- 2 days ago
In this episode of India Today Global, the focus is on the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Washington DC.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching India Today Global with me, Geeta Mohan.
00:17After a brief encounter on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly,
00:22U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif today.
00:27President Trump is set to hold a private Oval Office meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
00:34This comes just weeks after Washington and Islamabad signed a new trade agreement
00:38signaling steadily improving ties under Trump administration.
00:43It will be the first such meeting in six years.
00:47The talks follow Trump's back-to-back engagements with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asa Munir,
00:52including a White House luncheon where Munir even suggested a Nobel Prize for Trump
00:58for brokering peace between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindhuur.
01:02But it also comes at a time when the latest State Department Fiscal Transparency 2025 report
01:08has suggested that Pakistan needs parliamentary and civilian oversight in their defense and intelligence spending,
01:15which America has a huge role to play when it comes to giving aid and money to Pakistan.
01:22How will Islamabad balance the positives and the criticism?
01:26The talks also come at a time when India and U.S. ties have been hit by tariffs
01:32and the relations between the two countries are at an all-time low
01:38because of the purchase of Russian oil by India.
01:42Those are details that are coming in at around 2 a.m. India time.
01:47In the wee hours, we will have a meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
01:54It is taking place in Washington, D.C.
01:56Remember, the United Nations General Assembly session is taking place in New York,
02:02where President Trump was.
02:03There was a moment where Prime Minister Modi also, when he attended the UNGA, was in New York
02:09and then there was a bilateral that took place between him and the then U.S. President in Washington, D.C.
02:15So, for bilateral talks with President Trump, leaders have to go to Washington, D.C. from New York.
02:22And, like Turkey's president and the bilateral meeting that took place just a while ago,
02:26Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is also in Washington, D.C. and will be meeting with the U.S. President.
02:33My colleague Pranay Upadhyay joins me for more on this.
02:36Pranay, interesting, at a time when the transparency report is out and seeks more oversight by Pakistan,
02:43and this is the United States of America, but Trump has his own interests in Pakistan
02:48and that clearly shows with the kind of meetings that he's been having with Pakistani leadership.
02:53Absolutely, Geetha.
02:56If you see President Donald Trump and his approach toward foreign policy, he has its own opinion.
03:01You have heard him in his interaction with Turkish President Erdogan,
03:06where he said that he doesn't like opinionated people,
03:09but he certainly likes opinionated people like a recipe of Erdogan.
03:13So, he definitely has different opinions with different people,
03:16and especially those who come to meet him.
03:18He said all sorts of words.
03:20And we have also seen on the sidelines of the UNGA when how Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif
03:26held, you know, President Donald Trump's hand and, you know, the kind of conversation they had.
03:32I think Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was desperately looking for this opportunity.
03:36And I think sources tell us that there were a lot of back-channel things happened via Qatar and Saudi Arabia
03:44to arrange this meeting.
03:46So, definitely Pakistan must be having high hopes as far as this meeting is concerned,
03:50and wherein, you know, the Fiscal Transparency Report 2025 and many other assessments like these
03:55doesn't count.
03:56And therefore, we have to see, because this is the first meeting of any Pakistani Prime Minister
04:01with U.S. President in a gap of six years.
04:05And also, this is the first meeting of Pakistani Prime Minister after Operation Sindhu.
04:09So, definitely, we have, we as in India, has a lot of interest,
04:13and we would be keenly watching what happens there,
04:15because we have seen in the past that despite our differences and despite our, you know,
04:21our arguments, the United States has continued the military aid in terms of the F-16
04:27and the continued military package to Pakistan.
04:30Absolutely.
04:32We'll have to see in days to come what happens in the U.S. Congress
04:36and then how it translates into working with Pakistan.
04:39Pranayapadhyay, thank you so much for joining me.
04:45Now, the U.S. President was at the United Nations,
04:49and now he's demanding an investigation into what he calls three sinister events
04:54at the U.N. headquarters that took place and has to do with him,
04:58which includes an escalator breaking down, the prompter not working, and an audio problem.
05:05First Lady Melania Trump was also on that escalator,
05:09so he's describing them as triple sabotage.
05:12Here's a report.
05:13All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle.
05:20If the First Lady wasn't in great shape, she would have fallen.
05:24But she's in great shape.
05:26We're both in good shape.
05:28We both stood.
05:28Days after attending the United Nations General Assembly,
05:36President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation
05:39against the technical mishaps he faced during his visit,
05:43calling it a triple sabotage.
05:47I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries,
05:52and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal.
06:00All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle.
06:07If the First Lady wasn't in great shape, she would have fallen.
06:11But she's in great shape.
06:13We're both in good shape.
06:14We both stood.
06:18And then a teleprompter that didn't work.
06:21Trump claimed that a broken escalator, a failed teleprompter and audio problems
06:29were part of a plot to undermine him.
06:33Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, and I quote,
06:36a real disgrace took place at the United Nations yesterday.
06:41Not one, not two, but three very sinister events.
06:45He accused the UN of deliberately disrupting his speech with technical mishaps.
06:51The United Nations, on the other hand, quickly responded to the growing controversy
06:56and called the incident technical glitch and human error.
07:01UN official countered Trump's allegations against the UN of deliberately cutting off his teleprompter,
07:07saying the prompter is managed by the White House, not the UN.
07:11While addressing the audio issue claim, the United Nations pointed out that speeches are delivered
07:19through headsets at each delegate seat with simultaneous translations in six languages.
07:26White House, however, stood by Trump's claims and supported his investigation order.
07:31U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Walls, called the incident unacceptable
07:37and bagged Trump's demand for an investigation.
07:40Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt also raised concerns.
07:45The controversy adds to Trump's ongoing friction with the UN.
07:49During his presidency, he repeatedly questioned U.S. funding to the body
07:53and even slashed contributions.
07:56With Neha Kumari, Bureau Report, India Today.
07:59Now, hundreds of General Services Administration employees in the U.S. were laid off earlier this year.
08:10That's officials from the government.
08:13They were laid off by Musk as head of Doge.
08:16That's Department of Government Efficiency.
08:19Now, after Musk's exit, many have received offers to return.
08:23What started as a cost-cutting drive by Trump administration seems to have backfired.
08:29Hundreds of federal employees, earlier sacked by the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge,
08:40once led by U.S. President Donald Trump's then-best friend, Elon Musk,
08:44are now being asked to return to work.
08:48A memo obtained by the Associated Press says
08:51the General Services Administration has given these employees
08:55until the end of the week to accept or decline the offer.
08:58Those who agree will report back on October 6th.
09:03The decision which follows mounting costs for the GSA,
09:07which had to continue paying for office space after Doge's cost-cutting move,
09:11was reversed in the wake of the Trump-Musk fallout.
09:15The GSA, established in the 1940s, manages thousands of federal workplaces and offices.
09:22The rehiring is widely seen as an effort following the line of what other agencies have done.
09:30Last month, the Internal Revenue Service, the Labor Department and the National Park Service
09:36also recalled employees to duty.
09:39What began as a cost-cutting exercise has now backfired,
09:43forcing the Trump administration to reverse course on federal job cuts.
09:47With Neha Kumari, Bureau Report, India Today.
09:51President Donald Trump has again taken aim at Joe Biden,
09:59this time via the White House's newly unveiled presidential walk of fame outside the West Wing.
10:06The portrait of Biden was replaced with an image of an auto pen,
10:10the device he has used to sign official documents, including pardons.
10:14A video posted on X shows past presidents' portraits,
10:18but when the camera pans to Biden, only the auto pen image appears, signing his name.
10:24The clip quickly went viral on social media, highlighting the unusual display.
10:29Trump has repeatedly attacked Joe Biden's reliance on the auto pen,
10:32claiming the former president is unaware of what he signs.
10:36He and other Republicans have also questioned Joe Biden's mental fitness in office,
10:41arguing that thousands of pardons may be invalid.
10:51The United States physics team has made history at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad in Paris,
10:58sweeping all five gold medals for the first time.
11:01The winning team, Agastya Goel, Alan Lee, Joshua Wong, Fyodor Yevtushenko and Brian Zong,
11:08delivered the nation's strongest performance in the competition's history.
11:12Days later, the young champions were honoured at the White House,
11:15where U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated them personally.
11:19Among the standout winners is 17-year-old Agastya Goel.
11:23The Indian origin prodigy is the son of Stanford professor Ashish Goel,
11:28already a two-time gold medalist at the International Olympiad in informatics.
11:33Agastya ranked fourth globally in 2024 after scoring 438.97 out of 600,
11:42while China's Kang Yangtzao secured a perfect score.
11:49Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations General Assembly virtually,
11:55thanking Western nations that have officially recognised Palestine as a state.
12:00In his pre-recorded speech, Abbas urged more countries to extend recognition
12:04and voiced sorrow over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
12:09He also expressed gratitude to people worldwide protesting in solidarity with Palestine.
12:15Abbas spoke via video after U.S. denied him a visa to attend in person the UNGA.
12:20His remarks come just a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled address.
12:29We would like to thank France, the U.K., Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg,
12:38Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and Denmark for their recognition of the state of Palestine.
12:48We would like to thank all 149 states which had previously recognised the state of Palestine.
12:59Our people will not forget this noble position.
13:03For decades, Greenland's women lived with a dark secret, a population-controlled policy imposed without their consent.
13:13Now, Denmark's Prime Minister has apologised for what she calls one of the country's darkest chapters.
13:20Here's the full story.
13:21For decades, Greenland's women were subjected to a hidden and disturbing policy imposed by Denmark.
13:38A secret population-controlled programme that violated their rights, their bodies, and their futures.
13:44Between 1966 and 1991, thousands of women and girls, some as young as 12, were fitted with intrauterine devices without their knowledge or consent.
13:58These devices, intended for adult women, were forced upon minors, causing long-term health issues, including severe infections,
14:07and for many, the inability to have children even after the devices were removed.
14:12By the end of 1970 alone, more than 4,000 women had been affected.
14:19Roughly every second Greenland-born woman of childbearing age.
14:24And yet for years, the world knew little of this violation.
14:28This was not merely a failure of healthcare.
14:31It was a systematic abuse, a secret policy that treated Greenland's women as tools in a population experiment hidden from public scrutiny.
14:40It wasn't just the physical harm.
14:44The programme inflicted deep psychological scars, eroding trust between Greenland and its former colonial power.
14:52For decades, Denmark maintained control over Greenland's healthcare system,
14:57even after the island was given authority over its own administration in 1991.
15:02The scars of this secret programme linger in families, in communities, and in the very fabric of Greenlandic society.
15:10This week, in a historic act of accountability, Denmark's Prime Minister, Mehta Frederiksen,
15:16publicly acknowledged the wrongs of this policy and offered an official apology in person to the victims.
15:23The apology delivered in Greenland's capital of Nuuk was just about the past.
15:28But Frederiksen emphasized that acknowledging these dark chapters is essential to building a fairer,
15:35more equal relationship between Denmark and Greenland today and for the future.
15:39I dag siger vi og siger jeg undskyld til hjertet gået ud over.
15:46Og de grimme sider skal ikke gemmes væk.
15:49Tværtimod.
15:51For vores fortid er vi fælles om, og det er vi på godt og ondt.
15:55Og jeg tror ikke på, at vi kan få det ligeværdige og ordentlige forhold til hinanden,
16:01som mange af os ønsker, hvis ikke vi også tør åbne selv de mørkeste kapitler.
16:06Og derfor handler den undskyldning, som jeg giver i dag, ikke kun om fortiden.
16:14Den handler også om vores nutid, og den handler om vores fremtid.
16:19The apology comes as part of Denmark's ongoing efforts to repair ties with Greenland,
16:24especially in the wake of heightened geopolitical attention on the resource-rich Arctic region.
16:29It serves as a reminder that justice for the victims of this secret population control policy
16:36is not just a matter of history.
16:39It is a moral imperative, a step towards healing, a commitment to never repeat such abuses.
16:45With Jyoti Shukla, Bureau Report, India Today Global.
16:48Today on Statecraft, we talk about an imminent danger in India's backyard.
16:55This time it is on the eastern front, Chittagong Port in Bangladesh,
16:59which is being used by America, China, Russia, and could become a major threat for India.
17:07The larger episode and a deeper analysis can be watched on India Today Global's YouTube channel.
17:12But for now, here's an excerpt.
17:18Chittagong Port, Bangladesh's largest maritime hub.
17:30Once acquired gateway for trade, today it is the epicenter of strategic maneuvering in the Bay of Bengal.
17:37U.S. transport aircraft, Chinese submarines, and Russian warships are converging here,
17:42turning a commercial port into a chessboard of global power.
17:46For India, every landing, every dock, every exercise is a test of its influence,
17:53its security, and its readiness to protect its eastern frontier.
17:58The port's location is what makes it so critical.
18:01Just a few hundred kilometers from India's northeastern states and the Siliguri Corridor,
18:07the narrow lifeline known as the Chicken's Neck connecting mainland India
18:11to its seven northeastern states, called the Seven Sisters.
18:14Chittagong sits at a vantage point over vital shipping lanes, energy transit routes, and maritime checkpoints.
18:23Whoever controls influence here can monitor India, track its trade, and threaten its strategic corridors.
18:30The question India must now answer is urgent.
18:35With Chittagong becoming a hub for foreign powers,
18:37how can India protect its chicken's neck and secure its eastern lifeline?
18:42Hello and welcome. You're watching Statecraft with me, Geeta Mohan.
18:53For decades, India has looked eastward with a sense of familiarity,
18:58seeing Bangladesh as a friendly neighbor, a partner in trade, culture, and water sharing.
19:03But after the fall of the Hasina government, that perception is under threat.
19:09Chittagong, Bangladesh's largest port and gateway to the Bay of Bengal,
19:13is rapidly becoming a chessboard for global players.
19:17The United States, China, and Russia are maneuvering in ways that directly affect India's security,
19:23its trade, and the stability of its eastern frontiers.
19:26Chittagong is not just a port, it is a strategic fulcrum.
19:32Located close to India's sensitive northeast and the Siliguri Corridor,
19:35the so-called chicken's neck, connecting mainland India to its seven northeastern states,
19:40the city is a vantage point over vital shipping lanes, energy transit routes, and maritime corridors.
19:48Whoever controls influence here can monitor naval traffic, project power across the Bay of Bengal,
19:53and shape the security environment in India's eastern backyard.
19:59In recent months, the U.S. has been steadily increasing its footprint in Bangladesh.
20:05C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the U.S. Air Force have been flying into Chittagong,
20:11joining Bangladesh and Sri Lankan forces in Pacific Angel multinational exercise
20:17framed as humanitarian aid and disaster response.
20:21On the surface, it sounds benign. Beneath that veneer, it is a signal.
20:28Washington is positioning itself strategically in India's neighborhood, and India cannot ignore it.
20:35China's presence complicates matters further.
20:38On the 12th of October 2024, Chinese naval training ship Chi Ji Guang
20:43and amphibious docked landing ship Jinggang Shan docked in Chittagong.
20:49This was the first foreign fleet to visit Bangladesh under the interim government,
20:54led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
20:57China's ambassador Yao Wan was quick to stress that political shifts in Dhaka
21:01would not affect Beijing's growing influence.
21:05For India, the message is stark.
21:07China is building infrastructure, ties and presence right on its doorstep.
21:13And then comes Russia.
21:16In April 2025, three Russian warships, Admiral Tributz, Admiral Panteliev and the tanker Pechenga
21:23docked at Chittagong port, following a high-level visit to Moscow by Bangladesh's army chief,
21:29General S.M. Shafiuddin Ahmed.
21:31Officially, these were friendly port calls.
21:34Unofficially, they signaled Dhaka's intent to diversify its military relationships,
21:40balancing China and the U.S.
21:42While Russia has historically been a strategic partner for India,
21:46its growing naval presence in Bangladesh creates a new layer of complexity.
21:52Why should India be particularly concerned?
21:55The geography is unforgiving.
21:57Chittagong sits less than 200 kilometers from India's northeastern states
22:01and near the Siliguri Corridor.
22:03In times of tension, influence over Chittagong could threaten India's critical lines of communication.
22:10The city is also adjacent to Myanmar,
22:12where insurgencies and refugee flows already strain India's borders.
22:18Add foreign militarization and the stakes rise exponentially.
22:22India must leverage its influence, fortify its eastern defenses
22:26and engage diplomatically to ensure that Chittagong remains a partner, not a pawn.
22:33And breaking news coming in.
22:40External Affairs Minister Jai Shankar spoke at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting
22:44on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York.
22:47He slammed the UN for double standards,
22:50the United States of America for double standards,
22:52and the United Nations requiring reforms,
22:55while referring to controversy over India's Russian oil purchases.
22:58Here is what he had to say in terms of how multilateralism really is not being able to facilitate peace.
23:06Threatening development, making energy and other essentials more uncertain
23:09in an economically fragile situation, which helps no one.
23:14Listen in.
23:15More, apart from jeopardizing supplies and logistics,
23:21access and costs themselves became pressure points on nations.
23:27Double standards are clearly in evidence.
23:31Excellencies, peace can certainly enable development,
23:35but by threatening development, we cannot facilitate peace.
23:41Making energy and other essentials more uncertain
23:45in an economically fragile situation helps no one.
23:50Therefore, the way out is to move the needle towards dialogue and diplomacy,
23:56not in the opposite direction towards further complications.
24:01With that, it's a wrap on this edition of India Today Global.
24:06Do stay tuned to India Today for all the latest news and updates.
24:09Goodbye and take care.
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