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India To Sign Artemis Accords For Space Exploration

By LokMarg 22nd June 2023

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight operations this year according to senior US Administration officials.

This comes amidst Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first State visit to the US.
“In the space sector, we will be able to announce that India is signing the Artemis Accords, which advance a common vision for space exploration for the benefit of all humankind,” Senior US Administration officials said on Thursday.

Also, they said that NASA and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight operations this year.

The Artemis Accords is a non-binding multilateral arrangement between the United States government and other world governments participating in the American-led effort to return humans to the Moon by 2025.

The senior officials also said that the Indian National Semiconductor mission will receive 800 million USD from Micron Technology in setting for setting up semiconductor assembly and test facilities in India.

Recently, India and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on establishing the Semiconductor Supply chain during India – USA 5th Commercial Dialogue 2023, which can help India realize its long-nurtured dream of becoming a hub for electronic goods.

Speaking to ANI, the officials said, “With respect to semiconductors, Micron Technology with support from the Indian National Semiconductor mission announced an investment of more than 800 million USD that together with additional financial support from the Indian authorities up to a 2.75 billion USD semiconductor assembly and test facility in India”.

“In the semiconductors sector, another semiconductor manufacturing equipment company is going to announce a training programme for 60,000 Indian engineers in the country,” they added.

The officials said that the two governments are working together on advanced telecommunications including 5G and open routing systems.

“On advanced telecommunications, we are working together on 5G and other technologies, including open routing systems. We will be announcing partnerships on open field trials and rollouts, including scale deployments in both US and India with operators and vendors, markets. This will involve backing from the US International Development Finance, cooperation, and to promote the deployments in India,” they told ANI.

The officials further said that US intends to open two new consulates in India.

“The United States intends to open a new consulate in Bengaluru and one other city. India looks forward to announcing new consulates in the United States,” the US administration officials said. (ANI)

BBC Ignored Humiliation Charges By Dalit Journo: NYT Report

By LokMarg 6th March 2023

Leading American daily, The New York Times, published an article today that highlighted the rise of journalist Meena Kotwal belonging to the Dalit community who started a news outlet in India that told stories of marginalised groups in the country. In the article, Kotwal gave details of what it was like to work briefly at the BBC in India where she allegedly had to face “public humiliation and discrimination at work.”

According to the New York Times report, Meena Kotwal, the founder of news portal ‘The Mooknayak’, wanted to start a news outlet that focussed on marginalised communities as “she knew there were millions who desperately needed their stories told”.

Kotwal narrated her experience of working at the BBC in New Delhi in its Hindi-language service in 2017, which she described as the beginning of “public humiliation and discrimination at work.”

“The honeymoon did not last long. A dominant-caste colleague (at the BBC) nudged Ms. Kotwal to reveal her own caste, she said, and then outed her to colleagues. It was the beginning of what she described as public humiliation and discrimination at work,” according to the New York Times.

Kotwal went on to reveal that her complaints to her bosses at the BBC were “brushed off”. After two years at the BBC, when she eventually filed an official complaint with BBC officials in London, her contract was not renewed and her complaint was dismissed.

“Her (Kotwal) bosses brushed off her concerns. One used a refrain often heard from people of dominant castes, telling her that Dalits no longer existed in modern India, according to messages viewed by The Times — denying not just her complaint, but her community’s very existence,” according to the New York Times report titled, ‘With Stories of her Oppressed community, a Journalist Takes Aim at the Walls of Caste.’

“After two years on the job, she filed an official complaint with BBC officials in London. The company reviewed her claims of discrimination, according to an internal document, but ruled that her grievances were without “merit or substance.” Her contract, due to end soon, was not renewed,” added the New York Times in its report.

When NYT contacted the BBC for further clarification on this incident, the BBC refused to get into the details of the case and said that it “does not discuss individual personnel matters and fully complies with Indian law.”

A London-based spokesman for the BBC gave a statement to the New York Times, saying, “We know there is always more to do in a global organization, but we are making significant progress in terms of the diversity of the people who work with us.”

The BBC is currently under investigation in India by the Income Tax department for alleged violations of transfer pricing rules that resulted in “vast diversion of profits” according to government sources in the know.

The New York Times interviewed other journalists from marginalised communities for this report, who also claimed to have undergone similar negative experiences in newsrooms. (ANI)

Biden Makes Surprise Visit To Kyiv In The Middle Of Full-Scale Conflict

By LokMarg 20th February 2023

In a display of strong American support for Ukraine just four days before the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, US President Joe Biden on Monday made a surprise visit to Kyiv, reported The Washington Post.

Kyiv is no stranger to official visits, but this one is different. The fact the US president is meeting Ukraine’s leader in the heart of the capital in the middle of a full-scale conflict is significant and symbolic.
The high-risk visit, to a Ukrainian capital that has been under threat of missile attacks, signals continued commitment from the United States, the largest financial and military backer of Ukraine’s effort to repel Russians from its territory, reported The Washington Post.

Biden was spotted outside St Michael Golden-Domed Monastery with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian capital was in a tight security lockdown with car traffic halted and even pedestrians blocked from certain streets. Shortly afterwards, an air raid siren went off in the city, reported The Washington Post.

His visit was shrouded in secrecy. Biden was due to leave for an announced visit to Poland from Washington on Monday evening.

Earlier, major motorcade was spotted in Kyiv amid speculations that Biden is visiting the country.

Heavy US security has been deployed near Ukraine’s border as the White House had in a statement said that Biden is heading to Poland for a two-day visit to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, returning to the region as the war enters a volatile new phase without a clear path to peace.

Biden will arrive in Warsaw on Tuesday where he will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the White House said in a statement on Sunday.

Biden has insisted the US will continue to back Ukraine for “as long as it takes” despite flagging support among the American public and no near-term prospect of peace talks to end the conflict, reported The Washington Post.

The Biden administration has provided some USD 30 billion in security aid since President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, initiating the largest ground war in Europe since World War II — one that already has cost his country and Ukraine hundreds of thousands of casualties.

Under Biden’s leadership, the US and its NATO allies have gradually expanded the array of weaponry they have pledged to include heavy tanks.

While other world leaders have visited Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy over the past year, and tour the war-scarred city, Biden has stayed away due to security concerns and fears about the possibility of conflict between the world’s two largest nuclear powers, sending senior aides in his place.

Notably, First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise visit to Western Ukraine on Mother’s Day in May, reported The Washington Post. (ANI)