Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed the deal to release Israeli hostages during the virtual G20 Summit while expressing concerns that the conflict could spill over into the wider region.
A temporary pause in the Israeli air and land campaign and a hostage deal has been agreed by Israel and Hamas after six weeks of brutal bombardment of the enclave that has left more than 14,000 Palestinians dead.
About 50 hostages will be released in exchange of 150 Palestinians in Israel. All are women and children.
“We believe that terrorism is unacceptable to all of us,” Mr Modi said. “Death of civilians be it anywhere is condemnable. We welcome the release of the hostages today and we hope that all the hostages will be released. Timely and continuous humanitarian aid is also important.”
Mr Modi addressed leaders of the G20 nations including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the summit.
While acknowledging the hostage release, the Indian Prime Minister said: “It is also important to be certain that the war between Israel and Hamas doesn’t take the shape of a regional conflict. What we are witnessing today, one family has the power that we can work towards peace and can raise the voice against terrorism and violence and for humanity.”
The Group of 20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US – and the EU.
The group focuses mainly on the global economy, financial stability, climate change, mitigation and sustainable development.
New Delhi, which holds the presidency until November 30, had organised the two-day G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi in September – the most powerful gathering that India has ever hosted, attended by world leaders.
India has handed over next year's G20 presidency to Brazil, but Mr Modi suggested reconvening the leaders’ summit virtually for the remaining period.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also participated in the summit – the first time he had faced the Indian Prime Minister since he accused New Delhi of playing a role in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, triggering a diplomatic row between the two countries.
New Delhi had dismissed the claim as “absurd” and in ensuing diplomatic tension temporarily closed visa services.
New Delhi restored e-visas for Canadian nationals on Wednesday, before the summit.
In his opening speech, Mr Modi hailed the African Union becoming a G20 member during India’s presidency.
The African bloc of 55 member states will have the same status as the EU.
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
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Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
