The twelfth round of top commanders-level talks between India and China are underway at Moldo on the Chinese side in the Ladakh region on Saturday.

The talks are happening after a gap of three months. Indian military delegates are discussing disengagement at friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and 900 square km Depsang plains.

Indian delegation is led by Leh-based XIV Corps chief Lt Gen P.G.K. Menon and Additional Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Naveen Srivastava.

The Chinese military delegation is led by Commander of the PLA's Western Theatre Command Xu Qiling, who was appointed earlier this month.

The build-up in Depsang was not being considered part of the current standoff that started in May last year as escalation here took place in 2013. India has insisted during recent military commander meetings to resolve all issues across the Line of Actual Control.

"The initial attempt will be to resolve Gogra and Hot Springs. Finding a solution to Depsang might be tricky and take longer," said the officer.

In April, during 11th round of Corps Commander level talk, the focus was disengagement on friction points at Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang. On February 20, Indian and Chinese militaries held 10th round of dialogue to de-escalate tension at the Line of Actual Control.

Till now, apart from 11 round of Corps Commanders-level talks, the two forces have also held 10 Major Generals level, 55 Brigadiers-level talks and 1,450 calls over the hotlines.

China has been enhancing military infrastructure across the Line of Control.

Looking at it, India has changed its posture towards China, unlike its previous defensive approach that placed a premium on fending on Chinese aggression, India is now catering to military options to strike back and has reoriented its military accordingly.

India has reoriented around 50,000 troops whose main focus will be the disputed border with China. The reorientation comes when China is refurbishing its existing air-fields in Tibetan Plateau that will allow twin-engines fighter aircraft to be stationed, sources said.

In addition, China has also brought troops from the Tibet Military region to the Xinjiang region that passes through Karakoram range down south Uttarakhand.

Further, they have deployed larger numbers of long range artillery and are rapidly building infrastructure in the Tibetan Plateau.

So far, the troops of two Himalayan giants have disengaged from both the banks of Pangong Tso in February this year.

(Courtesy: IANS)

The US and India are also closely coordinating on regional security issues, such as Afghanistan.

The US supports India's emergence as a leading global power and vital partner in efforts to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity and economic inclusion.

As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in New Delhi Wednesday, deepening the strategic partnership between the US and India will be a key agenda item.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visit to India will reaffirm the US's commitment to strengthening our partnership and underscore cooperation on our shared priorities.

Secretary Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to discuss a wide range of issues, including continued cooperation on Covid-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and addressing the climate crisis, US State Department said.

The US and India have a strong strategic partnership founded on shared values and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The US supports India's emergence as a leading global power and vital partner in efforts to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity and economic inclusion.

The US and India cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic, economic and security issues, including defence, non-proliferation, regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, shared democratic values, counterterrorism, climate change, health, energy, trade and investment, peacekeeping, the environment, education, science and technology, agriculture, space, and oceans.

An increase in exchanges under the agreement has allowed for the development of new and innovative programs, and India now has the largest Fulbright Scholar (faculty) program in the world. In FY 2019, this funding provided opportunities for 61 US scholars, 66 Indian scholars, 80 U.S. students, including 29 English Teaching Assistants, and 55 Indian students, including 13 Foreign Language Teaching Assistants.

The US and India are working to expand cooperation in international organizations. The US welcomed India joining the UN Security Council in January 2021 for a two-year term.

In October 2020, India hosted the third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, and the US looks forward to the next 2+2 later this year.

India is a leading global power and a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. At the inaugural Quad Leader' Summit in March, President Biden and Prime Minister Modi joined their Japanese and Australian counterparts in pledging to respond to the economic and health impacts of Covid-19, combat the climate crisis, and address shared challenges, including in cyber-space, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure investment, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maritime security.

The State Department said the US-India defence cooperation is reaching new heights, including through information sharing, liaison officers, increasingly complex exercises like Malabar, and defence enabling agreements, such as the secure communications agreement COMCASA. As of 2020, the US has authorized over $20 billion in defence sales to India.

Through the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, the US and India work together on co-production and co-development of defence equipment.

The United States has contributed more than $200 million for India's Covid-19 relief and response efforts since the pandemic began, including more than $50 million in emergency supplies and training for more than 2,18,000 frontline health workers on infection prevention and control, benefitting more than 43 million Indians.

The US and India are partnering to strengthen the global response to Covid-19, on issues ranging from addressing infectious disease outbreaks to strengthening health systems to securing global supply chains.

US pharmaceutical companies have coordinated with Indian companies since the beginning of the pandemic. This cooperation includes voluntary licensing and technology transfer agreements to increase global manufacturing capacity for Covid-19 vaccines, therapies, and conducting clinical trials.

Under the new Agenda 2030 Partnership, the US and India look forward to launching the new Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue, led by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, and relaunching the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, led by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, later this year.

The US looks forward to further cooperation with India on tackling the climate crisis and raising global ambition ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, in November.

(Courtesy: IANS)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for Tajikistan for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annul meet, where he is to appraise about measures needed to eradicate terrorism in the region.

Sources said he would also be talking about challenges at the Indian borders during the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.

He is on a three-day visit to Dushanbe in Tajikistan from July 27 to July 29.

In the annual meeting, defence cooperation issues among the SCO member states are discussed and a communique is expected to be issued after the deliberations.

During his visit to Dushanbe, Rajnath Singh is also expected to meet his Tajik counterpart Col. Gen. Sherali Mirzo to discuss bilateral issues and other issues of mutual interest.

Tajikistan is chairing the SCO this year and hosting a series of Ministerial and official-level meetings.

Singh's address at the meeting is slated for July 28, 2021.

The organisation comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. India became a member of the SCO in 2017.

The defence ministers of all eight SCO member nations are expected to discuss on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism. They will also deliberate upon ways to deal with them collectively.

The organisation is seen as a counterweight to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

It accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea.

The organisation's aim is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region.

Last year, the meeting took place in Russia's Moscow. Then the meeting took place under the shadow of a border dispute between India and China.

(Courtesy: IANS)

Lucknow, July 23 (IANS) More than 50 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) have expressed their keenness to set up industries in Uttar Pradesh, of which 32 are already in touch with the state government to invest about Rs 1,045 crore in Noida-Greater Noida, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Prayagraj.

These NRIs have shown interest in investing in 15 sectors, including, among others, agriculture, health, IT, manufacturing and solar energy.

According to the government spokesman, Uttar Pradesh has become a favourite state for both NRIs as well as foreign investors, following the efforts of the Yogi Adityanath government.

The interest among NRI investors has increased in the last couple of years, especially after the launch of the website by the Chief Minister last year. The NRI section of the website has been screened by over 500 Non-Resident Indians for investing in Uttar Pradesh while NRI cards have been issued to 540 of them.

More than 32 NRIs, staying in 18 countries including America, UAE, Oman, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Ghana, New Zealand, Russia, England, etc. have sent their investment proposals to the government.

According to officials, four US-based Indians as well as eight residing in the UAE and two Indians each living in Oman, Singapore and England have sent their proposals to the Government to invest in the state.

As many as 13 of these NRI investors already have businesses in the countries of their residences and now they want to expand it to Uttar Pradesh as well.

Besides, 19 Indians working in responsible positions in big companies abroad are now moving to the state to set up their enterprises.

The state government, on its part, is making concrete efforts to expedite the provision of land to these prospective investors. They are also in constant touch with NRIs to help them establish their firms.

Once operational, these ventures will provide employment to thousands of people of the state.

Official sources said that seven NRIs will be setting up their enterprises in the field of agriculture, four each in the health and the manufacturing sectors, three each in the IT and energy and solar energy sectors as well as two each in the education and food processing sectors.

NRIs from the UAE have proposed to build a grand hospital in UP at the estimated cost of Rs 400 crore.

Similarly, Dr S. Singh, a Russia-based NRI, will invest Rs 300 crore in a renewable energy project.

Non-Resident Indians residing in Kuwait have proposed to invest Rs 100 crore in the automotive sector while NRIs residing in Ghana and New Zealand have made investment proposals worth Rs 150 crore in the agriculture sector.

The Chief Minister has directed the officials to contact NRIs who are willing to set up their ventures in Uttar Pradesh and also expedite procedures to help their projects get off the ground as soon as possible.

Toronto, July 21 (IANS) A record number of 40,000 immigrant families will be allowed to sponsor their parents and grandparents to bring them to Canada in 2021.

This means 30,000 additional applications will be accepted as against the annual intake of 10,000 under the Parents and Grandparents Programme (PGP), which is aimed at family reunification.

Since Indo-Canadians are one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, they will be the major beneficiaries of the programme.

Applications can be submitted online over a two-week period, starting September 20.

Using the random selection process, those whose applications are accepted would be allowed to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.

Since the sponsors have to show a certain minimum income requirement, the Canadian government has allowed them to include state benefits received during the Covid lockdown towards their income. This will ensure that applicants are not penalised for lost income during the pandemic.

Unveiling the programme, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco E.L. Mendicino said, "The importance of family has never been clearer than during the pandemic. That is why we are delivering on our commitment to helping more families reunite in Canada.

"By strengthening the Parents and Grandparents Programme, inviting a record number of sponsors to apply, and by adjusting our requirements to adapt to the current times, we are once again proving our commitment to helping Canadian families stay together, and thrive together."

Imran Khan, Pakistan Prime Minister was selected as a person of interest by India in 2019, the leaked Pegasus database shows, as per The Guardian.

The leaked database at the heart of the Pegasus project includes the mobile phone numbers of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and 13 other heads of state and heads of government, The Guardian has revealed.

The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the Pakistani prime minister, Imran Khan, are also listed in the data, which includes diplomats, military chiefs and senior politicians from 34 countries.

Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, who was selected as a person of interest by India in 2019, The Guardian said.

"Neither India or Pakistan have commented specifically on claims that Delhi may have selected Khan for targeting. India has said it has well established protocols for interception which requires approval from highly ranked national or regional officials for "for clear stated reasons only in national interest", the report said

The Dawn reported that Pakistan Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Tuesday raised suspicions regarding former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's role in clandestinely accessing the personal data of his political opponents, saying "it is likely that Sharif obtained information [about Imran Khan] through Israeli spyware with the help of [Indian prime minister] Narendra Modi".

Nawaz Sharif must have employed his connections with India to spy on Imran and breach his privacy through the Israeli software, Habib said.

Habib said Modi had also made a stop over in Pakistan at a wedding function in Nawaz Sharif's family, while the latter had also attended the inauguration ceremony of the Indian PM. "These links indicate strong connection between them," the minister added.

It is certain that Nawaz Sharif also obtained phone data of Imran Khan with assistance of Modi," he said, adding more details were still unfolding on the matter, The Dawn reported

In its statement, NSO said the leaked list "is not a list of targets or potential targets of NSO's customers". Through its lawyers, NSO previously said the consortium had made "incorrect assumptions" about which clients use the company's technology. It said the 50,000 number was "exaggerated" and the list could not be a list of numbers "targeted by governments using Pegasus".

Following the launch of the Pegasus project, Shalev Hulio, the founder and chief executive of NSO, said he continued to dispute the leaked data "has any relevance to NSO", but added that he was "very concerned" about the reports and promised to investigate them all. "We understand that in some circumstances our customers might misuse the system," he said.

(Courtesy: IANS)

In yet another sign of strengthening India-US defence relationship, the US Navy has handed over the first two MH-60R Multi Role Helicopters (MRH) to the Indian Navy to bolster its capabilities to ward off regional threats and to strengthen homeland defence.

The Indian Navy is procuring 24 of these helicopters manufactured by Lockheed Martin under foreign military sales from the US government at an estimated cost of USD2.4 billion.

A ceremony was held at the Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island, San Diego on Friday that marked the formal transfer of the helicopters from US Navy to Indian Navy. It was attended by India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

The ceremony also witnessed exchange of documents between Vice Adm Kenneth Whitesell, Commander Naval Air Forces, US Navy and Vice Adm Ravneet Singh, DCNS. Senior leadership of the US Navy and Lockheed Martin Corporation were also present.

Sandhu said the induction of the all-weather multi role helicopters is an important milestone in India-US bilateral defense ties.

“India US friendship Touching the Skies!” he said in a tweet. He noted that the bilateral defence trade has expanded to over 20 billion dollars in the last couple of years.

Going beyond defence trade, India and the US are also working together on co-production and co-development of defense platforms, he said.

Sandhu also highlighted reform measures that have been undertaken by India in the defense sector in recent times that have opened up new opportunities for foreign investors.

The MH-60R helicopter is an all-weather maritime helicopter designed to support multiple missions with state-of-the-art avionics.

The induction of these MRH would enhance Indian Navy's three-dimensional capabilities. The helicopters would also be modified with several unique equipment and weapons.

The first batch of the Indian crew is presently undergoing training in the US.       According to the Department of Defense, the proposed sale will provide India the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay.

India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defence. India will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces, it had said in a communication to the Congress in April 2019.

The Indian cabinet had cleared the purchase of the helicopters in February 2020, weeks before the historic visit of the then US President Donald Trump.

(Courtesy: PTI)

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) The violence and looting against people of Indian origin in South Africa over the past week were planned, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa alleged during his first visit to the worst-affected KwaZulu-Natal province.

As many as 121 people, mostly of Indian origin, have died in the country's worst post-apartheid era violence in the past week.

"It is quite clear that all these incidents of unrest and looting were instigated... There were people who planned it and coordinated it," Ramphosa said on Friday.

But he did not specifically blame any party or group, only saying that his government has arrested more than 2,200 troublemakers, including several 'instigators'.

"We are going after them, we have identified a good number of them, and we will not allow anarchy and mayhem to unfold in our country," Ramaphosa told media persons.

He said that Indian origin people are 'very important ' to the country, its economy and society.

"They will be defended, they have no reason to worry," Ramphosa said.

The South Africa government had said on Thursday that one of the suspected instigators had been arrested and 11 were under surveillance. In all, 2,203 people have been arrested during the unrest for various offenses, including theft.

Ramaphosa did admit, however, that his government could have acted "quicker" to prevent the unrest and expressed concerns over the growing racial tension in KwaZulu-Natal.

Protests broke out a day after Ramaphosa's predecessor Jacob Zuma, who wields support among the poor and loyalists in the governing African National Congress (ANC), began a 15-month jail term for refusing to testify to a corruption investigation.

The agitations quickly turned into looting as crowds pillaged shopping malls and warehouses, hauling away goods even as the police stood by, seemingly powerless to act.

South Africa has deployed more than 20,000 defence personnel to assist the police in quelling the unrest.

In one of the largest troop deployments since the end of the white minority rule in 1994, the government said 10,000 soldiers were on the streets by Thursday morning and the South African National Defence Force has also called up all of its reserve forces of 12,000 soldiers.

Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said that the government is now in control of most of the areas from where looting and riots were reported.

Indian origin people, who are the worst sufferers, were forced to arm themselves in two provinces, especially in Durban city, home to more than 70 percent of the 1.4 million Indian origin population in the country.

As India prepares to take up the presidency of the UN Security Council, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other international diplomats here to explain New Delhi's priorities while leading the UN's top decision-making body.

Shringla briefed Guterres during their meeting on Thursday about India's focus areas during its presidency next month, maritime security, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism, according to India's UN Mission.

They also exchanged views on the regional situations, including Afghanistan and Myanmar, on climate change and the International Solar Alliance that India is promoting, on Security Council reforms and on the Covid-19 situation around the world, the Mission said.

Guterres "expressed solidarity with the government and people of India in their efforts against the recent wave of Covid-19 pandemic" and appreciated the positive role India is playing in the UN Security Council as well as India's robust contribution to UN peacekeeping, it said.

During a day packed with diplomatic interactions, he also participated in a Security Council session on Libya.

He said that while there was "cautious optimism" about the future of the country wracked by internal strife, there was still concern over the fragile security situation and stressed that terrorist groups and their affiliates should not be allowed to operate there.

The US' Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is a member of President Joe Biden's cabinet, was among the diplomats Shringla met.

US Mission Spokesperson Olivia Dalton said that they discussed enhancing multilateral cooperation between their countries that are deepening their strategic partnership.

Thomas-Greenfield "also expressed the need for continued coordination between the two countries to combat the global pandemic", Dalton added.

India will take over as the Council President next month from France and Shringla briefed French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian about New Delhi's plan and invited him to attend the high-level meetings that India would chair, the Mission said.

Shringla also met several senior UN officials to "discuss the entire gamut of India's engagement with the UN system and its agencies".

The officials he met were Guterres's Chef de Cabinet Maria Viotti, and Under-Secretaries-General Rosemary DiCarlo who is in charge of political and peacebuilding affairs; Achim Steiner who heads the UN Development Programme; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of UN Women, and Courtenay Rattray, who is the High Representative for least developed and small island developing countries. 

(Courtesy: IANS)

New York, July 11 (IANS) Sirisha Bandla vaulted into space and reached back safely with crew on Sunday on board VSS Unity 22 becoming the fourth astronaut of Indian descent.

The Virgin Galactic's spacecraft reached the 100-km altitude that marks the entry into space after taking off from Spaceport America in New Mexico and returned to the base after a flight of about 90 minutes.

Astronaut 004 Bandla, accompanied by Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and two other crewmates and two pilots touched the space mark.

Before the flight, Branson signed himself dramatically as Astronaut 001 and gave the Astronaut 004 rank to Bandla, 34.

During the space flight, Bandla was scheduled to conduct experiments designed by the US government's pioneer space agency, NASA involving plants in microgravity.

Bandla, the Virgin Galactic Vice President for Government Relations, is an astronautical engineer by training.

Before her flight, she said in an interview on a Virgin Galactic broadcast that her adventure was an "incredible opportunity to get people from different backgrounds, different geographies, and different communities into space".

The others on the VSS Unity flight were Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut instructor and Colin Bennett, the lead operations engineer which was piloted by former Royal Air Force test pilot Dave Mackay and former NASA Space Shuttle Commander Michael Masucci.

The spacecraft was carried by a twin-bodied carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, for the first 15.5 km on its way to space before being launched for the final leg.

The launch was delayed by about 90 minutes because stormy weather overnight delayed the flight preparations.

Bandla was the third Indian American in space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Pandya Williams and the fourth person of Indian descent -- the first being Rakesh Sharma, who flew on a Soviet spacecraft.

But unlike them, Bandla did not go into orbit and her flight was a short one to demonstrate the capability of Branson's space programme, a breakthrough in the commercialisation of space travel by private entrepreneurs.

Branson beat his business rival, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is set to take off on July 20 on board his space company Blue Origin's spacecraft.

It was a space race between the maverick British billionaire, the global American entrepreneur Bezos and Elon Musk, the developer of the Tesla electric vehicle, vying for domination of the multi-billion-dollar private space business that would range from tourism and research to commercial and government satellite deployment.

Characteristic of a Branson enterprise, the spaceflight had the pizzaz of show business and advertising for companies involved in the project.

Grammy-winning musician Khaled performed for the flight. The host of a light TV show, Stephen Colbert emceed the start of the broadcast by Virgin Galactic. Another Indian American, Raj Chari, is in the US astronaut programme and is scheduled to command a flight later this year.

Sharma flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. Chawla, who was born in Karnal, first flew into space in 1997 on Space Shuttle Columbia but died on her second flight in 2001 when the spacecraft burned on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

Williams, a US Navy pilot, was a commander of Expedition 33 to the Space Station.

Raising an alarm about the emergence of cyberspace as a vehicle for cross-border terrorism by nations and terror organisations, India has called for international action to achieve a framework for global cybersecurity.

Outlining the dangers to international peace emanating from cyberspace, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the Security Council on Tuesday: "We need to adopt a collaborative rules-based approach in cyberspace and work towards ensuring its openness, stability and security."

UN's High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu also warned of the risks from cyberattacks and said that situations could develop that "can encourage states to adopt offensive postures for the hostile use of these technologies".

Because of this risk and the potential for "criminal groups and others" to create global destabilisation, she said that the Security Council should get involved in ensuring cybersecurity.

Shringla said: "The borderless nature of cyberspace, and more importantly anonymity of actors involved, has challenged the traditionally accepted concepts of sovereignty, jurisdiction and privacy.

"As a victim of terrorism, India has always underlined the need for member states to address and tackle the implications of terrorist exploitation of the cyber domain more strategically."

Some countries "are leveraging their expertise in cyberspace to achieve their political and security-related objectives and indulge in contemporary forms of cross-border terrorism", he said.

He added that cyber tools were being used to "compromise state security" through attacks on critical national infrastructure, including health and energy facilities and to "disrupt social harmony through radicalisation".

Terrorists have used social media to plan and execute terror attacks and for "virulent propaganda" to incite hatred and violence, recruit youth and raise funds, he said.

Shringla warned of the dangers from malware that can "create potential flashpoints between states".

"It is in the interest of the international community to ensure that all actors abide by their international obligations and commitments and not indulge in practices that could have potentially disruptive effects on global supply chains and trade in ICT (Information Communication Technology) product.

"There are widespread concerns that state and non-state actors are introducing vulnerabilities and harmful hidden functions, including through backdoor channels, into ICT networks and products.

"The Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on developments in ICT (OEWG) should be leveraged to find further common ground and improve upon the already agreed cyber norms and rules," he said.

The OEWG, set up by the General Assembly in 2018, submitted its final report this March.

It did not recommend specific rules or regulations for adoption, but outlined areas of consensus and suggested further consultations.

Shringla spoke of the positive potential of ICT citing the role of the Co-WIN platform in India's vaccination drive against coronavirus. He said that India was sharing it with partner countries.

The contrast between totalitarian countries like China, which he did not name, that have closed their cyberspace to outside influences and open societies like India came up in his speech when Shringla spoke of the vulnerabilities of nations that allow external cyber access.

While committing India to "an open, secure, free, accessible and stable cyberspace environment", he pointed out that "open societies have been particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns".

The dangers outlined by Shringla are widely manifest around the world.

In view of the dangers from ICT equipment being compromised with spyware, India has banned the use of some Chinese-made products.

There has been a proliferation of malware introduced into even computer systems used by the Pentagon.

Systems used in the US for petroleum distribution and for beef supply, as well as local governments, have been hit by cybercriminals to extort ransomware.

Washington has said that they operated from Russia.

Hospitals and health systems in the US and the UK have also been victims of cybercrime.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that countries should act against cybercriminals operating in their territories.

"Let me be clear: when a state is notified of harmful activity emanating from its own territory, it must take reasonable steps to address it. Given the transnational nature of cyberspace, this cooperation is essential," she said.

Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who presided over the meeting said: "Existing international law applies in cyberspace, with states accountable for any acts that contravene their obligations."

(Courtesy: IANS)