With hundreds stranded in Sao Paulo, India to broach topic with Brazil Minister

With Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, India may raise with him the plight of hundreds of men and women, many of them Indians, stranded at an airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil as they are suspected to be un documented immigrants.

Mr. Vieira is here to hold the ninth India-Brazil Joint Commission meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. 

They will also discuss the agenda for the G-20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement announcing the visit.

While Brazil's new regulations to crackdown on illegal immigration routes and the issue of more than 660 people, including more than 100 Indians, being held in Sao Paulo's Guarulhos Airport for several weeks, are not on the formal agenda, officials expect that they will be raised.

Attacking Hezbollah, Israel fighter jets bomb Lebanon

Israel launched a wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon in what it said was a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah attack. 

The militant group responded that it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders. 

The heavy exchange of fire does not appear to have ignited a long-feared war, but the situation remains tense. 

Egypt was meanwhile hosting high-level talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which diplomats hope will tamp down regional tensions. 

What did the 2013 panel say on death penalty for rape?

• The Justice Verma Committee had specifically said it was not inclined to recommend the death penalty for rape even for the rarest of rare cases.
• The committee pointed out that "there is considerable evidence that the deterrent effect of death penalty on serious crimes is actually a myth."
• The Verma Committee endorsed the idea that a rapist remains a rapist regardless of his relationship with the victim. The Union government did not go by this recommendation and refused to criminalise marital rape. 

Rajnath visits U.S. submarine testing facility as India eyes similar centre

In a reflection of the growing cooperation in under- sea domain and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) between India and the U.S., also a priority area between the Quad partners, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during his ongoing tour of the U.S., visited the William B. Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) in the Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Memphis, Tennessee, as India also plans to set up a similar facility.

"The LCC is one of the world's largest and most technically advanced water tunnel facilities for testing submarines, torpedoes, naval surface ships and propellers. 

The Raksha Mantri was briefed at the facility, and he witnessed an actual tunnel experiment," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. "The discussions also intend to support the ongoing proposal for the establishment of a similar facility for indigenous design and development in India."

After maritime domain awareness, undersea domain awareness has emerged as a key focus area for India and among the Quad as China rapidly expands its maritime presence in the Indian Ocean and the larger Indo-Pacific. 

Warship INS Mumbai to make first visit to Sri Lanka today

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mumbai will arrive at the port of Colombo for a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission in Colombo has said. 

INS Mumbai, the Indian Navy's frontline warship, will be received ceremonially by the Sri Lankan Navy, the High Commission said. 

"This is INS Mumbai's first visit to Sri Lanka and will be the eighth port call by Indian Ships this year," it said. 

Drug money is endangering security and economy: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said consumption of contraband in Chhattisgarh was higher than the national average. He virtually inaugurated the zonal office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) here.

Mr. Shah said the percentage use of sedatives in Chhattisgarh was 1.45, which was more than the national average and the use of cannabis (ganja) was also 4.98%, which was also more than the national average.

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve of a drug-free India by 2047, the Home Minister said that apart from ruining the country's young generation, it weakened the country's national security and economy as the money earned from illicit drug trade promoted terrorism and leftwing extremism.-

Classical language centres ask for autonomy

Special centres set up for the promotion of Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia after they were designated classical languages are demanding autonomy in their functioning in order to better carry out their functions.

India has six classical languages Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. While four of the centres for classical languages function under the aegis of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, the centre for Tamil is autonomous. 

For the promotion of Sanskrit, dedicated universities also receive funds directly from the Union Education Ministry.

China and Philippines clash in South China Sea yet again

The Philippines and China clashed in disputed waters of the South China Sea over a resupply mission for fishermen, the latest in a series of sea and air confrontations in the strategic waterway.

The incident overshadows efforts by both nations to rebuild trust and better manage disputes after months of confrontations, including a violent clash in June where a Filipino sailor lost a finger.