New Delhi,

 India has discussed the issues of pharmaceutical pricing control in generic drugs and the need for closer cooperation in critical minerals with Australia, the Union Commerce Ministry said on Saturday.

The need for closer collaboration for establishing disease-free zones for shrimps and prawns in India also came up for discussion at the first Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) in Canberra under the India-Australia Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA), the ministry said.

Besides, the JCM meeting also addressed certain critical services issues, including the consideration of India’s request for facilitation of cross-border e-payments and mutual recognition of qualifications in professions like nursing and dentistry.

India and Australia are looking at joint investments to build new supply chains underpinned by critical minerals processed in Australia that will help India’s plans to lower emissions from its electricity network and become a global manufacturing hub, for electric vehicles and smartphones.

Critical minerals are a key raw material in these hi-tech products. Currently, China has a near-monopoly on critical minerals. India and Australia are both keen to set up a strong alternative supply chain to break China’s dominance of the market.

“The two sides have decided to work closely on timely resolution of market access issues, deepen people-to-people contacts, and create an institutional mechanism for sharing of preferential import data,” according to the ministry statement.

India and Australia have already signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) that came into effect on December 29, 2022.

“Both sides while acknowledging the smooth implementation of the ECTA, briefly elaborated on ECTA implementation issues including MRAs (mutual recognition agreements) on organic products, market access issues related to products like okra, pomegranate, grapes, cottage cheese, .pharmaceutical pricing control in Australia particularly on generics, progress made by the working group on whisky and wine,” the ministry said.

The meeting also touched upon the WTO issues wherein both sides appreciated the Commerce Secretary’s stand on the importance of the support of Australia for early resolution of the long pending issue of a permanent solution to public stock holding (PSH).

Australia sought the support of India for the plurilateral arrangement for domestic support for services. Both sides agreed to discuss these matters intersessionally if required.

AGENCIES

Seoul,

 Sales of eco-friendly cars surpassed 100,000 units in the first quarter in South Korea on booming demand for hybrid vehicles, industry data showed on Sunday.

A total of 101,727 environment-friendly cars made by five South Korean carmakers, including Hyundai Motor and Kia, were sold during the January-March period, up 8.7 per cent from a year earlier, according to the data.

Out of this total, 85,828 units, or 84.4 per cent, were hybrid cars, soaring 42.4 per cent from the same period last year, reports Yonhap news agency.

Sales of electric vehicles, meanwhile, plunged 51.4 per cent on-year to 15,237 units in the first quarter.

There has been a global slowdown in EV sales.

Even Elon Musk has said that EV adoption rate globally is “under pressure” and a lot of other auto manufacturers are “pulling back on EVs and pursuing plug-in hybrids instead.”

By model, Kia’s Sorento Hybrid was the best-selling model in the first quarter with 19,729 units sold, followed by Hyundai’s Santa Fe Hybrid with 15,981 units and Kia’s Carnival Hybrid with 12,203 units.

AGENCIES

New Delhi,

 Drug makers Cipla and Glenmark are recalling their products from the US market due to manufacturing issues.

In accordance with the latest Enforcement Report from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Cipla’s subsidiary in New Jersey is recalling 59,244 packs of Ipratropium Bromide and Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution.

The reason for recalling the affected lot of Cipla products is “short fill”.

“Complaints received of less fill volume in respules and few drops of liquid observed in the intact pouch,” the US health regulator said.

The recalled drug is used to help control the symptoms of lung diseases, including asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

As mentioned by the USFDA, Glenmark is recalling 3,264 bottles of Diltiazem Hydrochloride extended-release capsules, which are used to treat high blood pressure.

The US-based arm of the company, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals initiated the nationwide recall of the drug due to “failed dissolution specifications”.

Meanwhile, drug maker Lupin has recalled products in the US market for manufacturing issues, according to the US health regulator.

As per the latest Enforcement Report by the USFDA, Lupin recalled 26,352 bottles of Rifampin Capsules (300 mg), an antibiotic medication in the US market.

AGENCIES

New Delhi, May 5

 As India aims to reach $300 billion electronics production by FY26, it will trigger demand for semiconductors worth $90-$100 billion, largely driven by domestic mobile manufacturing — an opportunity the country must tap.

The current electronics manufacturing at nearly $103 billion translates to a semiconductor requirement of $26-$31 billion, considering the industry average of 25 to 30 per cent of chip components in any electronics product’s bill of material (BOM).

“With the expected rise in electronics production ($300 billion by 2026), this number is set to rise substantially to $90-$100 billion,” according to the data by the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA).

Mobile phone production contribution in the overall electronics manufacturing jumped from 10 per cent to a whopping 44 per cent in the span of the last seven years.

In FY23, the total import of integrated circuits (ICs) reached $16.14 billion (out of which $12 billion was only for mobile phones).

According to the ICEA, processor chips, which are advanced chips specifically for high-end phones, may require some time before India can produce them at a competitive level.

“However, there is a commercial viability in fabricating processor chips for entry-level smartphones in India. This could be a consideration for the new semiconductor fabs,” said the apex industry body.

The data showed that with a monthly output of around 1.5 million units (10-14 nm) of chipsets – assuming 15,000 wafers of 300mm at 70 per cent yield from a fab, and considering the number of dies per wafer to be 148 – the annual output could be approximately 18 million chipsets.

Therefore, the critical task before all the stakeholders is to translate the burgeoning semiconductors requirement into domestic production and reduce dependency on imports.

“This transition would boost domestic procurement and increase the viability of the semiconductor fabs in India,” said the ICEA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March laid the foundation stone for three semiconductor projects worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore. 

  AGENCIES

Islamabad, May 4

 Pakistan government’s decision to form a national agency called the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has raised concerns in the country with several experts citing that the move would not only gravely affect citizens’ right to privacy but is also aimed at targeting the massive social media presence of jailed ex-PM Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The Establishment Division of the Pakistan government announced the formation of NCCIA with the prime focus on countering propaganda and rumours on social media and safeguarding the digital rights of people.

“There must be an end to harassment, including online,” said Federal Minister for Information and Broadcast Attaullah Tarar on Thursday.

He added that there was an “immediate and dire need” of an authority like NCCIA to address the issue of online harassment and also to protect the digital rights of consumers.

However, security experts do not agree with the government and have expressed serious concerns over the negative effects on the citizen’s right to privacy.

“It raises concerns that go beyond the duplication of efforts and resources, the move may also gravely affect citizen’s right to privacy which seems to have been overlooked in the rush to bolster cyber defences,” said Khawaja Khalid Farooq, former Inspector General of Police and ex-head of National Counter-Terrorism Authority.

Another view states that the military establishment wants to have a strong strategy and authority in place to tackle the anti-establishment campaigns run by PTI through its large presence on social media.

“PTI is the only political party in Pakistan with a very strong social media presence. Its campaigns and social media teams have the strongest influence on the masses through social media engagements,” says senior political analyst Javed Siddique.

“The anti-military sentiments have prevailed and broadly expressed on social media platforms by PTI and Imran Khan’s supporters. NCCIA may be designated and directed to work with prime focus on tackling the dissemination of PTI-led anti-establishment campaigns on social media under the legal cover of the controversial PECA act,” he adds.

It is pertinent to note that formation of NCCIA would render the already-existing Cyber Crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as defunct.

As per the notification in the Gazette of Pakistan, the formation of NCCIA has been formed under Section 51 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA). The notification also mentioned that NCCIA would take over the cyber crime investigations of the FIA Cyber Crime Wing in December 2024, adding that FIA would now cease to perform functions as designated agency under the act.

“The NCCIA will be headed by a Director General, chosen by the federal government to serve a two-year term. The NCCIA chief would exercise the powers of an Inspector General of Police while the agency’s affairs related to the federal government’s business would be allocated to the Interior Division,” the Gazette of Pakistan notification maintained.

Experts, however, believe that the formation of NCCIA is irrelevant because FIA cyber crime wing has got the framework, requisite capabilities and is equipped to deal with cyber threats.

“Creating the NCCIA to replace the FIA’s cyber crime wing could result in an overlap of responsibilities, leading to bureaucratic inefficiencies and confusion,” said Farooq.

“There is a risk that the pursuit of cyber security, privacy rights could be compromised without stringent checks and balances in place,” he added.

Another view states that the military establishment wants to have a strong strategy and authority in place to tackle the strong social media presence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that targets the military establishment.

“PTI is the only political party in Pakistan with a very strong social media presence. Its campaigns and social media teams have the strongest influence on the masses through social media engagements. The anti-military sentiments have prevailed and broadly expressed on social media platforms by PTI and Imran Khan’s supporters. NCCIA may be designated and directed to work with prime focus on tackling the dissemination of PTI led anti-establishment campaigns on social media under the legal cover of the controversial PECA act,” said senior political analyst Javed Siddique.

AGENCIES

Washington, May 4

Indian Americans are calling upon a US university not to implement a portion of one of the demands it conceded to protesting students to display on campus the flags of “occupied people”, which listed Kashmiris along with Palestinians and the Kurds.

“This is a dangerous territory for Rutgers to get involved (sic),” Thomas Abraham, chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), wrote in a letter to Jonathan Holloway President, Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey state.

“By even considering this demand, you are questioning the integrity of India. Kashmir is very much part of India. There is no separate flag for Kashmir. Kashmir residents are not displaced people. In fact, the displaced people are the Hindu minorities who had to leave Kashmir because of violence against them. If Rutgers displays such a flag of Kashmir, that will be the beginning of more sit-ins by students who are opposed to such flags,” Abraham wrote.

The university has not implemented this demand.

“The Office of the Chancellor will take stock of flags that are displayed across Rutgers- New Brunswick campus, and ensure appropriate representation of students enrolled in academic and other spaces,” Chancellor Francine Conway wrote in a three-page letter responding to the protesting students on Thursday.

The students had demanded, as specified in her letter, “display the flags of occupied peoples — including but not limited to Palestinians, Kurds, and Kashmiris – in all areas displaying international flags across the Rutgers campuses”.

Students were protesting the Israeli war in Gaza as students of many universities across the country and had put forth 10 demands.

The top demand, which has been common to protesters in all other universities, was divestment from companies doing business with Israel or supporting its war effort and cutting links with Israel.

The chancellor said the university is reviewing these links and will discuss the findings with the students.

Indian Americans are focussed on the one allowing the display of the flag of the “occupied people” of Kashmir. “So @RutgersU has caved,” Suhag Shukla of the Hindu American Foundation wrote in a post on X.

AGENCIES

Sanaa, May 1

 The US-British coalition in the Red Sea launched a fresh airstrike on Yemen’s Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah, media reported.

The strike targeted the port of Ras Issa in the northwestern district of al-Salif, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said on Tuesday without providing additional details.

Residents described the explosion as powerful, saying the strike hit a Houthi position, Xinhua news agency reported.

The coalition has yet to comment on the alleged strike.

Since last November, the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have initiated the launch of anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting Israeli-affiliated vessels passing through the Red Sea, to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

They said their attacks would not stop unless Israel stops its military operation in Gaza.

In January, the US and Britain launched a military operation by carrying out airstrikes on Houthi military sites.

In response, the Houthis escalated their attacks on commercial and military vessels from the US and Britain in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. AGENCIES

United Nations, May 1

 As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood firmly by his determination to send troops into Rafah, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed for international pressure to stop the attack on the area where more than 1.2 million Palestinians are sheltering from Israeli invasion that has rolled across most of Gaza.

“I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it,” he said on Tuesday.

“A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee” the area where “more than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in Rafah governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment that has reportedly killed over 34,000 people”, he said at a news conference.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, stated firmly: “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas’ battalions there, with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory”.

The statement came ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel where he is expected to reinforce President Joe Biden’s opposition to the invasion of Rafah, which, according to the White House, the President reiterated to Netanyahu in a phone call on Sunday.

Guterres warned that an incursion into Rafah would have “serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank, and across the wider region”.

The US and its allies have been trying to get Israel and Hamas on a deal that would lead to a ceasefire and the release of some hostages kidnapped by the terror organisation in an attack on Israel in October.

Blinken said in Riyadh on Monday that “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily – extraordinarily – generous on the part of Israel”.

“And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide, and they have to decide quickly,” he said.

According to media reports, Israel has lowered the number of hostages it demanded freed to less than 40 in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners and a limited ceasefire.

Guterres warned that a famine was looming over Gaza because of limited access to food. He called for the opening of two more crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza to enable the delivery of aid into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan.

According to the State Department, Blinken on Tuesday met UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag in Amman and discussed the “shared commitment to surge critical humanitarian assistance in Gaza and ensure the recent increase in delivery of assistance is accelerated and sustained”.

Guterres said that he was “deeply alarmed” by the discovery of mass graves in Gaza, including at two medical complexes.

Given the “competing narratives” around the mass graves and the killing of those buried there, he said that “it is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves”.

Guterres reiterated his condemnation of Hamas with a reference to the Jewish holy days. “As Passover ends, I once again express my solidarity with the victims of the unconscionable Hamas terror attacks of 7 October, with the hostages, and with their families and friends.” AGENCIES

United Nations, May 1

 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an internal investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

“I am deeply alarmed by reports that mass graves have been discovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex. In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed,” he said on Tuesday.

There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried were unlawfully killed, he told reporters as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

“It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied.”

The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened. And the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place, the UN Chief said.

Hospitals, health workers, patients, and all civilians must be protected. The human rights of all must be respected, Guterres added.

The health system in Gaza has been decimated by the war. Two-thirds of hospitals and health centres are out of action. Many of those that remain are seriously damaged. Some hospitals now resemble cemeteries, he noted. AGENCIES