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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed developments in Sino-India ties, management of peace and tranquillity along border areas, and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumption, during their meeting in South Africa, the MEA said on Friday. The two ministers met on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in response to a query during his weekly briefing. "The two ministers reviewed developments in our bilateral relations since their last meeting in November. Management of peace and tranquillity along border areas, Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumption, flight connectivity and travel facilitation were discussed," he said. There was also an exchange of views on G20 and SCO, he added. Jaishankar is in Johannesburg on a two-day visit to South Africa to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
India and Bangladesh have decided to establish a new communication link between the deputy commanders of their respective border-guarding forces and identified about 99 fresh patches for erecting a fence along their shared border. The decisions were finalised during the biannual director general-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) that concluded here on Thursday, sources in the security establishment told PTI. This was the first time that a high-level meeting between the two forces took place after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5 last year. The three-day talks, held from February 18 to February 20, went off in a "cordial manner", with the Indian side able to "convince" its neighbour about the importance of fencing on the remaining areas of the 4,096-km-long frontier that spans across five Indian states on the eastern flank, the sources said. A total of 864.48 km of the front remains unfenced, .
Soon after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump is likely to sign a barrage of executive orders, including those related to immigration, border security, energy and governance, his close aide revealed on Sunday. An executive order is an order issued unilaterally by the president which carries the force of law. Unlike legislation, executive orders do not require Congressional approval. Though the Congress cannot overturn them, they can be challenged in the court of law. "The breadth of the orders, which would make major changes to immigration, energy and government hiring policies, illustrates the urgency with which Trump and his team plan to launch an ambitious agenda," The Wall Street Journal said. In a briefing with senior Republican leaders, Stephen Miller, Trump's incoming White House deputy chief of staff for policy, revealed that the executive orders will include declaring emergency on the southern border, preparing military deployment on the
Lack of adequate employment opportunities, unsettled borders, and its position in the human development index are some of the weaknesses India needs to address to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt General N S Raja Subramani has said. Speaking on the topic of "National Security and Bharat @ 2047 at Surat LitFest 2025 on Friday, Lt Gen Subramani said the India of 2047 should have integrated its response mechanism, resolved its internal problems in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, as well as left-wing extremism (LWE) to ensure social and communal harmony. "Our strengths are our geographical location, youth, stable economic growth, and service sectors Pharma and IT which are progressing. What are our weaknesses? First, environmental change; second, our manufacturing sector is not strong; third, we do not have that many employment opportunities. Our border, whether with China or Pakistan, is not yet developed. We need to improve the human ...
Amidst recent objections by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) over the Border Security Force's (BSF) attempts to erect fences in certain areas along the India-Bangladesh border, a sector commander-level border coordination meeting of the two forces was held at Benapole in Bangladesh on Wednesday to address key bilateral concerns and bolster cooperation between the two nations. The meeting saw deliberations on sensitive issues including the contentious implementation of the Single Row Fence (SRF), cross-border crime and development projects in border areas, officials said. The Indian delegation was led by BSF Kolkata Sector Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Tarni Kumar, while the BGB team was headed by Colonel Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury, Sector Commander of BGB Khulna. Senior officers, including battalion commanders and staff officers from both forces, were present. According to officials, the discussion touched upon measures to curb human trafficking, cattle smuggling, and illegal migratio
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for its pivotal role in securing the country's borders with friendly nations such as Nepal and Bhutan, combating Naxalism in Bihar and Jharkhand, and curbing illegal activities. Addressing the 61st Raising Day celebrations of the SSB in Siliguri, Shah said, "The Sashastra Seema Bal has played a key role in securing our borders with friendly nations such as Nepal and Bhutan. Its alertness and presence have ensured a sense of security in the Siliguri Corridor and the Eastern region." Highlighting the SSB's role in tackling left-wing extremism, Shah noted, "The SSB has played an important role in ending the menace of Naxalism in Bihar and Jharkhand. Their proactive approach, in coordination with the CRPF and local police forces, has significantly weakened Naxal activities in Chhattisgarh, making the region Naxal-free after almost four decades." Shah commended the SSB for its unique initiatives to foster cultur
Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said on Monday she is willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump's new administration on border security issues like stopping fentanyl trafficking but not in areas that she said could harm Arizona families such as mass deportation. Hobbs travelled to the Arizona-Mexico border on Monday to trumpet her state's National Guard work helping crack down on smuggling of the deadly synthetic opioid into the US through Nogales, Arizona. More than half of all border seizures of the drug are made in Nogales. "Border security was a core issue of the Trump campaign," Hobbs told reporters as vehicles moved behind her. "I look forward to having conversations with the incoming president about Arizona's needs, including border security and the work we've done here to build these partnerships that are actually producing results and how we can continue those partnerships under his administration." But, she added, there are Arizona families who "are worried
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday stressed the importance of unity in the country, saying divisions have always led to defeat. He also asserted that securing the country's culture is as important as keeping the borders safe. "Whenever our unity has weakened, invaders have tried their best to destroy our civilisation and our culture," Singh said. Therefore, a pledge of unity should be taken by learning from history, he added. "Those who divide, they try to divide in many ways, including into different religions, castes and sects," the minister said. "But, you should not get divided. You should neither divide nor divide others, the whole country has to stay together. We have to stay united. If we avoid division, we will move towards development and build a developed and strong India," Singh said. He was speaking at 'Koti Deepotsavam', an event of mass lighting of 'Deepam' during the Hindu month of Kartik organised by a private TV channel here Monday night. Quoting from anci
The Dutch government said on Monday that it will bring in extra checks at its land borders to combat irregular migration, similar to a policy brought in by Germany in September. It is the latest move by the country's hard-right government aimed at reining in immigration, as anti-foreigner sentiment surges across Europe. Dutch Migration Minister Marjolein Faber announced the policy in a press release after the move got the green light from the Cabinet. It is time to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling in a concrete way. That is why we will start reintroducing border controls in the Netherlands from the beginning of December, she said in a statement. The measure will take effect on December 9. Under European Union law, countries must give Brussels four weeks notice before restricting freedom of movement. Earlier this year, Faber told Brussels the Netherlands also wanted to opt out of EU refugees obligations. Geert Wilders, whose anti-immigration party won the largest sh
The agency responsible for securing the country's land and air border crossings is settling a case that alleged the agency discriminated against pregnant employees, lawyers for the employees have said. In a news release on Tuesday, lawyers for Customs and Border Protection employees said they had reached a $45 million settlement in the class action that includes nearly 1,100 women. The lawyers said the settlement also includes an agreement by the agency to enact reforms to address the discriminatory practices. The case was filed in 2016 with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that there was a widespread practice by CBP to place officers and agriculture specialists on light duty when they became pregnant. The agency did not give them the opportunity to stay in their position with or without accommodations, according to the complaint. This meant the women lost out on opportunities for overtime, Sunday or evening pay and for advancement, the complaint said. Anyone