Dubai’s Emaar Group — builder of the Burj Khalifa — will be making the first foreign investment in India’s Jammu and Kashmir by building a $60 million shopping mall and commercial tower in Srinagar, the capital of the strife-torn region. “This is a one million square feet mall with 500 shops and will generate around 7,000 to 8,000 jobs,” said the CEO of Emaar Properties, Amit Jain.
The US’ annual human rights report raised concern about “significant human rights issues” in India, particularly concerning press and religious freedoms. About a year ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that Washington was keeping a close eye on the human rights abuses in India.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said a Russian Su-35 fighter plane scrambled over the Baltic Sea to prevent two US Air Force B52H strategic bombers from entering Russian territory on Monday. However, as both bombers moved away, the Su-35 returned to base without confrontation. “No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was permitted,” the ministry said.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government survived two trust votes in the parliament on Monday, with one of the votes just nine short of the majority needed to pass the no-confidence motion. The government continues to face pressure for its decision to pass the pension reform bill without a vote in the parliament.
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida left for Kyiv early on Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Japanese leader is expected to affirm his continued support for the war-torn country during his meeting with the Ukranian leader. Kishida’s visit to Ukraine will coincide with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Russia, which is ongoing.
At a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, the US, China, and Russia argued over who was to blame for triggering the series of ballistic missile tests by North Korea and the development of its nuclear weapons program. While China and Russia blamed the US for provoking the secretive regime by hosting joint military drills with South Korea in the region, the US accused China and Russia of emboldening the North by protecting it from further international sanctions.
On Monday, an UN-appointed expert told the Human Rights Council that the human rights violations committed by the Iranian regime since the eruption of anti-government protests in September 2022 could amount to “crimes against humanity.” The expert accused Iranian security forces of committing murder, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and sexual violence.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused all warring sides in Ethiopia’s civil war, including the Ethiopian military and the Tigray rebels, of committing “war crimes.” Calling for the people responsible for these crimes to be held accountable, Blinken said, “Formally recognising the atrocities committed by all parties is an essential step to achieving a sustainable peace.”