India Narrative

  US surgeons have successfully implanted a heart from a genetically modified pig in a 57-year-old man, a historic medical breakthrough that could provide a solution to the chronic shortage of organ donations. The historic procedure took place Friday, the University of Maryland Medical School said in a statement on Monday. While the patient's prognosis is far from certain, it represents a major milestone for animal-to-human transplantation . The patient, David Bennett, had been deemed ineligible for human transplant because of his very poor underlying health. He is now recovering and being carefully monitored to determine how the new organ performs. "This was a breakthrough surgery and brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis," said Bartley Griffith, who surgically transplanted the pig heart. "We are proceeding cautiously, but we are also optimistic that this first-in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the fut

  The political unrest in the natural resource-rich Kazakhstan could have a direct bearing on China, though the situation has been somewhat brought under control. China has large investments in Kazakhstan , which also serves as a vital link between Beijing and the rest of Europe. The multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) too runs through the country. “The unrest has stirred concerns about the impact on Chinese companies operating in the country, which has been showered with investment under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative,” South China Morning Post said in a report. The Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan has already issued an advisory, asking its companies and citizens residing in the Central Asian country to continuously monitor the situation. Also read:  Thousands of jihadists involved in Kazakhstan unrest, confirms Russia Experts told India Narrative that Beijing's concerns would increase further if protests continue as the two countries share a common

  Russia's worst fears of terrorists from Afghanistan penetrating into the countries of the Central Asian region could be coming true with the current state of emergency in Kazakhstan, country's Ambassador to the United States has suggested.   Moscow has been worried for the past many months about the current situation in Afghanistan, saying that the return of "international terrorist organisation" Taliban does not give "cause for optimism" as people with radical ideology can even slip into Russia through the Russian-Kazakh section of the state border. Early Monday, Anatoly Ivanovich, Russia's top diplomat in Washington , said that thousands of "jihadists" are involved in attempting a "colorful" revolution and causing massive unrest in Kazakhstan. "Kazakhstan was hit by radicals confessing a human-hatred ideology. Thousands of jihadists and looters tried to undermine the constitutional order. Weapons are being used against civili

  China's Galwan propaganda has been exposed once again after a startling revelation that a video showing the unfurling of the national flag by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on January 1 was in fact shot deep inside its territory, using local actors. The Chinese social media is abuzz about the fake video, which was staged by professional actors, leaving the ruling CCP completely red-faced.  Users of Chinese microblogging website Weibo said that the CCP used Chinese film and television actor Wu Jing and his actress wife Xie Nan to "dramatically create" the flag-raising ceremony. The location also was not Galwan, the site of major unarmed clash between India and PLA troops on June 15, 2020. In fact, the "set" was created nearly 28 Kms behind Galwan river and inside the Chinese-controlled area of Aksai Chin. Wu Jing is well-known actor in China. He has starred in many hits, also playing the role of a Chinese soldier

  Southeast Asia, as it was in the 1960s and ‘70s, has again become the fulcrum in the current international relations and global conflict between the two superpowers –this time, however, not between the US and the Soviets but US and China, the latter being the rising delinquent, new muscleman in the town with deep pockets.  Strategic location between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, together with the region’s proximity to Beijing lends it an added significance in the emerging battleground, if not in military confrontation, but surely in rivalry for influence through other means. ASEAN centrality has to be rephrased as Southeast Asian centrality , as the region has become the fulcrum not the organization, which is not only divided on the question of China but also has failed to provide any leadership on any major crisis affecting the region, the latest example being the Myanmar crisis. Individual countries of the region, rather than ASEAN as an organisation have become the focus of o

  India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier this week arrested an Islamic State operative in Karnataka , who had also travelled to Kashmir to deepen the ISIS roots.   Working in coordination with the Karnataka Police, the anti-terror agency arrested Mundadiguttu Sadananda Marla Deepthi Marlah following her suspected ISIS links. Marlah alias Maryam is the wife of Anas Abdul Rahiman, a resident of Mangalore and daughter-in-law of B M Basha, son of late B M Idinabba, the three-time Congress MLA from the Ullal constituency. NIA said that, during the investigation, it has been revealed that after the decline of ISIS Caliphate in Syria/Iraq, Maryam and Mohammad Ameen, who was arrested in March 2021 by the agency, had visited Kashmir in January and March 2020 for Hijrah (religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts and supporting the activities of ISIS. Investigation has also revealed that Marlah or Deepthi Marlah was the kingpin of the instant ISIS conspiracy alo

Russia has announced the formation of a new anti-aircraft missile regiment in the Republic of Khakassia located in the southwestern part of Eastern Siberia - a region close to Mongolia which is not only rich in natural resources but also houses the country's largest hydropower plant. "An anti-aircraft missile regiment armed with Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun systems will be formed in the Republic of Khakassia in 2022. The personnel of the military unit will be on alert for the air defence of the region," the Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday. The Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon system is designed for air defence of small military and administrative-industrial facilities, areas from aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and precision weapons. It is also deployed for strengthening the air defence groups in repelling massive airstrikes. The S-400 'Triumph' air defence missile system The complex armament, detailed the Press Servic

  The year 2021 can possibly be called the most disruptive and devastating year in recent memory for the whole world. It had started on a muted positive note with vaccines becoming available to confront the once–in-a-century pandemic and with cautious optimism that the world would be able to overcome the health, economic and social challenges thrown up by the coronavirus. India had to handle its own share of trials during the year. At the end of 2021, India can look back with satisfaction upon the year just ended because it has been able to successfully overcome most of the difficulties that came its way starting with the second wave of Covid-19 and the steep decline of -7.3% in GDP during the last fiscal year. Other major challenges that had to be boldly confronted included the forcible wresting of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan and the continued standoff with China on India’s northern borders. Some of the major highlights of the Indian foreign policy during 2021 which give prom

  India has told China once again that assigning "invented names" to some places in Arunachal Pradesh will not change the reality. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, in an announcement on Wednesday, had made official 15 publicly-used place names in southern Tibet - or Zangnan as the Chinese call Arunachal Pradesh - giving geographical coordinates of the locations in India's state.   "In accordance with the relevant regulations of the State Council on the management of geographical names, our ministry and relevant departments have standardized some geographical names in southern Tibet. The second batch of publicly-used place names in southern Tibet (15 in total) is now officially announced," said the Chinese ministry. Slamming Beijing's move, New Delhi said that it is not for the first time that China has attempted such a renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, having also assigned such names in April 2017. "Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and wi

  The year end doesn’t spell well for the wildlife and animal lovers of the country, as the National Tiger Conservation Authority has reported 126 tiger deaths in 2021 – the highest in a decade. Sixty of these 126, according to NTCA, died due to poaching, man-animal conflict outside the protected areas and accidents. NTCA has been maintaining the record of the public deaths of the felines since 2012. The data this year has led to concern among the wildlife experts and officials with demand for rigorous conservation efforts and initiatives, especially in the reserve forest areas. The break-up of the figures shows that Madhya Pradesh which has a population of 526 tigers, has registered 41 deaths, the highest number, followed by Maharashtra which has 312 tigers and lost 25, while Karnataka with 524 tigers has registered 15 deaths. Uttar Pradesh with 173 tigers, showed a figure of nine deaths. Wildlife expert suggested that the death toll could be higher as many of the natural deaths occu