The Hindu Morning Digest, September 22, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, at the latter’s residence in Greenville, Delaware, on Saturday (September 21, 2024)
| Photo Credit: X/@POTUS

Our message is clear, Quad is here to stay: PM Modi at Leaders’ Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Quad is not against anyone, but for a rules-based international order and respect for sovereignty. “Our message is clear – Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement,” Mr. Modi said in his opening remarks at the summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

PM Modi meets President Biden at Wilmington ahead of Quad summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met U.S President Joe Biden for bilateral talks at the President’s house in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. The meeting took place shortly after the Prime Minister arrived in the city for a summit-level meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Mr. Biden, who is the final months of his presidency, hosted the leaders at his home, keen to emphasise the connections with his counterparts that has fuelled his diplomacy. The White House pool and Indian traveling press did not have access to this “personal meeting“ as the White House described the bilateral talks.

In a first, India invites foreign diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir to witness elections

Buoyed by the peaceful ongoing election in Jammu and Kashmi, and a higher voter turnout of 61% in the first phase of polling, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has invited a group of senior diplomats, mainly from the American, European and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) embassies, to visit Kashmir “for a first-hand account of the ongoing election process in J&K”, sources told The Hindu.

Centre notifies the appointments of Chief justices in eight High Courts

The Centre notified the appointment of Chief Justices in eight High Courts. These includes the High Courts of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Madras (Tamil Nadu) and Jharkhand. The appointments came after the Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday (September 17, 2024) amended some of its July 11, 2024 recommendations.

Rahul Gandhi defends his comments on Sikhs, accuses BJP of spreading lies to silence him from speaking the truth

Breaking his silence on the controversy over his statements in the U.S., Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of spreading lies and accused the ruling party of trying to silence him from speaking the truth. In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi shared a video clip, which runs for one minute and 50 seconds, and asked Sikhs whether there was anything wrong in what he had said and if India should not be a country where every Indian could practise their religion without fear.

No loss of territory is happening now to China: Ladakh LG

Whatever loss of territory that occurred along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh occurred during the 1962 war or around that period, and “no loss is happening now”, Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Ladakh Brigadier B.D. Mishra (Retd) said. He also said the Agniveers are proving “very effective” and anybody who is making propaganda of the many disadvantages about this Agnipath project is “not in national interest” and bordering on “anti-national”.

France’s Macron appoints new government in shift to right

French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier marked by a shift to the right, 11 weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary election. The first major task for Mr. Barnier, appointed just over two weeks ago, will be to submit a 2025 budget plan addressing France’s financial situation, which the prime minister this week called “very serious”. Tough talks on the distribution of the 39 cabinet posts continued right up to Saturday’s official announcement, insiders said, with moments of high tension between the president and his prime minister.

Presidential election 2024 passes off peacefully in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankans gave their mandate to the country’s next leader in a peacefully held Presidential election. The outcome of the critical election, expected on Sunday (September 22, 2024), is watched closely as the island nation navigates a challenging phase of economic recovery following a crushing crisis two years ago.

Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 20 killed 37, Lebanese ministry says

At least 37 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday (September 20, 2024), including three children and seven women, the Lebanese health ministry said. Hezbollah said overnight that those killed in the deadliest strike in a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel included 16 of its members, and that senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and another top commander, Ahmed Wahbi, were among the dead.

India vs Bangladesh first Test | The series against England gave me confidence: Gill

Shubman Gill put behind him the disappointment of a first innings duck by slamming his fifth Test century in India’s second essay against Bangladesh on Saturday. “Having got out the way I got out in the first innings (caught behind while flicking off his pads), I was very disappointed. It further motivated me to be able to spend a lot of time at the crease and put extra value on my wicket,” said Gill after recording his third century of the year.