Morning Digest | Central Asia meet forms Afghan group; Indian family found dead near U.S.-Canada border identified, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India-Central Asia Summit held via video link from New Delhi on January 27, 2022. Photo: PIB via PTI

Central Asia meet forms Afghan group

Overcoming the lack of land connectivity between India and Central Asia’s land–locked countries was one of the “main issues of discussion” during the first India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, officials said on Thursday.

Indian family found dead near U.S.-Canada border identified

A family of four  Indian nationals found frozen to death  near to the U.S.-Canada border has been identified, with Canadian authorities saying the family had moved around the country for a period of time and was driven to the border by someone in a case being described as that of human smuggling.

Not for third party in LAC talks, China tells U.S.

China’s military said on Thursday it was “opposed to third-party involvement” in the India-China border dispute, as it hit out at comments from Washington about Beijing “intimidating” its neighbours.

“The China-India border issue is a matter between China and India, and both sides have expressed their opposition to third-party involvement,” People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, said in Beijing.

Akhilesh trying to build a strong caste alliance

The Samajwadi Party is banking on regional heavyweights across the board —from the OBC communities to the upper caste Brahmins — many of them BSP turncoats in its latest list of 56 candidates for eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Akhilesh Yadav-led party has built a most formidable caste alliance in the region to challenge the BJP.

Supreme Court verdict on reservation in promotion to SCs/STs on January 28

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Friday its judgement on the issue of the grant of reservation in promotion to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in government jobs. The Centre had earlier told the bench that it is a fact of life that even after around 75 years those belonging to SCs and STs have not been brought to the same level of merit as the forward classes.

Activists flag pollution threat of JSW project in Odisha

At a time when villagers of Dhinkia — the epicentre of resistance against the proposed mega steel plant near the port town of Paradip — are up in arms over land acquisition, activists termed the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report prepared for the project fraudulent.

EU will act strongly if Russia attacks Ukraine, says French Foreign Minister

Russia needs to know that the European Union will act strongly if it attacks Ukraine, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday at an online event organised by the Observer Research Organisation.

Russia sees room for dialogue with U.S.

Russia said on Thursday the U.S. had shown it was not willing to address Moscow's main security concerns, set out during their standoff over Ukraine, but that both sides had an interest in continuing dialogue. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow, which has massed troops near Ukraine, would not rush to draw conclusions after Washington formally responded to Russian proposals for are drawing of post-Cold War security arrangements in Europe.

EU launches WTO case against China for ‘targeting’ Lithuania

The European Union angered China on Thursday by launching a case against Beijing at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for targeting Lithuania over its stance on Taiwan. The move by Brussels was a further deterioration in ties between China and the bloc, with a long-negotiated investment deal already on the rocks after both sides exchanged tit-for-tat sanctions.

India seen boosting budget spending on infrastructure

India plans to raise spending on infrastructure in its annual budget next week to set the economy on a firmer footing, but fiscal constraints leave little chance of concessions for households hurting from the pandemic, officials said. Asia’s third-largest economy is estimated to expand 9.2% in the fiscal year that ends in March, following a contraction of 7.3% in the previous fiscal year.

Ola Electric to set up EV design centre in the U.K.

Ola Electric said its global centre for advanced engineering and vehicle design, Ola Futurefoundry, would be based in Coventry, U.K, a global hub for automotive design and engineering talent in the world. The EV maker said it would invest more than $100 million over the next five years in Futurefoundry, which would employ more than 200 designers and automotive engineers.

ISL 2021-22 | HFC edges out OFC in thriller

It was a tale of two halves as Hyderabad FC won 3-2 against Odisha FC to stay on top of the league standings with 23 points from 13 matches. Odisha started the match well, but Hyderabad started to find its feet from the 20-minute mark.