South Asia

Tel Aviv, March 16 (IANS) A six-week ceasefire is on the cards in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel after both sides communicated to the mediators on stepping down from their earlier demands.

While Hamas has agreed to climb down from the demand for a permanent end of the war to a pause for six weeks, Israel has almost agreed to release 1000 Palestinian prisoners including 100 charged with grievous crimes including murder.

There were a series of meetings in Doha, Cairo, and Paris in the last two days with different negotiators brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas

Sources in Israeli intelligence agencies told IANS that Qatar has communicated to the Hamas leadership that it would "not hesitate to deport them from Qatar if they do not come down from unreasonable demands".

According to sources, the strong position taken by Qatar and Egypt to prevent any Gazan refugees on its soil if Israel invades Rafah has acted as a trigger for Hamas to rework its earlier demands of a permanent ceasefire.

As per the available information, Hamas would release all Israeli prisoners including soldiers in exchange for 1000 Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli intelligence agencies have communicated to the government that of the 134 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, 32 have died.

Hamas, according to sources in the Israeli Prime Minister's office, would release the remaining 102 hostages and send the bodies of 32 hostages in exchange for 1000 Palestinian prisoners. However, it is unclear whether all the hostages would be released in a single go or multiple slots.

--IANS

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Rome, March 16 (IANS) Industry ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have said that artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial for achieving sustainable development, but needs to be implemented in a balanced and safe way.

After a two-day meeting in the Italian cities of Verona and Trento, the G7 on Friday committed to achieving an appropriate balance between fostering innovation and the need for appropriate guardrails in promoting a safe, secure and trustworthy AI, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We recognize that AI and other emerging technologies, if shaped to be safe... can be pivotal for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," representatives to the meeting said in a final declaration.

These tools can have a positive impact on many sectors, and a "vast potential" to boost productivity, efficiency, business opportunities, and scientific discoveries, they said.

Meanwhile, the group also warned that digital technologies, including AI, are posing many complex challenges, including those concerning the respect of privacy, personal data protection, security and safety of intellectual property.

They also noted that online platforms, along with AI-enabled products, could be used to facilitate hate speech and disinformation, and other forms of manipulation, potentially fuelling social divides.

"These challenges and risks reinforce the need to integrate ethical considerations in relation to the development and use of such technologies," they said.

The G7 Ministerial Meeting on Industry, Technology and Digital was chaired by Italian Under Secretary of State for Technological Innovation Alessio Butti, as Italy is holding the G7 presidency this year.

The group comprises Canada, the US, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Japan, plus representatives of the European Union.

--IANS

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Tokyo, March 7 (IANS) Noting the reality of power shifts in the Indo-Pacific, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday referred to China and said that it is a cause for concern when a country does not observe written agreements with a neighbour.

Participating in the first Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo, Jaishankar said there are political and strategic consequences of "very big shifts" in capabilities, influence, and ambitions of nations in the Indo-Pacific and one has to "deal with that reality".

Illustrating New Delhi's own situation vis-a-vis China, he said for nearly 45 years, there was no bloodshed on the India-China border but things changed in 2020.

And today... we can disagree on many things, but when a country, sort of, does not observe written agreements with a neighbour, then I think you have cause for concern, because it then raises a question mark about the stability of the relationship, and frankly, about intentions," EAM Jaishankar said in response to a question.

He acknowledged that with shifting global dynamics, India's balance with other countries is changing as well and the challenge lies in creating "new equilibriums in a less frictional manner".

At a recent interactive session at a think-tank in New Delhi, Jaishankar said the government is focused on strengthening the border infrastructure and that there has to be an "equilibrium" in Sino-India relations.

The minister also stressed on China adhering to border management pacts and maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to ensure smooth ties.

The minister's remarks came weeks after the 21st round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting, seeking complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh as an essential basis for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

The two sides agreed to maintain communication through relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms and also committed to peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas, according to a Ministry of External Affairs release.

A border standoff erupted between the two Asian giants on May 5, 2020, after a violent clash in the Pangong lake area with relations reaching a low point.

The two sides completed the disengagement process from several areas in 2021 after extensive diplomatic and military talks.

--IANS

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Tokyo, March 7 (IANS) Japanese workers' real wages in January shrank for the 22nd straight month, as salary gains continued to fall short of outpacing inflation, government data showed on Thursday.

Inflation-adjusted real wages were down 0.6 per cent from a year earlier, following a revised 2.1 per cent fall in December, logging their smallest decline in 13 months on weakening price pressures, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Nominal wages, the average total monthly cash earnings per worker including base and overtime pay, grew 2.0 per cent year-on-year in January to 282,270 yen ($1,900), up for the 25th consecutive month, the data showed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Average base pay and other scheduled wages went up 1.3 per cent to 269,359 yen, while overtime pay and other nonscheduled wages edged up by 0.4 per cent to 18,604 yen.

The country's wages are seen as a major indicator whether a cycle of pay increases above inflation is likely to be established, factors the central bank considers in phasing out its massive stimulus programme.

The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, said it aims to negotiate pay hikes of 5 per cent or higher, Kyodo news reported.

Though some major companies have announced big increases, with automaker Honda Motor Co. agreeing to a 5.6 per cent annual pay hike, it remains to be seen whether medium-sized and small businesses, which employ around 70 per cent of the country's workforce, will increase wages.

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, March 7 (IANS) Close relatives of 'wanted' Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar have reportedly crossed over to Egypt through the Rafah crossing.

Media reports said that Sinwar’s sister’s children crossed into Egypt only recently. Several other top Hamas leaders have also managed to smuggle out their nears and dears out of Gaza into safe zones in Egypt.

According to a report by the Israeli news channel N12, Hamas police spokesman Ayman al Batanji had used his influence to smuggle his two children out into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.

Four children of Hamas political bureau member Shameh Elsraj also managed to escape to Egypt. Israeli media reported that Shameh Elsraj may have been killed in an Israeli missile attack. However, Hamas nor other militant groups have announced his death till now.

It may be noted that senior Hamas political leaders, including Khaled Mashal, Ismael Haniyeh and Moussa Abu Marzouk, were living in comfort zones of Doha, the capital of Qatar and are billionaires themselves.

Interestingly, Hebrew and Arabic media have reported that crossing the Rafah border for an ordinary Palestinian was costing anywhere between 6,000 to 7,500 US dollars which is an astronomical sum for the beleaguered Palestinian.

--IANS

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Gaza, March 7 (IANS) The Israeli military has announced that it killed the chief of the Hamas rocket unit in an operation in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Wednesday in a post on social media platform X that IDF forces, based on information from the Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet security service, killed Amar Atiya Darwish Aladini, who was in charge of the Hamas rocket unit in central Gaza.

He said Aladini had been working for Hamas for decades and was active in the current war, noting that the man was responsible for equipping rockets for the faction and launching rocket attacks as early as 2008 against the IDF operation Cast Lead in Gaza.

The statement claimed that Aladini played a major role in the "bloody" Hamas attack on October 7 last year, during which he "promoted intensive firing" towards Israel's manoeuvring forces while directing rocket launches targeting Tel Aviv and other Israeli border towns.

There has been no comment from Hamas on Aladini's killing.

Adraee added that over the past few days, the Israeli air force attacked several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in northern Gaza, including apartments used by "saboteurs" as hideouts, warehouses for storing combat equipment, launching pits and tunnels.

Meanwhile, in another statement, the Israeli military said its troops raided "terrorist infrastructures" in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis, arresting 250 Hamas and Islamic Jihad members and seizing combat equipment, Xinhua news agency reported.

It claimed that some of the seized personnel had participated in the October 7 attack, adding that in a joint operation in the Hamad City neighbourhood west of Khan Younis, Israeli commando units and the 13th Marine Commando arrested "many saboteurs," including the chief of a Hamas sniper cell and two Hamas team leaders.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Feb 26 (IANS) Pakistani President Arif Alvi has called on the nation to work together to fight the challenges of poverty, malnutrition, stunting and maternal and neonatal deaths.

The President made the remarks during an event, noting that 26 million children in Pakistan remain out of school, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said China focused on the health and education sectors, which helped the country lift nearly 800 million people out of poverty, adding that Pakistan should follow the same development model.

Highlighting the role of women in the country's growth, Alvi said that the provision of health and education facilities to them is an important element in achieving the goal of women empowerment in Pakistan.

He underscored the importance of providing a safe working environment to women in order to include them in the workforce and make them contribute to the economic growth of the South Asian country.

--IANS

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New York, Feb 26 (IANS) Antidepressant use rose sharply in adolescents and young adults, particularly among girls, after the Covid-19 pandemic began, according to a new study.

The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed the rate of antidepressant use rose nearly 64 per cent faster after March 2020 in young people aged 12 to 25.

“Antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults was already high and rising before March 2020. Our findings suggest these trends accelerated during the pandemic,” said lead author Kao Ping Chua, a paediatrician and researcher at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in the US.

Importantly, the increase in the antidepressant dispensing rate during the pandemic was driven by females: 130 per cent faster among girls aged 12-17 years and 60 per cent faster among females aged 18-25 years.

“Multiple studies suggest that rates of anxiety and depression among female adolescents increased during the pandemic,” Chua said. “These studies, coupled with our findings, suggest the pandemic exacerbated a pre-existing mental health crisis in this group.”

In contrast to females, the antidepressant dispensing rate changed little among male young adults after March 2020 and declined among male adolescents, which Chua found surprising.

“It’s hard to believe this decline reflects improved mental health,” he said.

This could be because male adolescents may have skipped physicals and other health care visits during the pandemic, decreasing opportunities to diagnose and treat anxiety and depression, the researchers said.

Chua said the overall rise in antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults may not only be related to worsened mental health. Long waitlists for psychotherapy, for example, may have also played a role.

“In my primary care clinic, I often heard from patients and families that they were facing 6-9 month wait lists for therapy during the pandemic. In those situations, it didn’t make sense to withhold antidepressants and recommend a therapy-only approach,” he said.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANSlife) Nestled in the Indonesian archipelago, Bali has truly earned its nickname "Island of the Gods." This captivating destination offers something for everyone - from serene beaches kissed by turquoise waters to majestic temples steeped in history. No wonder for years, travellers have sought its shores to restore and revitalise their spirits.

So what sets Bali apart from the other sought-after spots in the world? CRED Escapes invites guests to take a trip down these bustling, narrow streets to find out.

Tracing the history

The history of the Balinese people reflects a series of migrations. Thousands of years ago, people from nearby islands like Java and Kalimantan sailed over to Bali and made it their home. In the 15th and 16th centuries, as Islam gained prominence in Java, many Hindus, including both nobles and commoners, sought refuge in Bali. This mix of people and beliefs over time shaped Bali's unique culture, visibly evident in Bali's architecture, traditions, and even daily life.

The Present Landscape

Bali's rich history shapes its vibrant cultural scene today, with numerous temples dotting the island's landscape. From grand landmarks to intimate household shrines, these temples symbolize resilience and community spirit. Balinese culture is renowned for its warm hospitality, providing a refreshing contrast to the hustle and bustle of contemporary living.

Before ending a trip to Bali, don’t miss out the chance to witness the centuries-old traditions at Tirta Empul's water cleansing ritual, join a family-hosted cooking class and learn the art of creating authentic Balinese dishes. Savour the flavours of these vibrant markets and check out the ancient art of Batik, a renowned dyeing technique. Participate in a hands-on workshop, learn from local artisans, and you can even create your personalised souvenir.

IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in

--IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday that it remains committed to pursuing all the relevant cases of its nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army.

The remarks were in response to "inaccurate reports" in the media regarding Indians with the Russian army seeking help for discharge.

"We have seen some inaccurate reports in the media regarding Indians with the Russian army seeking help for discharge," the ministry said in a statement.

"We remain committed, as a matter of top priority, to actively pursuing with the Russian authorities all the relevant cases of Indian nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army."

"Each and every such case brought to the attention of the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been strongly taken up with the Russian authorities and those brought to the attention of the Ministry have been taken up with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi."

As a result, several Indians have already been discharged, the statement read.

Last week, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged that the ministry was aware about the recruitment of Indians by some agents who duped them into joining the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In a statement, the ministry called on the Indian community to stay away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and urged them to exercise due caution.

As per media reports, 23-year-old Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya from Gujarat, was killed in a Ukrainian air strike in the Donetsk region on February 21.

Indian officials are yet to confirm the killing of Mangukiya, reportedly hired as a security helper by the Russian Army.

The development comes amidst recent reports that a group of Indian youths fell victim to agents who deceitfully sent them to Russia under the false pretext of providing them with security guard jobs.

Instead, all of them were dispatched to war-torn Ukraine-Russia areas.

--IANS

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