nations that are a comity. We work in togetherness, we work in tandem. We have mutual respect, diplomatic dialogues. But at the end of the day, we are sovereign, we take our own decisions.”
He underlined, “Is it required to play every bad ball? Is it required to have wrestling sessions as to who said what? One who scores good runs on the cricket pitch always leaves bad balls. They are tempting, but not attempted. And those who attempt, you have safe gloves of the wicket keeper and someone in the gully.”
“There will be challenges. Challenges will be to create divisiveness. For example, we have seen global conflagrations — two of them in particular, you know them. These have become open-ended. Look at the devastation of property, human lives, and their misery. And look at our calibration. We taught a lesson — taught it well. We chose Bahawalpur and Muridke, and then brought it to a temporary conclusion. ‘Operation Sindoor’ is not over — it continues. Some people ask the question — why was it stopped? We are a nation that believes in peace, nonviolence, a land of Buddha, Mahavira, and Gandhi. We do not wish to kill even living beings — how can we target human beings? The idea was to generate sanity, to generate a sense of humanity in the others”, he added.
Addressing the officer trainees of Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) 2024 batch at the Vice-President’s Enclave today, Shri Dhankhar stated, “ Our demographic dividend is a global envy. 65% of our population is below 35 years of age. The median age of this country is 28, whereas that of China and the U.S. is around 38–39, and Japan, 48. Now, you are the chosen ones. You’ve got the opportunity to serve Bharat, home to one-sixth of humanity. And look at the area of your working. If you commit yourself, keeping into view our civilizational ethos, we are a unique nation. No nation can boast or claim to be closer to us — five thousand years of heritage, culture, legacy, knowledge, wisdom, repository. In such a situation — eighteen lakh acres? If you engage — which you are engaging, your seniors are engaging — you can define to the entire country, how to manage the estates, how to manage ecology, how to manage the environment, how to raise herbal gardens, what is sustainable development, how to protect and how to use modern technology.”
“One aspect about which I am slightly concerned. Development, civilian development, close to the proximity of your states, requires your sanction. That sanction often gets into the domain of discretion and suffers delay. I would urge — evolve a mechanism or a protocol. Let people know about it — what height they can have. Why should the system come into play? With the kind of technology we have, we should be fully aware. Why can’t we put it on one platform? This is the area — if your building is coming up here, height will be this. Yet agencies have to be hired. People have to pay for it. Delay takes place. Now you can take the lead. You will earn the goodwill of the people around”, he added.
Expressing his concern over rising coaching centres in the country he stated, “Coaching is needed for skill. Coaching is needed to make you self-dependent. If for a limited number of seats, all over the country there are coaching centers vying with one another for advertisement space in newspapers. Not one — one page, two pages, three pages, sometimes four pages in a row. And what a spectacle — putting you boys and girls in photographs. No, this is not Bharat. We can’t have commodification and commercialisation. We have to believe in Gurukul. You have to come out of — youth has to come out of the silos. You have to know the opportunities elsewhere. Those opportunities are also very necessary for the development of the nation….I am not against anyone, but why should coaching become an integral part of education? After more than three decades, the nation has been blessed after getting input from stakeholders in hundreds of thousands, National Education Policy. Why coaching? Coach has to improve your skill. We can’t have people cramming and then getting through. We want thinking minds to get in and go there. Always bear that in mind”.
Talking about ‘Viksit Bharat’ he stated, “ Our object is not to just simply grow our economy. Our object is to develop the people. Viksit Bharat is not our dream. It is not even our destination now. We are marching in that direction. Every day we are progressing towards that direction, and that’s a big challenge because 10 years of phenomenal development has given the people a taste of development. People of my generation never believed…there will be a toilet in the house, a gas connection in the house, internet connection, piped water, roads close by, school or health center, such world-class trains to travel. No. We never imagined. So the nation now has become globally the most aspirational nation in the world.”
Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Defence Secretary, Govt. of India, Shri S.N. Gupta, Director General, Defence Estates, Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Director, NIDEM and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
India’s benchmark indices opened on a cautious note Monday, as uncertainty surrounding the India-US trade deal weighed on investor sentiment and capped early gains.
The Nifty rose 30.60 points, or 0.12 per cent, to open at 24,999, while the Sensex added 160.80 points, or 0.20 per cent, to start at 81,918.53. However, both indices quickly gave up their gains. By 9:20 am, the Sensex had slipped 50 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 81,714, and the Nifty was down 17 points, or 0.07 per cent, at 24,951.
Analysts attribute the weak start to investor unease over the lack of progress in the fifth and latest round of India-US trade negotiations.
“The failure to reach a breakthrough in the trade talks is pushing countries to pursue multilateral FTAs to reduce reliance on the US,” said Ajay Bagga, banking and market expert. “The final signing of the India-UK FTA this week will symbolize a broader shift towards multilateralism in a post-Pan-Americana world.”
India and the UK had concluded negotiations on their FTA in May. Bagga stressed the need for India to deepen trade ties through new and existing FTAs, especially with ASEAN countries, where current terms favor imports over exports.
Adding to the market pressure are concerns over a lackluster Q1 earnings season and ongoing uncertainty around US tariff policies. A potential US-India tariff deal is being closely watched as a possible trigger for market recovery.
Another factor influencing sentiment is the flood of primary market activity. With several large IPOs and qualified institutional placements (QIPs) lined up, investors are diverting funds away from the secondary market. Promoters and private equity firms continue to dilute stakes, adding to the supply overhang.
Meanwhile, a potentially positive development could emerge on the policy front. The NITI Aayog has reportedly recommended allowing automatic approvals for Chinese investments of up to 24 per cent in Indian companies, a move that could revive Chinese capital inflows and signal India’s openness to alternatives beyond the US.
On the NSE, all major broad-market indices were under pressure. The Nifty 100 dropped 0.13 per cent, Nifty Midcap 100 slipped 0.10 per cent, and Nifty Smallcap 100 fell by 0.10 per cent.
Sectorally, only Nifty Media, Nifty Metal, and Nifty Realty showed gains. The rest lagged, with Nifty Auto down 0.37 per cent, Nifty FMCG lower by 0.32 per cent, Nifty IT falling 0.67 per cent, and Nifty PSU Bank declining the most, by 0.70 per cent.
“The Nifty 50 did not perform well last week, ending down by 181 points. Back-to-back bearish candles indicate that sellers are in control, which could push prices further down,” said Sunil Gurjar, SEBI-registered analyst and founder of Alphamojo Financial Services. “A breakdown below 25,250 would signal a strong downtrend. The 24,650 level could act as crucial support. If breached, it may confirm further downside. That said, prices remain above key moving averages, hinting at underlying strength.”
Over 300,000 yatris have undertaken the ongoing Amarnath Yatra in the 18 days since it began on July 3. With 20 days still left for the yatra’s conclusion on August 9, the figure is likely to exceed the official estimate of 3.5 lakh this year.
Officials said that as of Sunday, 3.07 lakh pilgrims had ‘darshan’ inside the holy cave shrine.
“Another batch of 3,791 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas today for the Valley in two escorted convoys. The first convoy of 52 vehicles carrying 1,208 yatris to the Baltal base camp left at 3:33 a.m., while the second convoy of 96 vehicles carrying 2,583 yatris to the Pahalgam base camp left at 4:06 a.m.,” officials said.
J&K Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), visited the Baltal base camp on Sunday. The L-G chaired a meeting of officials to review the arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the yatra. He had lunch with the yatris at one of the ‘Langars’ at Baltal and also interacted with them. The L-G expressed satisfaction with both the security and other arrangements made for the yatra.
This year, the Bhumi Pujan of ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (Lord Shiva’s Holy Mace) was performed at Pahalgam on July 10. The Chhari Mubarak was taken to Pahalgam by a group of seers led by its sole custodian, Mahant Swami Deependra Giri, from its seat at the Dashnami Akhara Building in Srinagar.
In Pahalgam, the Chhari Mubarak was taken to the Gauri Shankar temple, where the Bhumi Pujan was held. It was then taken back to its seat at the Dashnami Akhara building. It will begin its final journey towards the cave shrine from the Dashnami Akhara temple in Srinagar on August 4 and will reach the holy cave shrine on August 9, marking the official conclusion of the yatra.
Authorities have made extensive multi-tier security arrangements for this year’s Amarnath Yatra, as this takes place after the cowardly attack of April 22 in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians after segregating them based on faith in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam. An additional 180 companies of CAPFs have been brought in to augment the existing strength of the Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, and the local police. The Army has deployed over 8,000 specially trained commandos to secure the passage of the yatris.
This year, the yatra started on July 3 and will end after 38 days on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
Yatris approach the holy cave shrine, situated 3,888 metres above sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas, from either the traditional Pahalgam route or the shorter Baltal route. Those using the Pahalgam route pass through Chandanwari, Sheshnag, and Panchtarni to reach the cave shrine, covering a distance of 46 km on foot over four days. Those using the shorter Baltal route trek 14 km to reach the shrine and can return to the base camp the same day after having darshan.
No helicopter services are available to yatris this year due to security reasons.
The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe the structure symbolizes the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.
Residents reported calm in Syria’s Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a U.S. envoy signalled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented.
With hundreds reported killed, the Sweida bloodshed is a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes against government forces last week as it declared support for the Druze.Fighting continued on Saturday despite a ceasefire call.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday that internal security forces had managed to calm the situation and enforce the ceasefire, “paving the way for a prisoner exchange and the gradual return of stability throughout the governorate”.
Reuters images showed interior ministry forces near the city, blocking the road in front of members of tribes congregated there. The Interior Ministry said late on Saturday that Bedouin fighters had left the city.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said the sides had “navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities”. “The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process,” he wrote on X.
Kenan Azzam, a dentist, said there was an uneasy calm but the city’s residents were struggling with a lack of water and electricity. “The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded,” he said by phone.
Another resident, Raed Khazaal, said aid was urgently needed. “Houses are destroyed … The smell of corpses is spread throughout the national hospital,” he said in a voice message to Reuters from Sweida.
The Syrian state news agency said an aid convoy sent to the city by the government was refused entry while aid organised by the Syrian Red Crescent was let in. A source familiar with the situation said local factions in Sweida had turned back the government convoy.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israel sent urgent medical aid to the Druze in Sweida and the step was coordinated with Washington and Syria. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Shi’ite Islam. Some hardline Sunnis deem their beliefs heretical.
The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze.
Residents of the predominantly Druze city said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia.
Sharaa on Thursday promised to protect the rights of Druze and to hold to account those who committed violations against “our Druze people”.
He has blamed the violence on “outlaw groups”.
While Sharaa has won U.S. backing since meeting President Donald Trump in May, the violence has underscored the challenge he faces stitching back together a country shattered by 14 years of conflict, and added to pressures on its mosaic of sectarian and ethnic groups.
COASTAL VIOLENCE
After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defence ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarisation of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida.
He also said Israel would protect the Druze.
The United States however said it did not support the Israeli strikes. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for two days.
A Syrian security source told Reuters that internal security forces had taken up positions near Sweida, establishing checkpoints in western and eastern parts of the province where retreating tribal fighters had gathered.
On Sunday, Sharaa received the report of an inquiry into violence in Syria’s coastal region in March, where Reuters reported in June that Syrian forces killed 1,500 members of the Alawite minority following attacks on security forces.
The presidency said it would review the inquiry’s conclusions and ensure steps to “bring about justice” and prevent the recurrence of “such violations”. It called on the inquiry to hold a news conference on its findings – if appropriate – as soon as possible.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said on July 18 it had documented the deaths of at least 321 people in Sweida province since July 13. The preliminary toll included civilians, women, children, Bedouin fighters, members of local groups and members of the security forces, it said, and the dead included people killed in field executions by both sides.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another monitoring group, has reported a death toll of at least 940 people.
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.
The court’s Pre-Trial Chamber II cited reasonable grounds for believing supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani were guilty of “ordering, inducing or soliciting the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.”
The warrants – the first ever on charges of gender persecution – are being hailed as an “important vindication and acknowledgement of the rights of Afghan women and girls”.
But will they improve the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, given the Taliban does not recognise the court or its jurisdiction?
The signs are not good with the Taliban denying the allegations and condemning the warrants as a “clear act of hostility [and an] insult to the beliefs of Muslims around the world”.
Erased from public life
Strict rules and prohibitions have been imposed on the Afghan people since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Women and girls have been singled out for even worse treatment by reason of their gender.
According the warrants, the Taliban has
severely deprived, through decrees and edicts, girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.
Women are banned from public places and girls from attending school once they turn 12.
Zahra Nader is the editor-in-chief of newsroom Zan Times which investigates human rights violations in Afghanistan. She says Afghan women and girls are being silenced, restricted and stripped of their basic human rights.
It is this discriminatory system of control of woman and girls in Afghanistan that is at the core of the court’s prosecution.
The warrants also accuse the Taliban of persecuting
other persons who don’t conform with the Taliban’s ideological expectations of gender, gender identity or expression; and on political grounds against persons perceived as ‘allies of girls and women.
This is the first time an international tribunal or court has confirmed crimes against humanity involving LGBTQIA+ victims. This marks an important milestone in the protection of sexual minorities under international law.
Crimes against humanity
International law clearly spells put the offences which constitute crimes against humanity.
The aim is to protect civilians from serious and widespread attacks on their fundamental rights. Different definitions of crimes against humanity have been included in the statutes of a handful of international tribunals and courts.
The definition under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the most comprehensive. It includes severe deprivation of personal liberty, murder, enslavement, rape, torture, forced deportation or apartheid.
Specifically, the Taliban leaders are accused under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute, which states:
Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender […] or other grounds that are universally recognised as impermissible under international law.
Physical and direct violence is not necessary for persecution on “gender […] grounds” to be established. Systemic and institutionalised forms of harm, which can be the imposition of discriminatory societal norms, are sufficient.
Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by Taliban policies and rules. But proving gender-based crimes have occurred is not enough. Discriminatory intent must also be established.
The Taliban has been open about its religious beliefs and interpretations, suggesting a clear intention to persecute on the grounds of gender.
Not just symbolic
As with other cases, the court relies on the cooperation of states to execute and surrender those accused.
The interim government in Kabul which was formed after the US-led invasion in 2001 became a party to the Rome Statute in 2003. Afghanistan remains legally obligated to prosecute perpetrators of these crimes – it must accept the Court’s jurisdiction in the matter.
The Purple Saturdays Movement, an Afghan women-led protest group, is warning the arrest warrants must be more than just symbolic. Any failure to prosecute would likely result in an escalation of human rights violations:
The Taliban has historically responded to international pressure not with reform, but by intensifying such repressive policies.
Hopeful step
It is important to note the strict policies and widespread abuses targeting women and girls in Afghanistan are ongoing, despite the intervention by the International Criminal Court.
The court’s Office of the Prosecutor is stressing its commitment to pursuing “effective legal pathways” to bring the Taliban leadership to account. The Afghan Women’s Movement in Exile wants an independent international judicial committee established to monitor and accelerate the legal process.
It is not yet clear if the warrants will actually lead to arrest and prosecution in The Hague. But we know this is possible. A prime example being the the arrest earlier this year of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
At the very least, the arrests warrants are a hopeful step towards accountability for the Taliban and justice for the women and girls of Afghanistan.
Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.
The court’s Pre-Trial Chamber II cited reasonable grounds for believing supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani were guilty of “ordering, inducing or soliciting the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.”
The warrants – the first ever on charges of gender persecution – are being hailed as an “important vindication and acknowledgement of the rights of Afghan women and girls”.
But will they improve the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, given the Taliban does not recognise the court or its jurisdiction?
The signs are not good with the Taliban denying the allegations and condemning the warrants as a “clear act of hostility [and an] insult to the beliefs of Muslims around the world”.
Erased from public life
Strict rules and prohibitions have been imposed on the Afghan people since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Women and girls have been singled out for even worse treatment by reason of their gender.
According the warrants, the Taliban has
severely deprived, through decrees and edicts, girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.
Women are banned from public places and girls from attending school once they turn 12.
Zahra Nader is the editor-in-chief of newsroom Zan Times which investigates human rights violations in Afghanistan. She says Afghan women and girls are being silenced, restricted and stripped of their basic human rights.
It is this discriminatory system of control of woman and girls in Afghanistan that is at the core of the court’s prosecution.
The warrants also accuse the Taliban of persecuting
other persons who don’t conform with the Taliban’s ideological expectations of gender, gender identity or expression; and on political grounds against persons perceived as ‘allies of girls and women.
This is the first time an international tribunal or court has confirmed crimes against humanity involving LGBTQIA+ victims. This marks an important milestone in the protection of sexual minorities under international law.
Crimes against humanity
International law clearly spells put the offences which constitute crimes against humanity.
The aim is to protect civilians from serious and widespread attacks on their fundamental rights. Different definitions of crimes against humanity have been included in the statutes of a handful of international tribunals and courts.
The definition under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the most comprehensive. It includes severe deprivation of personal liberty, murder, enslavement, rape, torture, forced deportation or apartheid.
Specifically, the Taliban leaders are accused under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute, which states:
Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender […] or other grounds that are universally recognised as impermissible under international law.
Physical and direct violence is not necessary for persecution on “gender […] grounds” to be established. Systemic and institutionalised forms of harm, which can be the imposition of discriminatory societal norms, are sufficient.
Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by Taliban policies and rules. But proving gender-based crimes have occurred is not enough. Discriminatory intent must also be established.
The Taliban has been open about its religious beliefs and interpretations, suggesting a clear intention to persecute on the grounds of gender.
Not just symbolic
As with other cases, the court relies on the cooperation of states to execute and surrender those accused.
The interim government in Kabul which was formed after the US-led invasion in 2001 became a party to the Rome Statute in 2003. Afghanistan remains legally obligated to prosecute perpetrators of these crimes – it must accept the Court’s jurisdiction in the matter.
The Purple Saturdays Movement, an Afghan women-led protest group, is warning the arrest warrants must be more than just symbolic. Any failure to prosecute would likely result in an escalation of human rights violations:
The Taliban has historically responded to international pressure not with reform, but by intensifying such repressive policies.
Hopeful step
It is important to note the strict policies and widespread abuses targeting women and girls in Afghanistan are ongoing, despite the intervention by the International Criminal Court.
The court’s Office of the Prosecutor is stressing its commitment to pursuing “effective legal pathways” to bring the Taliban leadership to account. The Afghan Women’s Movement in Exile wants an independent international judicial committee established to monitor and accelerate the legal process.
It is not yet clear if the warrants will actually lead to arrest and prosecution in The Hague. But we know this is possible. A prime example being the the arrest earlier this year of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
At the very least, the arrests warrants are a hopeful step towards accountability for the Taliban and justice for the women and girls of Afghanistan.
Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Government is fooling itself if cutting 10% of the civilian workforce is how you build a modern, combat ready defence force at a time of rising security risks.
NZDF today confirmed final decisions that will see 255 roles cut across the force, making a total of one in ten roles axed in the last year (including voluntary redundancies). This is down from the original proposal of347 roles in March. 46 further roles may go depending on the outcome of additional consultation.
“This is incredibly shortsighted when a modern defence force needs a well-resourced civilian workforce to support our men and women in uniform,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The cuts include roles in the army, air force, strategy, health and safety, Defence College, Joint Defence Services, Joint Support Group, financial, Chief of Staff office and Veterans Affairs.
“This is all about saving money, not strengthening security. It doesn’t make any sense when tensions are rising across the Asia Pacific area and in Europe. It was only a few months ago that a warship from China was in the Tasman Sea.”
NZDF told staff today it was facing a tough fiscal environment which has forced it to make deep cuts in a number of areas to save money including:
“cancelling some training activities and major exercises”
“reducing flying hours, sea days and other training”
“pausing property maintenance”
“The Government is investing in military equipment and technology which is a good thing but is blind to the fact that civilian defence workers, like engineers, IT specialists and many others are needed to support this.
“All these cuts to jobs will do is increase already heavy workloads, leading to more stress and burnout, and forcing those in uniform to pick up the work of the civilian workers. That is not what they signed up to do and won’t help NZDF improve retention.
“Civilian workers are the backbone of Defence, yet the Government continues to disrespect their vital role. It’s the wrong choice.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahiis Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Japan’s ruling coalition lost control of the upper house in an election on Sunday, further weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s grip on power even as he vowed to remain party leader, citing a looming tariff deadline with the United States.
While the ballot does not directly determine whether Ishiba’s administration will fall, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more powerful lower house in October.
Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito returned 47 seats, short of the 50 seats it needed to ensure a majority in the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats were up for grabs.
That comes on top of its worst showing in 15 years in October’s lower house election, a vote which has left Ishiba’s administration vulnerable to no-confidence motions and calls from within his own party for leadership change.
Speaking late on Sunday evening after exit polls closed, Ishiba told NHK he “solemnly” accepted the “harsh result”.
“We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States…we must never ruin these negotiations. It is only natural to devote our complete dedication and energy to realizing our national interests,” he later told TV Tokyo.
Asked whether he intended to stay on as premier, he said “that’s right”.
Japan, the world’s fourth largest economy, faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party finished second with 22 seats.
Meanwhile, the far-right Sanseito party announced its arrival in mainstream politics, adding 14 seats to one elected previously. Launched on YouTube a few years ago, the populist party found wider appeal with its ‘Japanese First’ campaign and warnings about a “silent invasion” of foreigners.
‘HAMMERED HOME’
Opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending struck a chord with voters, as rising consumer prices – particularly a jump in the cost of rice – have sowed frustration at the government’s response.
“The LDP was largely playing defence in this election, being on the wrong side of a key voter issue,” said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group.
“Polls show that most households want a cut to the consumption tax to address inflation, something that the LDP opposes. Opposition parties seized on it and hammered that message home.”
The LDP has been urging fiscal restraint, with one eye on a very jittery government bond market, as investors worry about Japan’s ability to refinance the world’s largest debt pile. Any concessions the LDP must now strike with opposition parties to pass policy will only further elevate those nerves, analysts say.
“The ruling party will have to compromise in order to gain the cooperation of the opposition, and the budget will continue to expand,” said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo.
“Overseas investors’ evaluation of the Japan economy will also be quite harsh.”
Sanseito, which first emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, is among those advocating fiscal expansion.
But it is its tough talk on immigration that has grabbed attention, dragging once-fringe political rhetoric into the mainstream.
It remains to be seen whether the party can follow the path of other far-right parties with which it has drawn comparisons, such as Germany’s AfD and Reform UK.
“I am attending graduate school but there are no Japanese around me. All of them are foreigners,” said Yu Nagai, a 25-year-old student who voted for Sanseito earlier on Sunday.
“When I look at the way compensation and money are spent on foreigners, I think that Japanese people are a bit disrespected,” Nagai said after casting his ballot at a polling station in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward.
Japan, the world’s fastest aging society, saw foreign-born residents hit a record of about 3.8 million last year.
That is still just 3% of the total population, a much smaller fraction than in the United States and Europe, but comes amid a tourism boom that has made foreigners far more visible across the country.