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world news Dialuna 28 September 2020

At UN, India vows to help produce virus vaccine for world

(AP) — Indian Prime Min- storage for the potential in-
ister Narendra Modi pledged oculations.
to help the world produce
and deliver potential corona- India, the world's second-
virus vaccines while making most populous country, has
no mention Saturday of the reported over 93,000 deaths
heavy toll the pandemic has from COVID-19, fewer only
taken on his own country, than the U.S. and Brazil, ac-
where the enormous popula- cording to figures collected
tion has suffered among the by Johns Hopkins Univer-
highest numbers of cases and sity. India also is behind only
deaths in the world. the U.S. in number of cases,
with 5.9 million reported so
Modi's remarks to the U.N. far. However, India's daily
General Assembly — pre-re- number of new cases has
corded because the gathering been declining, with recover-
is virtual this year — also said ies exceeding reported new
nothing about growing ten- cases this week. Modi said the
sions with neighboring Paki- U.N. hadn't done enough in
stan, whose prime minister, the virus fight — “where is
Imran Khan, devoted much its effective response?” Say-
of his speech Friday to assail- ing the world body has fallen
ing India, leading to a sharp short on other issues over its
exchange between the two 75 years, he used the anniver-
countries' diplomats in the sary to press for change.
Assembly hall. Nor did Modi
discuss India's dispute with “For how long will India Pakistan denies the charge tives. Thousands of protest- A new standoff began in May
China over the border region be kept out of the decision- and says it offers only diplo- ers have been wounded by and escalated in June into a
of Ladakh, where a months- making structures of the matic and moral support to shotgun pellets over the past clash in which soldiers used
long standoff has seen the United Nations?” asked the rebels. five years. U.N.-appointed clubs, stones and their fists.
deadliest violence between Modi, whose country has independent human rights Twenty Indian soldiers were
the two sides in decades. long sought a permanent seat The tension hit a new turn- experts have called the situ- killed and dozens of others
on the Security Council, the ing point in August 2019, ation “alarming.” Khan, in were injured. China is be-
Instead, Modi cast India as a U.N.'s most powerful body. when Modi’s Hindu nation- his pre-recorded speech lieved to have also suffered
country that treats “the whole India starts a term as a non- alist-led government stripped shown Friday, urged the in- casualties but has not provid-
world as one family,” empha- permanent member in Janu- the Indian-controlled part of ternational community to ed any details.
sized the country's push for a ary. Kashmir and the neighboring investigate and “prosecute The rivals have since amassed
bigger role at the U.N., and He made no reference to In- Jammu district of their semi- the Indian civil and military tens of thousands of soldiers,
touted domestic initiatives dia's increasingly heated rela- autonomy, removed inher- personnel involved in state backed by artilleries, tanks
in areas from technology to tions with neighbors China ited protections on land and terrorism and serious crimes and fighter jets, in Ladakh.
sewage sanitation. And he and Pakistan. jobs and cracked down on se- against humanity,” and he
promised that the country's India and Pakistan split con- curity and communications. called India a state sponsor In recent weeks, India and
robust pharmaceutical in- trol over Kashmir, a Muslim- An internet and social media of anti-Muslim hatred and China have accused each
dustry would be an interna- majority Himalayan area blackout lasted until March. prejudice. other of sending soldiers
tional asset in the pandemic. claimed by both. The nu- Residents of the Indian- into each other’s territory in
“India's vaccine production clear-armed neighbors have controlled area say security India on Friday said Khan an area near glacial Pangong
and delivery capacity will be fought two wars over the ter- forces have arrested thou- was spreading “lies, misinfor- Lake and have firing warning
used to help all humanity in ritory. sands of young men, raided mation, warmongering and shots for the first time in 45
fighting this crisis,” Modi India accuses Pakistan of people’s homes, inflicted malice” as the two countries years, raising the specter of a
said, adding that his country arming and training insur- beatings and electric shocks, traded barbed remarks in the full-scale military conflict be-
would also help others boost gents fighting for Kashmir’s and threatened to take away Assembly hall, where rules tween the two nuclear-armed
their capacity to provide cold independence from India. and marry their female rela- allow nations to respond to nations with the world's larg-
one another's speeches. est populations.
Meanwhile, India and China
have been squaring off in Their foreign ministers met
Ladakh, a region abutting Sept. 10 and agreed that their
Kashmir. A 1962 border war troops should disengage from
spilled into Ladakh and end- the tense border standoff,
ed in an uneasy truce. The maintain proper distance and
two countries have agreed ease tensions. But they did
not to attack each other with not set a timeline for disen-
firearms, but troops guard- gagement. Neither Modi nor
ing the border have brawled Chinese President Xi Jinping
at times. mentioned it in their speech-
es to the assembly this week.