India has served a formal notice to Pakistan seeking a review of the <keyword id="22157166" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indus-Water-Treaty" source="keywords">Indus Water Treaty</keyword>, arguing that "fundamental and unforeseen" changes in the circumstances require a reassessment of the pact. The notice was issued to Pakistan on August 30 under Article XII(3) of the <keyword id="107840" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indus" source="Orion">Indus</keyword> Water Treaty (IWT), government sources said on Wednesday. India and Pakistan signed the IWT on September 19, 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the <keyword id="19899824" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="World Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="World Bank">World Bank</keyword> being a signatory to the pact, which sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of the waters of a number of cross-border rivers. India's notification highlights fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various articles of the treaty, the sources said. Among various concerns, the important ones include a change in population demographics, environmental issues and the need to accelerate the development of clean energy to meet India's emission targets, they said. India has also cited the impact of persistent cross-border terrorism as one of the reasons for demanding the review. "The notification was issued in the background of a separate prolonged controversy with respect to the Kishanganga and Ratle <keyword id="20239151" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hydro-projects" source="keywords">hydro projects</keyword>," a source said. "In this regard, the World Bank has simultaneously activated both the neutral-expert mechanism and the Court of Arbitration on the same set of issues," the source added. "The Indian side has, therefore, also called for a reconsideration of the dispute-resolution mechanism under the treaty," the source said. India has not cooperated with the Court of Arbitration process to resolve the dispute. New Delhi considers that the start of the two concurrent processes to resolve the dispute violates the provision of the three-step graded mechanism prescribed in the IWT. India has been pushing for the resolution of the dispute through the neutral-expert proceedings. With this notification, India has called on Pakistan to begin government-to-government negotiations in order to review the treaty under the provisions of Article XII(3), the sources said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-great-indian-festival-sale-to-begin-on-september-27/articleshow/113445238.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival sale to begin on September 27</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/triumph-speed-t4-launched-in-india-with-a-price-tag-of-2-17-lakh/slidelist/113429766.cms">Triumph Speed T4 launched in India with a price tag of ₹2.17 lakh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/xiaomi-and-samsung-accused-of-colluding-with-amazon-and-flipkart/articleshow/113381204.cms">Xiaomi and Samsung accused of colluding with Amazon and Flipkart</a>

India serves notice to Pakistan seeking review of Indus Water Treaty

<ul><li>The attack took place at Lechpora, about 30 kilometres from Srinagar in Kashmir’s Pulwama district </li><li>The Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.</li></ul>In what could become another flashpoint in India-Pakistan relations, at least 42 security personnel in Kashmir have reportedly been killed in a blast on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The attack took place at Lechpora, about 30 kilometres from Srinagar in Kashmir’s Pulwama district when a van packed with explosives rammed into a bus carrying security personnel, IANS reported citing police sources. The incident took place when some 2,547 CRPF personnel were coming in a convoy of 78 vehicles from the transit camp in Jammu and headed to Srinagar. According to the IANS report, the death toll could rise as some of the injured personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were in a serious condition. The Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. In 2016, 18 Indian soldiers were killed in the Uri district, following which India conducted a ‘surgical strike’ in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. With IANS

42 security personnel killed in Kashmir in major militant attack: Reports

(Photo source: <a href="https://images.news18.com/ibnlive/uploads/2016/09/saarc.jpg">News18</a>) <ul><li>An Indian diplomat, Shubham Singh, walked out on the <keyword id="8470" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="SAARC">SAARC</keyword> summit hosted by Islamabad in protest to their Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (<keyword id="44062" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PoK">PoK</keyword>) minister being present at the event. </li><li>Not only was the PoK minister for <keyword id="3001" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pakistan">Pakistan</keyword> present, but was asked to come up to the dias to address rest of the committee, according to a Times of <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> report. </li><li>India, as a policy, has refrained from acknowledging the authority of any ministers appointed by Pakistan in the disputed territory.</li></ul> An official of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan, Shubham Singh, walked out during a South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting in Islamabad on Sunday as per the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pok-minister-at-saarc-meet-india-walks-out/articleshow/67018010.cms">Times of India</a>. His actions were registered as a sign of protest over the presence of Pakistan’s minister for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Muhammad Saeed, at the event. PoK has been a hot-button issue between India and Pakistan due to its strategic importance to both nations. And never before, at least during a SAARC summit, has the PoK minister been invited to attend the negotiations since its underlying mission is to achieve regional cooperation and the PoK issue is in direct contradiction of that directive. Singh reportedly left the meeting as soon as Saeed was invited to speak at the dais during the event’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry meeting. The doom of SAARC? Prior to this, the most recent incident where Pakistan reportedly tried to ‘legitimise’ PoK in the eyes of the international community was when Pakistan’s new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, was sworn in. India maintains that Kashmir is an integral part of the country and doesn’t recognise the authority of a ‘minister’ for the people in PoK. This SAARC meeting was the first to be initiated in a long time. In 2016, India pulled out of the 19th SAARC summit that was also supposed to hosted by Islamabad in retaliation of the terrorist attack in Uri on an Indian Army base. After India pulled out, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also pulled out <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/world/neighbours/story/uri-terror-attack-now-bangladesh-slams-pakistan-terms-india-friend-since-1971-342238-2016-09-21">stating</a> that, “We are against terror, against terrorist country and against any country that supports terror.” There have been no subsequent SAARC summits since then. Pakistan has been accused of repeatedly trying to derail international negotiations by bringing up the issue of PoK during international summits, especially those presided over by the United Nations. India’s stance has been that while it too agrees with the gravitas of the situation, its repeated resurgence on international platforms undercuts a lot of other important policy decisions that have be addressed.

Indian diplomat walks out during SAARC summit, takes offence to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir minister’s presence

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52622597.cms" /> India has applied for entry into the elite <keyword id="106964" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nuclear-Suppliers-Group">Nuclear Suppliers Group</keyword>, and has also got the support of Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann, who has announced that his country will extend support to New Delhi's membership in the 48-member group after holding comprehensive talks with PM Narendra Modi. 
 
To make chances of entry into the esteemed club smoother, Modi government has also restored an organisation which would be the nodal agency for nuclear cooperation with smaller countries. However, even after all these efforts, nuclear experts think that China will not let India enter the club easily. 
 
Leading American think tanks, like Stimson Center, United States Institute of Peace and School of Advanced International Studies have opined that India's NSG application, which is due for review on June 9 at the NSG meeting, will be facing a lot of objections from China, who wants to crush India’s dreams of becoming an NSG member. 
 
China feels that if the NSG countries make an exception for India to enter the club, Pakistan should not be left behind, even though Islamabad was caught selling nuclear weapons secrets to Libya, because of which it had to face global embarrassment. 
 
"Pakistan and China have played their cards really well this time around. Pakistan has an application for NSG membership and China can, therefore, argue what's good for the goose is good for the gander," said Micheal Krepon, a nuclear proliferation expert and co-founder of the Stimson Center. 
 
Experts expect China to stress on Pakistan being given the same exceptions as India, the reason being dependency of Pakistan’s nuclear program on Chinese supplies. 
 
Beijing has been continuously assisting Pakistan for its civil and military nuclear programme, thereby violating the obligations and commitments that it had made as an NSG member. 
 
"It would be very surprising if China lets India in without an equal concession for Pakistan," said Colin Cookman, program officer at the United States Institute of Peace. 
 
If India enters the club, it would also shake China's position in the strategic battle which is being fought in Asia. However, it would cover it up saying that their opposition is just out of a sense of international equality. 
 However, China is not the only country which could be putting roadblocks in India’s journey to NSG. Several <keyword id="3362769" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="NSG-Members">NSG members</keyword> would shy away from supporting India because of its refusal to sign the CTBT and the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, and the fact that the promise of nuclear reactor construction contracts with India never materialised. 
 
The club works on a consensus basis, which needs every country to at least not object to a new membership, if not support it. 
 
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Nuclear_suppliers_group_membership_map.svg/2000px-Nuclear_suppliers_group_membership_map.svg.png">Image source</a>

Pakistan’s ‘friend’ China won’t let India enter Nuclear Suppliers Group alone, say experts

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50088651.cms" />Former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, has warned the US against its deal to sell F-16s to Pakistan. 
 
In a prepared remark submitted ahead of a Congressional hearing on 'Civil Nuclear Cooperation with Pakistan: Prospects and Consequences to the Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs', Haqqani said Pakistan would use such fighter jets against India and not against terrorists. 
 
"The Obama administration's consideration of a nuclear deal with Pakistan, just like its decision a few months ago to sell almost USD 1 billion in US-made attack helicopters, missiles and other equipment to Pakistan will fuel conflict in South Asia without fulfilling the objective of helping the country fight Islamist extremists or limit its nuclear arsenal," said Haqqani. 
 
Haqqani told Congress that Islamabad’s failure to tackle its jihadist challenge is not the result of a lack of arms but reflects an absence of will. 
 
"Unless Pakistan changes its worldview and its compulsive competition with its much larger neighbour even in violation of international commitments, American weapons will end up being used to fight or menace India and perceived domestic enemies instead of being deployed against jihadists," he said. 
 
"By aiding Pakistan over the years-- some USD 40 billion since 1950, according to the Congressional Research Service --the US has fed Pakistan's delusion of being India's regional military equal. Seeking security against a much larger neighbour is a rational objective but seeking parity with it on a constant basis is not," he said. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Pakistan will use US aid to bomb India, warns Pak’s former diplomat Haqqani

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49828044.cms" /> 
 Even as Shiv Sena has threatened Pakistani athletes of dire consequences if they come to India, Indian government has opened new gates for Pakistani sportspersons to come and play for <keyword id="103311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="12th-South-Asian-Games">12th South Asian Games</keyword>, to be held in Guwahati and Shillong. 
 
For the games to be held in February next year, Pakistani sportspersons would be able to enter India through Kolkata and Guwahati airports. At present, Pakistanis can either enter India by foot from Wagah-Attari border or use the air route to enter Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. However, all these are at considerable distances from Guwahati and Shillong, which is why arrangements have been done to welcome Pakistanis athletes from Kolkata and Guwahati airports. 
 
12th South Asian Games would be the first major sporting event after India hosted the 19th Commonwealth Games in 2010 which would see a good number of Pakistani athletes in India. "Since Guwahati and Kolkata airports are near to the venue of South Asian Games, they have been added to the designated check posts for Pakistani Passport holders and non-validated pass (NVP) holders during the period of South Asian Games," says an order issued by the Home Ministry. 
 
"By allowing them to enter from Kolkata and Guwahati, we intend to cause no inconvenience the Pakistani sportspersons as they can make a quick and short journey to the sports stadium," a senior government official told ET. 
 
This step was required for the safety of Pakistani contingent after their government raised concern over it. A team from Pakistan is also expected to come to India, in January, to ensure the safety measures. After 26/11 Mumbai attacks which were masterminded by some Pakistani nationals, there have been a lot of protests about Pakistanis coming to Mumbai, which is why the Indian government thinks that it would be safer for them to step foot directly in Kolkata and Guwahati. 
 
The sporting event would also see Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Afghanistan participating. 
 
<a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3862/14759654889_7ac0c07e29_b.jpg">Image source</a>

2 More Indian airports that will now accept Pakistani Airlines

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48014747.cms" />Indian <keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword> met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, on the sidelines of the <keyword id="157954" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shanghai-Cooperation-Organisation">Shanghai Cooperation Organisation</keyword> (SCO) Summit. 
The two premiers shook hands before sitting down for delegation-level talks. 
 
Reportedly, Indian delegation included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar while Sartaj Aziz, Sharif's advisor on foreign affairs and national security, was in the Pakistani delegation. 
 
The previous night, Modi and Sharif had exchanged pleasantries and chatted briefly at the dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin for leaders of five BRICS nations and 10 SCO nations in Ufa. 
 
It is expected that Modi and Sharif will discuss the status of the bilateral ties and the future direction. 
 
However, Indian government sources told Economic Times that Modi-Sharif talks need not be construed a prelude to a resumption of the dialogue process between the two countries. 
 
Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said that it has always been (Pakistan) Prime Minister's policy to seek cordial and cooperative ties with all neighbouring countries including India. “It was in the pursuit of this objective that the prime minister would be meeting the Indian prime minister for a comprehensive exchange on all issues of common interest,” he had said. 
 
Meanwhile, sources indicated ET that Modi will strongly raise India's concerns on militancy with Pakistan and that all outstanding issues including inaction against Hafiz Saeed and 26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. 
 
Modi and Sharif had met in Kathmandu last year for the SAARC Summit but they did not have a bilateral meeting over acrimony between the two countries at that time.

Modi, Sharif meet, chit-chat on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Ufa

<ul><li>The external affairs minister for <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, <keyword id="6355111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sushma-Swaraj">Sushma Swaraj</keyword>, will be representing India at the 73rd <keyword id="107187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="UN-General-Assembly">UN General Assembly</keyword> (<keyword id="429560" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNGA">UNGA</keyword>). </li><li>She has over a dozen bilateral meetings scheduled during the conferences and is scheduled to be present at two sessions. </li><li>In her speech at the UNGA, Swaraj focussed on India-Pakistan relations and the issue of India’s seat on the UN Security Council. </li></ul>The 73rd UN General Assembly (UNGA) meet being held in New York is India’s chance to engage on global issues that pertain beyond its regional interests. While the Indian external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference, the shadow of India-Pakistan relations may keep India from engaging on larger international concerns. Earlier India was scheduled to engage with Pakistan as well, but after the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pakistan-is-still-not-doing-enough-to-curb-terror-financing-and-time-is-running-out/articleshow/65839168.cms">killing</a> of three Jammu and Kashmir policemen and the issuing of <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pakistan-burhan-wani-postal-stamps-sushma-swaraj-foreign-minister-5372002/">stamps</a> commemorating Burhan Wani, talks with Shah Mahmood Qureshi were cancelled. Swaraj is still <a href="https://www.oneindia.com/india/swaraj-to-have-over-half-a-dozen-bilateral-engagements-at-unga-including-one-with-nepal-2782746.html">scheduled</a> to hold bilateral meetings with the representatives of Germany, Panama Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, Austria, Armenia, Antigua Barbuda, Nepal, Bolivia, Chile and Iran among others. She will also be representing India in the session on climate change held of secretary general, António Guterres, and the Ministerial Committee of the NAM on Palestine. The latter is of special significance considering the strategic and trade relationship between India and Israel. India-Pakistan relations Like last year, Swaraj delivered her speech in Hindi at the <keyword id="45802" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nelson-Mandela">Nelson Mandela</keyword> Peace Summit starting with India the effectiveness of the demonetisation exercise and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). While there’s still an <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/one-year-of-gst-is-goods-and-services-tax-rollout-successful-pm-modi-explains-in-5-points/1218179/">argument</a> to be made on whether or not GST has delivered the desired results, experts largely believe that demonetisation did little more than <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/PGRi4ySZO2HOWkARKq8GeM/Demonetisation-failed-to-make-India-a-less-cash-society.html">cause</a> damage to India’s informal economy. And, without naming any country in particular, Swaraj pointed out that India is busy fighting poverty but its ‘neighbouring country’ is busy fighting against the nation. She even pointed out the irony of this ‘neighbouring country’ advocating human-rights and accusing India of violations. 
	
	
	
	
	
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 She went on to highlight other differences between India and Pakistan in terms of development and technology. The question really becomes whether India-Pakistan relations are the only issue that animate Indian interest on a global stage. The focus on regional issues on the global platform keeps India from engaging with other nations on international concerns and takes from the impact that India has on other issues that are been contested. And, this is despite the country’s growing economic relevance. UN Security Council A permanent seat on the UN Security Council through the G4 alliance consisting of Brazil, Germany, India and Japan is still on the table. But, considering that all developments indicate that it’s unlikely to happen, maybe India should pivot its interests until the situation changes. 
	
	
	
	
	
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 And while India has spent considerable time engaging in the international convention against <keyword id="6358165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="terrorism">terrorism</keyword>, it has been ineffective in addressing the security challenges that concern India’s borders. Instead, experts <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-world-beyond-pakistan-india-talks-unga-saarc-5372593/">suggest </a>that India should focus on addressing issues of global trade and <keyword id="1791879" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="multilateralism">multilateralism</keyword>. The structural changes in the international system might be more pertinent at the moment.

These are India's primary objectives at the UN General Assembly

<ul><li>Masood Azharhas been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations.</li><li>Azhar has been responsible for multiple deadly terrorist attacks in India </li><li>India had renewed its bid to designate <keyword id="6459729" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="masood-azhar">Masood Azhar</keyword> as a global terrorist following a terror attack in Pulwama that killed over 44 paramilitary policemen</li></ul> Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations. Azhar has been responsible for multiple deadly terrorist attacks in India, claiming the lives of hundreds in the country. India had renewed its bid to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist following a terror attack in Pulwama that killed over 44 paramilitary policemen on February 15, 2019. India accused Masood Azhar of training militants and planning several terror attacks in the country including the 2001 Parliament attack and the recent Pulwama attack. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has ties with other terror groups has ties with other groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. In 2002, The group was banned in Pakistan. However, US authorities have claimed that they have been carrying out there operation freely. The Indian security forces t<a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/averted-2-pulwama-like-attacks-security-forces-1477587-2019-03-14">racked down</a> 18 terrorists after Pulwama, 14 of which were from JeM. 2001 attack on Indian Parliament Parliament Terrorist groups Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba were also responsible for the attack on the Indian parliament in 2001. A group of armed terrorists had entered the Parliament of India, opening fire and killing nine. The terrorists also died in the encounter. Even though both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha had been adjourned before the attack took place, many Indian politicians were still believed to have been inside the building when the terrorists entered. 2008 - Mumbai attack Azhar was also responsible for the ghastly attacks in posh hotels and public places in Mumbai in 2008 that left at least 174 people dead. The attacks which were a series of shooting and bombing attacks had lasted for four days in November 2008, in Mumbai’s prime locations. The attack is still considered to be one of the most deadly ones in the world. 2016 - Pathankot air base attack Masood Azhar was also held responsible for being the mastermind of the terror attack that took place at Pathankot air base, in India, on 2 January 2016. The attack led to a breakdown in India-Pakistan relation that has been undergoing tussles over Kashmir from years. The attack initially killed four attackers and two security personnel with one more security personnel dying from injuries hours after the attack. 2019 - Pulwama attack Forty-five paramilitary soldiers lost their lives in Pulwama, Kashmir on Thursday in a terror attack. The Pulwama attack took place around 3.15 p.m. on 14 February 2019 when a 'Fidayeen' bomber belonging to the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terror outfit rammed an explosive-laden SUV into a bus carrying CRPF troopers in Lethpora area of Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway.

Masood Azhar's four deadliest attacks on India

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/57250080.cms" /> 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=European+Union+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">European Union </a>has asked <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=India&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">India</a> to consider extending its bilateral investment pacts with several <keyword id="6355123" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="EU">EU</keyword>-member countries by six months as the pacts are expiring soon. The EU feels that the absence of the treaties could adversely impact trade ties and FTA talks. 
 In a high-level <keyword id="76115" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="European-Parliament">European Parliament</keyword> delegation about India's views about the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Trump+administration&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Trump administration</a> and discuss various key issues concerning India-EU ties, EU also expressed concern over situation in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jammu+and+Kashmir+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jammu and Kashmir </a>and called for improvement in ties between India and Pakistan. 
 Geoffrey <keyword id="4195332" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="van-orden">Van Orden</keyword>, Chair of the EU delegation for relations with India said that EU wants New Delhi to renew the investment deals first to take forward the stalled FTA talks. 
 
"It will be helpful if trade and investment pacts can be extended for six months. The issue has become a problem for the FTA talks," he said. 
 India's existing trade and investment pacts with The <keyword id="44173" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netherlands">Netherlands</keyword> have come to an end in November while while similar pacts with several other EU countries will expire in the coming months. 
 
According to Orden, the expiry of the pacts will make it difficult for the European countries to go for fresh investments in India. He also said that the EU want India to first give the extension to the pacts and then move ahead with the FTA which is known as EU-India Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA). 
 
On Kashmir, he said EU is always sensitive about issues relating to human rights violations, adding certain forces do not want India-Pakistan relations to improve. 
 
On the other hand, India asked for granting 'data secure nation' status to it by the EU. The country is among nations not considered data secure by the EU. The matter is crucial as it will have a bearing on Indian IT companies wanting market access.

India asked to extend trade pact with EU nations; wants ‘data secure nation’ status in return

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48145635.cms" /> It’s being touted as <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword>’s best performance in his career spanning nearly 3 decades, but that’s not the only thing that makes Bajrangi Bhaijaan special for the superstar. 
 The movie was released on the holy day of Eid, and collected Rs 27.25 crores that day itself. Moreover, in just 4 days of its release, the movie has become the biggest hit of <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> this year, leaving behind both Tanu Weds Manu Returns and ABCD 2. The movie entered the much-coveted ‘100 crore club’ in the opening weekend itself, adding another 100 crores to the many that Salman’s movies have been collecting in the past few years. 
 
The collection was confirmed by popular film critic Komal Nahata on his official Twitter handle. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		102.60 crore Bajrangi Bhaijaan first weekend. Outstanding!!
	— Komal Nahta (@KomalNahta) <a href="https://twitter.com/KomalNahta/status/623010328528355328">July 20, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The movie is based on an inter-border journey that Bajrangi (Salman Khan) undertakes in order to safely deliver a young and mute Pakistani girl Munni (Harshalle Malhotra) to her home in POK. The movie, which co-stars <keyword id="6359106" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nawazuddin-Siddiqui">Nawazuddin Siddiqui</keyword> and <keyword id="1377418" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kareena-Kapoor-Khan">Kareena Kapoor Khan</keyword>, was released in Pakistan as well, being the first movie based on India-Pakistan relations to be released there.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan-the highest grosser of 2015!

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48973150.cms" /> <keyword id="71593" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Copenhagen-summit">Copenhagen Summit</keyword> on climate control in 2009 came as a cropper after the US, China, the EU and other countries failed to sign a legally-binding pact, enforcing them to agree to a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose validity ended in 2012. 
Six years later, countries from across the globe are meeting again in Paris in December this year for the UN Climate Summit to formulate a legally binding agreement that set specific time frame for top polluting countries to cut carbon emissions. 
 While country heads miserably failed to show responsible leadership traits at Copenhagen, leaders of the world’s biggest economies will get another opportunity to initiate responsible action and the change the course of history that can otherwise turn catastrophic in the near future as <keyword id="6366055" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-warming">global warming</keyword> has already transitioned from a rhetoric of doomsday mongering environmentalists to a real life-or-death question for the humanity. 
 
There are some positive signs that world leaders are likely to exhibit more shades of prudence this time. The US and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=china">China</a>, the world’s biggest polluters, began tackling <keyword id="6361617" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Climate-Change">climate change</keyword> together when they announced an agreement last November to curb carbon emissions. While the US promised to double the speed at which it will reduce carbon emissions, aiming for a 26-to-28% reduction by 2025 from 2005 levels, China agreed to peak emissions by around 2030. Also, China and India, recently, issued a joint statement on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=paris+climate+change">climate change</a>, promising to submit plans carbon targets before the Paris conference. 
 
These gestures assume significance as such joint statements were unthinkable six years ago. And now climate science is forcing country heads to look at global warming more seriously. So what is the science behind environmentalists’ alarm signals on global warming? 
 
Since the beginning of human civilisation, the atmosphere contained about 275 ppm of carbon dioxide, one of the most heat trapping gases (ppm stands for ‘parts per million’, which is a way of measuring the ratio of carbon dioxide molecules to other molecules in the atmosphere). A few hundred years ago, as humans began to burn coal, gas and oil to produce energy and goods; and gradually, the amount of carbon in the atmosphere began to rise. Most human activities like cooking food, heating homes and turning the lights on rely on energy sources that emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases. And in the process, humans are releasing millions of years worth of carbon into the atmosphere, which was once stored beneath the earth as fossil fuel. 
 
The carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere currently stand at 400 ppm and humans are adding 2 ppm of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. 
 
Climatologists say that if humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilisation developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere needs to be reduced from 400 ppm currently to 350 ppm, which, according to scientists, is ‘safe’ for humanity survival on planet Earth. If we don’t rapidly turn the maddening carbon dioxide addition around and return to below 350 ppm level, we risk triggering tipping points and irreversible impacts that could send climate change spinning truly beyond our control, climatologists warn. 
 
China, the US, the EU, India, Russia, Japan are topping the list of countries with maximum CO2 emissions; while China's CO2 emissions were estimated around 10 billion tonnes in 2012, that of the US was more than 5 billion tonnes and EU more than 4 billion tones. India’s contribution was roughly one-third of China's and half of the US’. 
 
Between 1850 and 2012, the US and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=europe">Europe</a> produced 45% of greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere, compared to 18% from China and India, according Climate Analytics, a non-profit organisation. However, it is estimated that by 2020, China alone will produce 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the US 13% and the EU 8% and India 7%. 
 
So mathematically, China, the US, the EU along with India can play a large part in shaping the future of the planet by reducing carbon emissions. 
 
While the US’ emissions are less than China’s, its per-capita emissions are three times that of China and 10 times India’s. Therefore, if the US wants to persuade China, the EU and India to reduce CO2 emissions, it must lead the way by switching to low-carbon energy sources. 
 
At a time when poverty reduction remains a key priority, India (along with China) fears that radical action on greenhouse gas emissions will hamper economic growth. 
 
Considering the larger threats that climate change poses—for instance, enhanced melting of Himalayan glaciers and increased coastal flooding due to warming; rising temperatures making water security a crucial concern with significant ramifications on already strained <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=India+pakistan">India-Pakistan</a> relations, etc.,—it makes sense for India too to join the growing ‘<keyword id="76836" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Save-earth">save Earth</keyword>’ chorus. 
 
However, what India can do would make sense only when China, the US, the EU—make a determined effort to set an example by snipping their carbon footprint. 
 
So will these countries show responsibility at the upcoming UN climate change summit in Paris—which could be the world’s last big opportunity to regain sanity and stop abusing planet Earth’s delicate atmosphere—to take lead and positively change the course of human history from a possible catastrophic end to sustenance and balance? 
The world is watching. 
(Image: BCCL)

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