Auckland, (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held “warm and productive” talks with his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta during which the two leaders exchanged views on issues of international concerns such as the Indo-Pacific and the Ukraine conflict.

It is Jaishankar’s first visit to New Zealand as External Affairs Minister.

“Warm and productive talks with New Zealand Foreign Minister @NanaiaMahuta this afternoon. Two societies, respectful of tradition and culture, are seeking to forge a more contemporary relationship,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.

“Appreciated the exchange of views on (issues of) international concerns such as the Indo-Pacific and the Ukraine conflict. Value our working together in multilateral forums including the UN and Commonwealth,” he said.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the resource-rich region.

China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.

India has repeatedly emphasised on the immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and the need to resolve the ongoing conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Jaishankar also took up the issue of Indian students impacted by COVID measures in New Zealand and urged expeditious visa processing of those desirous of studying in New Zealand now.

India is the second largest source of international students in New Zealand pursuing higher education in various disciplines such as information technology, hospitality, science, engineering and architecture.

He also met Associate Minister for foreign affairs Aupito William Sio during his meeting with Mahuta.

“Pleasure to meet Associate Minister for foreign affairs @AupitoWSio_MP during my talks with FM @NanaiaMahuta Benefitted from his insights on Pacific Islands,” Jaishankar tweeted.

On Wednesday, Jaishankar met Indian-origin minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and also had an interactive session with prominent personalities of the country.

“Good to meet Minister @priyancanzlp today in Auckland. Thank her for an interactive session with prominent personalities of New Zealand. Committed to furthering our relationship,” he tweeted.

Radhakrishnan is New Zealand’s Minister for Community and Voluntary Sector, Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, and Youth.

She is the first person of Indian origin to become a minister in New Zealand.

New Zealand has approximately 2,50,000 persons of Indian origin and NRIs, a vast majority of which have made the country their permanent home.

During the visit, Jaishankar will join Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday to felicitate members of the Indian community. for their exceptional achievements and contributions.

“Both leaders will release India@75 postage stamps to commemorate and showcase Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in New Zealand,” an External Affairs Ministry statement said on Monday.

Jaishankar will also launch the book ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’.

A book showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special bond with the Sikh community ‘Heartfelt – The Legacy of Faith’ will also be released on the occasion.

Further, he will interact with parliamentarians, members of the business community as well as the Indian diaspora, including students.

In Wellington, Jaishankar will inaugurate the newly constructed building of the High Commission of India.

Jaishankar is on a week-long visit to New Zealand and Australia.

In Australia, the External Affairs Minister will visit Canberra and Sydney. PTI

Washington, (PTI) A 20-year-old Indian-origin student has been killed in his dormitory in the US state of Indiana and his Korean roommate was taken into custody, according to media reports.

Varun Manish Chheda from Indianapolis, who was studying at Purdue University, was found dead in McCutcheon Hall on the western edge of campus, police said on Wednesday.

Another university student was arrested on a murder charge Wednesday, NBC News quoted the school’s police chief as saying.

Ji Min “Jimmy” Sha, a junior cybersecurity major and international student from Korea, called 911 around 12:45 am on Wednesday to alert police about the death, Purdue University Police Chief Lesley Wiete said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

Details of the call were not disclosed. Authorities said the incident happened in a room on the first floor of McCutcheon Hall.

Chheda was studying data science at the university.

Chheda died of “multiple sharp force traumatic injuries,” and the manner of death was homicide, according to preliminary autopsy results.

Chief Wiete said she believes the attack was “unprovoked” and “senseless”, Fox News reported.

Arunabh Sinha, a childhood friend of Chheda’s, told NBC News that Chheda had been gaming and talking with friends online on Tuesday night when they suddenly heard screaming on the call.

Sinha was not playing with his friends that night, but they told him they heard the attack and didn’t know what happened. They woke up Wednesday morning to news of his death.

Wiete said Sha, 22, was taken into custody minutes after the 911 call and taken to the police station for further investigation.

Chheda’s death is Purdue’s first on-campus homicide in more than eight years, police said.

University President Mitch Daniels said Chheda’s death was “as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus,” adding that “our hearts and thoughts go out to all of those affected by this terrible event.” PTI 

Chheda was studying data science at the university.

Chheda died of “multiple sharp force traumatic injuries,” and the manner of death was homicide, according to preliminary autopsy results.

Chief Wiete said she believes the attack was “unprovoked” and “senseless”, Fox News reported.

Arunabh Sinha, a childhood friend of Chheda’s, told NBC News that Chheda had been gaming and talking with friends online on Tuesday night when they suddenly heard screaming on the call.

Sinha was not playing with his friends that night, but they told him they heard the attack and didn’t know what happened. They woke up Wednesday morning to news of his death.

Wiete said Sha, 22, was taken into custody minutes after the 911 call and taken to the police station for further investigation.

Chheda’s death is Purdue’s first on-campus homicide in more than eight years, police said.

University President Mitch Daniels said Chheda’s death was “as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus,” adding that “our hearts and thoughts go out to all of those affected by this terrible event.” PTI

 Los Angeles,  (PTI) All four Sikh family members, including an eight-month-old baby girl, who were kidnapped in the US state of California earlier this week have been found dead, authorities said on Wednesday.

The family, originally from Harsi Pind in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, was kidnapped at a business in Merced County, California, on Monday.

Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said the bodies of 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur, their eight-month-old child Aroohi Dheri and the baby’s uncle, 39-year-old Amandeep Singh were found on Wednesday evening in an orchard near Indiana Road & Hutchinson Road.

Warnke said that a farm worker near the orchard found the bodies and immediately contacted authorities.

All of the bodies were found close together.

“There are no words to describe the anger I feel,” Warnke said during a press conference Wednesday evening.

“There’s a special place in hell for this guy,” he said about Jesus Manuel Salgado, the suspect, who attempted to kill himself.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office released a chilling new video showing the moment the family was kidnapped.

Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh came out of the business with their hands zip-tied together. Moments later, the video shows the kidnapper leading Jasleen and her 8-month-old baby, Aroohi, out of the building into a truck.

Salgado, the person of interest, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon and remains in the hospital in critical condition after he tried to kill himself.

The sheriff’s office said his own family contacted authorities reporting that Salgado had admitted to them he was involved with the kidnapping of the family. PTI 

 Seoul, October 4

North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, forcing Japan to issue evacuation notices and suspend trains during the flight of the nuclear-capable weapon that could reach the US territory of Guam and beyond.

The launch was the most provocative weapons demonstration by North Korea this year as it ramps up missile tests in its push to build a full-fledged nuclear arsenal that viably threatens US allies and the American homeland and earns the country recognition as a nuclear state.

The United States said it strongly condemns North Korea's “dangerous and reckless decision” to launch what it described as a “long-range ballistic missile” over Japan.

“This action is destabilising and shows (North Korea's) blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms,” it said.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier said the missile had an intermediate range, while Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said it was believed to have an intermediate range or longer.

Japanese authorities alerted residents in northeastern regions to evacuate to shelters, in the first “J-alert” since 2017 when North Korea fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile twice over Japan.

Trains were suspended in the Hokkaido and Aomori regions until the government issued a subsequent notice that the North Korean missile appeared to have landed in the Pacific. In Sapporo city, subways were also temporarily suspended, with stations packed with morning commuters.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters the latest firing "is a reckless act and I strongly condemn it.”          

According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the missile traveled about 4,500-4,600 km at a maximum altitude of 970-1,000 km.

The missile's flight distance showed the missile had enough range to hit the US Pacific territory of Guam, home to the US military bases that sent advanced warplanes to the Korean Peninsula in shows of force in past tensions with North Korea.

Tuesday's launch is the fifth round of weapons tests by North Korea in the past 10 days in what was seen as an apparent response to military drills between South Korea and the United States and other training among the allies including Japan last week.

Washington,  (PTI) The US will soon impose further costs on the perpetrators of violence against peaceful demonstrators who protested against the death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of the morality police in Iran, President Joe Biden has said, as he expressed grave concern over the crackdown on them.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iranian Kurdistan, was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

The custody death of Amini on September 13 in Tehran sparked street protests around the country. Iranian Security forces have cracked down on the protests.

“For decades, Iran’s regime has denied the fundamental freedom to its people and suppressed the aspirations of successive generations through intimidation, coercion and violence. The United States stands with Iranian women and all citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their bravery,” President Biden said on Monday.

Biden said the United States is making it easier for Iranians to access the internet.

The US is also holding accountable Iranian officials and entities, such as the morality police, that are responsible for employing violence to suppress civil society, he said on Monday.

“This week, the United States will be imposing further costs on perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters. We will continue holding Iranian officials accountable and supporting the rights of Iranians to protest freely,” Biden said in a statement.

Iran’s state TV has reported that the death toll from violent clashes between protesters and Iranian security officers could be as high as 41. Rights groups have given higher death counts. Several people have been apprehended, with local officials reporting at least 1,500 arrests.

“I remain gravely concerned about reports of the intensifying violent crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran, including students and women, who are demanding their equal rights and basic human dignity,” Biden said.

They are calling for just and universal principles, which underpin the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he added.

White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters on board Air Force One that the US is alarmed and appalled by reports of security authorities responding to university students’ peaceful protests with violence and mass arrests.

“University students are the talented young people who should be the future of Iran. They are rightly enraged by the death of Mahsa Amini, the Iranian government’s treatment of women and girls and the ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protests,” she said.

“This weekend’s crackdowns are precisely the sort of behaviour that drives Iran’s talented young people to leave a country by the thousands to seek dignity and opportunity elsewhere,” Jean-Pierre said.

Responding to a question, the press secretary said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the best way to address the nuclear problem with Iran.

“As long as we believe pursuing JCPOA talks is in the US national security interest, we will do so,” she said, adding that the US will continue to use other tools to address other problems with Iran’s behaviour.

The JCPOA, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme reached in 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States — plus Germany and the European Union.

Under its terms, Iran agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to more extensive international inspections in exchange for billions of dollars worth of sanctions relief.

Former president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018. The US and Iran’s indirect talks to revive the pact have broken down.

Iran has long denied it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons while saying it has a right to civilian nuclear infrastructure.

“You’ve heard this from the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, that even though we are engaged in nuclear negotiations, we’re not going to slow down one inch in our defence and advocacy for the rights of the women and the citizens of Iran,” Jean-Pierre said.

“Even at the height of the Cold War, as President Reagan was calling the Soviet Union an evil empire, he was engaged in arms control talks,” Jean-Pierre said. PTI

A parliamentary debate on a major bill seeking the 22nd Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution aimed at empowering Parliament over the executive president could be held up due to disagreements within the ruling SLPP party, sources said on Tuesday.

The debate was scheduled to be held on October 6 and October 7.

The draft bill on the 22nd Amendment was approved by the Cabinet and gazetted in August. The 22nd Amendment was originally named 21A and meant to replace the 20A.

The amendment was formulated amid the ongoing economic turmoil in the country which also caused a political crisis. It is meant to replace the 20A that had given unfettered powers to ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after abolishing the 19th Amendment.

Now the debate on the bill can be stalled due to disagreements within the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, the sources said.

"There were concerns raised yesterday at the parliamentary group. Most felt that given the economic crisis and the security situation this is not the right time to move it,'' a parliamentarian, who did not want to be named, told PTI.

However, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Wijeyedasa Rajapakshe told PTI that the dissent was expressed by 3 or 4 individuals about certain provisions.

He has scheduled a meeting with the parliamentary group again on Wednesday to discuss the concerns.

"The two-day debate still stands,'' Rajapakshe said.

The 22A is meant to undo the 20A adopted in 2020 which restored full executive powers to the then president Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa had reversed through 20A the features of the 19A which had empowered Parliament over the presidency.

Rajapaksa was ousted in mid-July through the popular uprising against him for mishandling the country's economy.

His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged reforms to address the demands of the protesters.

However, civil society groups remain skeptical about the amendment, claiming that the 22A does not curtail the powers of the president nor introduces checks and balances in any meaningful manner.

Under the 20A, the Constitutional Council was converted to a parliamentary council just to rubber stamp presidential powers. The 22A would also have anti-corruption features, a key demand of the protesters.

The bill must be approved by two-thirds of Sri Lanka's 225-member Parliament to become law.

If passed into law, the amendments would reinstate reforms made in 2015. Rajapaksa reversed those reforms and concentrated power on himself after being elected to office in 2019.

Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 which has led to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel across the country.

The street protests had been triggered across the country over the poor handling of the economic crisis and the lack of accountability to it.

 Stockholm, October 3

This year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution.

Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee, announced the winner on Monday at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Paabo has spearheaded research comparing the genome of modern humans and our closest extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, showing that there was mixing between the species.

The medicine prize kicked off a week of Nobel Prize announcements. It continues on Tuesday with the physics prize, with chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the economics award on October 10.

Last year's medicine recipients were David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch.

The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (nearly nine lakh dollars) and will be handed out on December 10. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.

 Islamabad, October 3

A Pakistani court on Monday accepted an apology tendered by former prime minister Imran Khan and dropped a contempt of court case against him, his defence lawyer said, a ruling that ease the threat to him of disqualification from politics.

The Islamabad High Court had deferred Khan's indictment over the contempt case after he apologised to the court in person late last month.

A convicted politician is liable to be disqualified from contesting elections and holding a public office for at least five years under Pakistani law.

"Imran Khan extended his apology in honour and respect for the judiciary, and the court today reciprocated by discharging the case against him," defence lawyer Faisal Chaudhry told Reuters.

The charges were related to a speech by Khan in which he was accused of threatening police and judicial officers after one of his close aides was denied bail in a sedition case.

Khan and his legal team subsequently maintained that his remarks did not amount to a threat.

The cricket star-turned-politician has faced a spate of legal woes since his ouster in a confidence vote in April by a united opposition led by his successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Khan has been leading rallies since his dismissal demanding snap elections, which the ruling coalition has rejected, saying voting will be held as scheduled later next year.

 Dubai, October 3

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded publicly on Monday to the biggest protests in Iran in years, breaking weeks of silence to condemn the violent rioting and accuse protests of being planned by the US and Israel.

Khamenei described the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police, which set off the nationwide protests, as “a sad incident” that “left us heartbroken." However, he sharply condemned the protests as a foreign plot to destabilise Iran, echoing authorities' previous comments.

“This rioting was planned,” he told a cadre of police students in Tehran. “I say clearly that these riots and insecurities were designed by America and the Zionist regime, and their employees.” He added of the protests: “Such actions are not normal, are unnatural." His comments come as nationwide protests sparked by Amini's death entered their third week despite the government's efforts to crack down.  

 Miami, October 2

The death toll from Hurricane Ian climbed past 80 on Sunday as embattled residents in Florida and the Carolinas faced a recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, and some officials faced criticism over their response to the storm.

The death toll was expected to keep rising as floodwaters receded and search teams pushed farther into areas initially cut off from the outside world. Hundreds of people have been rescued as emergency workers sifted through homes and buildings inundated with water or completely washed away.

Officials in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral and is on the Gulf Coast, have faced questions over whether they mandated evacuations in time.

Cecil Pendergrass, chairman of the county's board of commissioners, said on Sunday that once the county was forecast to be in the cone, or the probable track of the hurricane's center, evacuation orders were given. Even then, some people chose to ride the storm out, Pendergrass said.

"I respect their choices," he said at a press conference.

"But I'm sure a lot of them regret it now." President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will see the devastation in Florida firsthand on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement on Saturday. The Bidens will visit Puerto Rico on Monday, where hundreds of thousands of people were still without power two weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit the island.

Cuba is restoring power after Ian knocked out electricity to the whole country of 11 million people, flattened homes and obliterated agricultural fields.

North Carolina authorities said at least four people had been killed there. No deaths were immediately reported in South Carolina, where Ian made another U.S. landfall on Friday.

Chugging over land since then, Ian has diminished into an ever-weakening post-tropical cyclone.

The National Hurricane Center forecast more heavy rainfall was possible across parts of West Virginia and western Maryland into Sunday morning, and "major to record flooding" in central Florida.

WASHED AWAY

As the full scope of devastation became clearer, officials said some of the heaviest damage was inflicted by wind-driven ocean surf that raged into seaside communities and washed buildings away.

Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed beach cottages and a motel that lined the shores of Florida's Sanibel Island had been demolished by storm surges. Although most homes appeared to still be standing, roof damage to all was evident.

Surveys from the ground showed that the barrier island, a popular tourist getaway that was home to some 6,000, was devastated.

"It's all just completely gone," Sanibel's city manager, Dana Souza, said. "Our electric system is pretty much destroyed, our sewer system has been damaged badly and our public water supply is under assessment."

The island's link to the mainland was severed by breaches to its causeway bridge, further complicating recovery efforts, Souza said.

After waning to a tropical storm by the end of its march across Florida to the Atlantic, Ian regained hurricane strength and pummeled coastal South Carolina on Friday, sweeping ashore near Georgetown, north of the historic port city of Charleston.

Numerous roads were flooded and blocked by fallen trees while a number of piers were damaged in that area.

More than 700,000 businesses and homes remained without power on Sunday afternoon in Florida alone, where more than 2 million customers lost electricity the first night of the storm.

Insurers braced for between $28 billion and $47 billion in claims from what could amount to the costliest Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to US property data and analytics company CoreLogic.