The mutual distrust between India and China keeps the Line of Actual Control between two Asian powers prone to “sudden flare-ups of violence”, with consequences that could reach far beyond the region, a global think tank has concluded in its latest report. The report also notes that a return to the times when boundary issue was shelved to let India-China bilateral ties get stronger “seems improbable in the short term”. In other news, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (Nov 15) ruled as unlawful the British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
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The number of Chinese incursions into Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) tripled since Xi Jinping took over the corridors of power in 2013, the report points out while citing a dataset from November 2012 to November 2022. But notably, those incursions have been relatively low in “scale and intensity” in the Middle Sector of India-China boundary. “The number of transgressions by the Chinese troops in the last decade has been quite high in the western and eastern sectors compared to the least-disputed middle sector. So, the delineation of the border in the middle sector is the low-hanging fruit that both sides could pursue,” Praveen Donthi, Senior India Analyst at International Crisis Group told WION.
The lower court had found that sending anyone to Rwanda would be in breach of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) laws as there was a “real risk” they could be returned to their home countries to face “persecution or other inhumane treatment”.
The general elections in Bangladesh will be held on January 7, 2024, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal announced on Wednesday (Nov 15). The announcement was made in a televised speech for the first time in the history of Bangladesh. Earlier, the chief election commissioners used to air the recorded version of the polls schedule to address the nation, Dhaka Tribune reports.
Pakistan men’s cricket team captain Babar Azam has stepped down from his post in all three formats after the culmination of a disastrous World Cup campaign in India. Babar took to social media to post a statement wherein he said it was a ‘difficult decision’ but the right time to make the call.
Pop sensation Halsey recently took to Instagram to address critics who labelled her a ‘coward’ for not speaking out earlier on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a candid and heartfelt post, the singer opened up about the challenges she faced during her tour, revealing that past threats, including instances of violence and swatting at her home, influenced her decision to stay silent initially.
Amid heightened political tensions, authorities in Madagascar imposed a curfew on Wednesday (Nov 15) a day ahead of the presidential elections scheduled on Thursday (Nov 16), after a majority of opposition candidates boycotted the polls in the country.
A massive fire broke out in the New Delhi-Darbhanga Special Express when it was passing through Etawah city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday evening (Nov 15), stated officials. The officials confirmed no casualties in the fire mishap and it was doused later.
Iceland is preparing for a possible volcanic eruption after the nation was rattled by a series of earthquakes which has since prompted officials to declare a state of emergency. Huge cracks could be seen on roads in the Icelandic town of Grindavik, where most of the tremors took place.
Russia has been planning to send cosmonauts to the Moon for the first time in history. The cosmonauts are likely to go to the Moon in the next decade and intend to construct a moon base from 2031, as per the Russian corporation which is responsible for manned space flights, as reported by state news agency TASS.
Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said Tuesday (Nov 14) that the fast-food giant faces “one to two” sexual harassment allegations from workers every week. The issue was recently exposed by the BBC and Macrow has promised to tackle the alarming situation.