India could consider supplying broken rice to other countries only through diplomatic channels, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, an arm of the trade ministry, said in an order on Wednesday.

India banned overseas shipments of broken rice and imposed a 20% duty on exports of various other grades in September 2022 amid concern over production because of below-average monsoon rainfall in key growing states.

China was the biggest buyer of India's broken rice, with purchases of 1.1 million tonnes in 2021. Beijing used to import that variety mainly for feed purposes.

Though India might consider requests for supplies of broken rice to some countries case by case, New Delhi does not plan to lift the ban on broken rice exports, a government source said.

A 90% likelihood of an El Nino weather pattern developing during this year's June-September monsoon season has raised the possibility of less than normal rain in 2023.

Monsoon rains are critical for rice output in India.

Source: Reuters

Death toll has risen to 207 in the deadly train accident in India's eastern state of Odisha. More than 900 people were injured in this accident. The death toll may rise further.

According to the report of the Indian media The Hindu, on Friday (June 2) Karamandal Express was hit by an accident near Bahanaga Bazar station in Baleshwar, Odisha. Karamandal Express was going from Shalimar in West Bengal to Chennai. On the way, the passenger train rammed a freight train from behind while crossing the Bahanaga Bazar area of Odisha. All the coaches of Karmandal Express derailed except 3 coaches.

After this accident at 6:30 pm local time, almost an hour has passed since the rescue operation started. This increased the number of casualties.

Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said that more than 200 ambulances have been dispatched to Baleshwar.

This is the worst train accident in India in this century. Officials said the death toll is expected to rise.

So far 200 seriously injured people have been taken to various hospitals in Odisha state for treatment. Out of the 15 derailed coaches, the casualties have not yet been rescued from three AC rooms.

Meanwhile, Odisha's special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahu said that 47 people have been admitted to Baleshwar Medical College Hospital so far. Another 132 people have been admitted to nearby hospitals, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said.

Expressing grief over the news of the terrible train accident, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter, "I am shocked by the train accident in Odisha. Condolences to the bereaved family at this difficult time, may the injured get well soon.”

Modi announced that the families of each of those killed in the accident will be given Rs 2 lakh. Apart from this, Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured.

India's G20 Presidency will remain focused on economic development issues and endeavour to bring all the member countries, including Russia and China, on board amid the ongoing geo-political uncertainties, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Thursday. Addressing 'Times Network India Economic Conclave', Kant further said that during the G20 Summit here in September, there is a need to remain focused on objectives of economic development and leave politics to the United Nations (UN) and United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

"We are living in the world of politics, but we should be clear of our objectives... We remain focused on economic development and economic growth that is India's priority," he said while responding to a question on forging consensus at the G20 Summit.

India assumed the presidency of G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 31, 2023. The G20 Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10.

"So, we will bring everyone around...We are very hopeful. Our objective is to really bring all the 20 countries, including Russia and China, on board and find a way out," Mr Kant said. He also said that for the first time, India is setting the agenda for G20, and the whole world is responding to its positive and constructive initiatives.

Mr Kant further said as G20 President, the job of India is to bring consensus on a vast range of issues, including economic and developmental issues, which are impacting the emerging markets of the world.

"If you look back over the years, in the last five or six decades, we have actually responded to an agenda set by the developed world always. "This is the first time that India is setting an agenda for G20, which accounts for about 85 per cent of the global GDP," he said.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is an intergovernmental forum, comprising 19 countries and the European Union. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the US and the UK are among other members.

"So, we are setting the agenda, and the world is responding to that agenda.

"And therefore, we picked up a very positive, very constructive development agenda, which takes care of emerging markets, which takes care of the global south and takes care of very human-centric, global development," the former Niti Aayog CEO said.

Responding to a question on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Mr Kant said the war is an important issue for Europe. He pointed out that Covid-19 has left 200 million people below the poverty line, 100 million people have lost their jobs, 75 countries in the world are facing a global debt crisis, and 1/3 of the world is in recession.

Mr Kant further said the world is facing a crisis of climate action and climate finance. "These are very important issues for emerging markets and developing countries. These issues need to be brought to the centre stage, not just the issue," he emphasised.

Responding to criticism that India is not on the right side of history as it has not directly condemned Russia, Kant said India looks at the world as a whole. "We should not end up getting caught in just one issue. It's very important to look beyond this issue to understand what the citizens of the world are confronted with and find a solution to the challenges." Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Russian action has been widely condemned by the US-led West.

"If we get just caught up in that one issue, we will be forgetting all the other challenges, which both emerging and developing countries are confronted with," he said, adding that it is very important to focus on all these issues.

Noting that the war is the challenge, Mr Kant said that irrespective of what is happening in one part of the world, the world needs to move on.
"Because we must understand that there is a cost of living crisis, there's inflation.

"There is a challenge of post- COVID era, and if we are not able to use our leadership to provide relief to huge segments of the population then we'll be failing," Mr Kant opined.

He asserted that India will never get obsessed over one issue.
Pointing out that the third G20 tourism working group meeting in May in Kashmir was a phenomenal success, India's G20 Sherpa said, "Other than China, everyone was present".

G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.

At least five people were killed and three others injured in an explosion inside a house in the Daira Din Panah neighbourhood of Punjab's Kot Addu, around 80 km from Muzaffargarh, the Pakistan-based The News International reported.

According to the police, a person who works at a junkyard owned the home where the explosion took place. They said that three of the deceased were women and that all of the deceased belonged to the same family.

As per details, the deceased were identified as Haseena Mai (40), Bilal (38), Iqbal (30), Shano Mai (28) and four-year-old Sadia Bibi, The News International reported.

The injured were shifted to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Kot Addu. "Even at the time of the explosion, waste materials and scrap were being sorted," police said, The News.com.pk reported.

However, the cause and nature of the explosion were not yet ascertained, the police said, adding that investigations were underway.

They further stated that rescue teams, bomb disposal squad and other related security agencies had reached the spot soon after the explosion, The News.com.pk reported.

According to Rescue 1122, the control room received a call at 8:44 am in which the caller informed that five people had been killed and three were injured due to the explosion of an "unknown object" in the house.

The caller requested that an ambulance be sent quickly.

"Rescue 1122 Control Room immediately dispatched three ambulances from Kot Addu Central Rescue Station to the accident site and also informed the police," a statement from the helpline said, The News International reported.

When the rescue staff reached the location, eyewitnesses said that five people died on the spot and three people were injured due to the explosion of an unknown object in the room.

While the rescue team has started rescue operations, the statement said, it would be premature to say anything about the nature of the explosion.

Taking notice of the explosion, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar has sought a report from Dera Ghazi Khan regional police officer, The News International reported.

He also directed the Muzaffargarh district police officer to investigate the matter from all aspects. (ANI)

In the first 21 months after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan increased dramatically by 73 per cent compared to the same period before their takeover, Dawn reported. Since the Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15, 2021, there have been a substantial number of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. In addition, 138 per cent more people were killed in attacks in Pakistan between August 2021 and April 2023.

These are some of the main conclusions of the policy-focused paper titled "Pakistan's Afghan Perspective and Policy Options," which was released by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS). Since July 2021, the think tank has conducted eight expert discussions, done substantial monitoring, research, and analyses, and produced the study, which includes significant suggestions for policymakers.

Participants in the launch event included academics, parliamentarians, journalists, students, and representatives of civil society in addition to security and Afghan affairs experts. At the conclusion of the ceremony, experts gave statements and participated in a question-and-answer session. The report also says that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan have witnessed a marked impact on the Afghan situation in terms of terrorist violence, where the number of attacks during these 21 months surged by 92 pc and 81 pc, respectively, reported the Pakistani daily.

The report warns that these emerging trends of terrorism will only add to Pakistan's persistent security challenge in terms of Taliban's presence in KP and the erstwhile tribal areas, Baloch nationalist insurgency in Balochistan, ethno-nationalist violence in Sindh, as well as growing religious extremism and radicalism, Dawn reported. "Protracted over a longer period of time, such an environment of insecurity, militancy, and violence can pose serious threats to political and economic stability as well," it states.

Meanwhile, the Deputy head of mission of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad Dr Maha Noor Khan expressed concern over women's situation in the war-torn country. She said that the Taliban government's decision to deny women and girls their right to education and work was a severe violation of human rights. "We underline the need for a more representative and inclusive government (in Afghanistan)," she said.

Professor of Politics and International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal said that all segments of society had a consensus that Pakistan's over five-decade-long Afghan policy needed to be revisited. Defence and strategic affairs analyst retired Maj Gen Inamul Haque viewed that banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and border fencing were the two "variables" as well as irritants in Pak-Afghan relations, Dawn reported.

Former first deputy speaker of the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament Mirwais Yasini pointed out that the core issue was to build trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He added that mistrust existed between both countries for a very long period of time, Dawn reported. Earlier, PIPS Director Mohammad Amir Rana in his welcome note said that Pakistan should widen its policy options and policy framework, which should be based on inclusivity with input from all stakeholders, on the issue of Afghanistan.