LEAD

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a strong message to China, said that if harmed, India will not spare anyone.

The Defence minister was speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. He spoke about the bravery shown by the Indian soldiers on the border with China.

"I cannot say openly what they (Indian soldiers) did and what decisions we (the government) took. But I can definitely say that a message has gone (to China) that India will not spare anyone, if India is harmed. (Bharat ko agar koi chherega to Bharat chhorega nahi)," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Western countries’ attempts to phase out Russian gas imports will have a negative impact on their economies. On Thursday, Russian President Putin said European attempts to find alternatives to Russian gas shipments will be “quite painful for the initiators of such policies and then argued that “there is simply no reasonable replacement for it in Europe now.

Meanwhile, Russia on the same day said Ukrainian helicopters had hit residential buildings and injured seven people in the Bryansk region, the latest of a series of cross-border attacks that Moscow has said may trigger a retaliatory attack on Kyiv.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the human rights issue was not a topic of discussion during the India-US 2+2 ministerial meeting this week. However, EAM Jaishankar asserted that whenever there is a discussion, New Delhi will not be reticent about speaking out. Taking a strong stand, EAM Jaishankar said that people are entitled to have views about India, adding, "We also take our views on other people's human rights situation, including that of the United States."

Earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that the US is monitoring some recent "concerning developments” in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials. The joint news conference after the 2+2 dialogue was addressed by Blinken, Jaishankar, Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Stating that he has discussed the issue of the global food shortage with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (April 12) said that India is ready to supply food stock to the world. PM Modi said that India can supply food stock if the World Trade Organisation (WTO) comes on board. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the hostel and education complex at "Shree Annapurna Dham" via video conferencing.

"Food stock in different parts of the world is dwindling due to the war (in Ukraine). The world is facing a new problem now, with the food stock of the world getting empty. I was talking to the US President, and he also raised this issue. I suggested that if WTO gives permission, India is ready to supply food stock to the world from tomorrow," PM Narendra Modi said.

Ahead of the India-United States bilateral two-plus-two dialogue, US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin told his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh that his country would stand alongside India to protect its sovereignty in face of China’s belligerence on its northern borders.

Singh, on his part, stressed the need for co-development and co-production of high-tech weapons by India and the US, while exhorting American defence and aerospace companies to take advantage of his government’s initiatives to set up production facilities in India.

Austin accused the People's Republic of China of attempting to challenge and undermine the sovereignty of its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region. "Beijing is eroding the security of the Indo-Pacific region from its construction of dual-use infrastructure along your (India's) border to its unlawful claims in the South China Sea, and we will continue to stand alongside you as you defend your sovereign interest,” he said.