Can Saudi Arabia End Israel’s War in Gaza? | Israel Hamas War | Vantage with Palki Sharma

Can Saudi Arabia End Israel’s War in Gaza? | Israel Hamas War | Vantage with Palki Sharma

hello namaskar this is first post and
you’re watching vantage with me py
Sharma
[Music]
how often do you use WhatsApp chances
are every hour of every day and if so we
have news for you WhatsApp is
threatening to leave India the company
is fighting a legal battle against the
government of India at the center of it
is encryption if WhatsApp loses the case
they could leave India that’s what
they’ve said so what exactly is this
lawsuit is WhatsApp serious about
leaving and how will it affect the
Indian users we’ll tell you all about it
meanwhile the war investation continues
Saudi Arabia is now planning a peace
Summit we’ll tell you who is invited and
what’s at stake also US Secretary of
State Anthony blinkin visited China he
got a meeting and a warning from Xi
Jinping in Europe a dire warning from
from Emmanuel macron the French
President says Europe could die why did
he say this and what’s his suggested
treatment in the US campus protest for
Gaza continue the focus is now on the
high-handedness of the police also in
the US vice president Kamala Harris had
an interesting guest she welcomed
reality TV star Kim Kardashian for a
conversation on Criminal Justice Reform
and in the world of AI there is now a
pageant who will be the next Miss AI how
will the contest even work out all this
and more lined up the headlines
first the Indian Supreme Court rejects
please seeking 100% cross verification
of votes
cast using electronic voting machines
with a paper audit it also declined a
petition to bring back paper ballots the
orders came on the day the country voted
in the second phase of the general
election India seeks vij Malia’s
extradition from France according to a
new report New Delhi wants the fugitive
businessman to be extradited without any
preconditions Malia is an accused in a
billion doll bank loan default case he
left India in March
2016 American troops to leave Char at
comes just days after Washington agreed
to remove forces from neighboring Niger
around 100 US troops are stationed in
the Central African nation earlier this
month chard had asked the US military to
Halt its activities at an air base near
the
capital ban says it has no plans to sell
Tik Tok Washington wants the Chinese
Tech Giant to sell it or get banned in
the US American lawmakers have voiced
security concerns over the short video
app but Tik Tok denies alleg ation of
sharing us user data with
China and candidates
Champion D gkes speaks to to first post
the Indian chess Grandmaster credits his
parents for his success it’s a first
post
exclusive uh from a very young age my
mom used to uh used to be uh we used to
talk about a lot of uh mental stuff and
we used to she used to tell me all the
all the epics all the like RAM and
mahabarata and all the all the great
[Music]
story will WhatsApp leave India it might
sound unimaginable to you after all
WhatsApp is everywhere more than 400
million Indians use it every month we
conduct business over WhatsApp speak to
family and friends plan meetings and
trips so life without WhatsApp may sound
impossible but a new case could change
all of that in 2021 the government of
India published new it
rules every social media company has to
follow these rules but one provision is
being challenged WhatsApp has taken the
matter to the Delhi High Court it was
their lawyer who issued this warning he
said in court that WhatsApp could would
leave India so what exactly is this
provision in the it rules and why is it
so controversial the it rules talk about
the first originator of information say
there’s a piece of fake news or a hate
message on WhatsApp under the it rules
of India WhatsApp must Trace where this
message came from who drafted it first
and this person or account is called the
first
originator now who can force WhatsApp to
do this any court or competent Authority
the idea is to ensure that fake news
does not cause
trouble that the real culprits are
traced and punished but WhatsApp has
flagged an issue the messages you send
on WhatsApp are encrypted so only two
people can read them the sender and the
receiver not even WhatsApp knows what
you have sent so the company says we
cannot follow these it rules to find the
originator we must break encryption and
breaking encryption equals breaking
privacy at least that’s what WhatsApp is
saying what about the government of
India in the past the it Ministry has
rejected this argument they say the
likes of WhatsApp already mine user data
so they cannot claim to be guardians of
privacy it’s a fair point but the
question is will the court agree similar
petitions have been filed across the
country all of them have been clubbed
together at the Delhi High Court they
will start hearing the case in the month
of August now this is a very complicated
issue on the one hand you have the right
to privacy the Supreme Court has said
it’s a fundamental right on the other
you have National interest what if fake
news affects public order what if it
leads to social unrest what if it
targets children surely there must be
accountability courts have said that
fundamental rights are not
absolute there must be reasonable
curbs the question is do the it rules
satisfy that yard stick or does the risk
outweigh the benefit that’s one qu
that’s one question the courts must
consider secondly do other countries do
something like this the judge put this
question to whatsapp’s lawyer he said
there is no such rule anywhere else in
the world some countries did try like
the FBI in the United States they asked
Apple to unlock iPhones belonging to
suspects but Apple denied it led to a
huge legal showdown in the US so India’s
rules are one of a kind which is why it
was always going to be a very
consequential lawsuit and WhatsApp has
just raise the stakes let me quote from
what their lawyer said this is the
WhatsApp lawyer he said as a platform we
are saying if we are told to break
encryption then WhatsApp goes we will
have to keep a complete chain of
messages and we don’t know which ones
will be asked to be to be decrypted it
means millions and millions of messages
will have to be stored for a number of
years so WhatsApp is building a strong
case and they’re looking to fight this
out the question is what happen happens
next let’s assume that the court sides
with the government of India it says
WhatsApp must break
encryption then the company has two
choices one it can comply with the order
but chances are it will open the
floodgates countries across the world
will then draft similar laws and they
too will ask WhatsApp to break
encryption and if and if it’s WhatsApp
today it could be apple and others next
which brings us to the second choice for
WhatsApp the choice to leave India but
will WhatsApp really abandon its biggest
Market they make around $1 billion from
India can the company just walk away
from
that like I said the stakes are pretty
high in this case courts and governments
around the world will be watching
this let’s turn to West Asia now Israel
is preparing for the final stage of its
War a ground assault on Rafa but what
happens after that what will postwar
Gaza look
like Reports say Saudi Arabia could play
a role in deciding that the kingdom is
hosting a key meeting on Monday it will
bring together multiple stakeholders
like the United States the United
Kingdom the European Union Jordan Egypt
qar and the Palestinian Authority
they’ll all be there for the meeting but
no Hamas and no Israel these countries
will be represented by their foreign
minister so Anthony blinkin will be
flying down on
Monday but what is the agenda here what
are they hoping to achieve some
officials are calling it a crisis
meeting the idea is to get a broad
picture of postwar Gaza who will fund
the Reconstruction who will administer
the Gaza Strip and what role will Israel
play these are some of the possible
questions on the table and no one is
expecting concrete results but the
meeting itself is symbolic why because
it’s happening in Saudi Arabia so far
the kingdom has stayed on the sidelines
they have criticized Israel but they
haven’t we haven’t really seen any
initiatives Iran’s proxies have done the
fighting Qatar and Egypt have hosted the
peace talks Saudi Arabia was more like
the family Elder important but silent so
what role can Riyad play
now there are two sides to this the
first is a short-term role Gaza is
facing acute food shortage United
Nations agencies say a famine could set
in by by 6
weeks so Gaza needs a lot of Aid and
they need it fast plus reconstruction
will require a lot of money the United
Nations says it will cost $20 billion
the Reconstruction of Gaza Egypt says it
could cost 90 billion so Saudi money
will be necessary the kingdom is the
largest economy in the Arab world also
the natural leader of Muslim Nation so
riyad’s voice will carry
weight that’s the short-term role in the
long term Riyad will play a role in the
two-state solution and their position is
quite clear create a Palestinian State
and we will fund gaza’s reconstruction
if not do not count on us and honestly
it makes sense assume Saudi Arabia funds
gaza’s reconstruction there is no
two-state solution 10 years pass by
there is yet another flare up and Israel
flattens Gaza again so Riyad now wants
assurances assurances that Palestine
will get
statehood the question is will Israel
agree to it prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu is a Palestine haw he’s made a
career out of rejecting the two-state
solution recent events have only
hardened his
position listen to his statement from
February this year this is what netan
said Israel categorically rejects
International
dictates regarding a permanent
settlement with the
Palestinians Israel will continue to
oppose unilateral recognition of a
Palestinian State that’s what the
Israeli Prime Minister said the United
States has the same policy they do want
a two-state solution but they want
Israel to agree to it enter Saudi Arabia
it is the biggest prize for Israel’s
leadership if Riyad recognizes Israel it
could set off a chain reaction other
Muslim nations could do the same and do
not forget the economic potential Saudi
Arabia’s money plus Israel’s
technology together it could reshape
West Asia it could also seal netanyahu’s
Legacy he wouldn’t be the man who
allowed October 7th to happen he would
be the man who forged friendship with
Saudi Arabia it sounds a lot better
doesn’t it so Riyad does have leverage
here but it’s also a political mindfield
for them globally Muslim sentiment has
turned against Israel so recognizing
them during or after the war will be
quite
risky which brings us to the United
States Riyad has a wish list for the us
some security guarantees extra military
aid and assistance for a nuclear program
that’s what the Saudis want if Biden
agrees to this Saudi Arabia could go
ahead hence the meeting on Monday it’s
the right time for these conversations
but a lot will depend on Israel’s
actions in the coming days they are
moving in on Rafa so despite all the
warnings and Invasion now looks imminent
and that could shape the Arab world’s
decision a blood bath in Rafa would be
too hard to ignore it could bury or at
least delay the chances of a stable West
Asia
and speaking of stability the US is
looking for some with China before his
trip to Saudi Arabia Anthony blinkin
traveled to China he was looking for a
diplomatic opening he did not have much
luck though today he met Chinese
president Xi Jinping and this is what he
was
told the two countries should be
partners not Rivals mutually gain
Achievements not hurt each other both
countries should seek Common Ground
while reserving differences instead of
vicious competition
both sides should keep their word
instead of saying one thing and doing
another don’t say one thing and do
another that’s what Xi Jinping told
Anthony
blinken now if you want to look at the
glass half full you could say at least
the meeting happened because she doesn’t
usually meet a lot of visiting diplomats
so blinken secured a
meeting but he also got a cold reception
on his agenda on Anthony Lincoln’s
agenda there were two key items
improving military to military contact
and easing travel between the US and
China that’s what he wanted to focus on
but Beijing had a different plan instead
of dwelling on these issues China told
blinkin about its red lines listen to
this we always call for respecting each
other’s core interests and urge the
United States not to interfere in
China’s Internal Affairs not to hold
China’s development back do not
interfere with China’s sovereignity
safety development and not to step on
China’s red lines on China’s
sovereignity that’s wongi China’s
foreign minister he asked the US to
choose between stability or a downward
spiral and what are China’s red lines
South China C and Taiwan two major flash
points in the Indo Pacific where the US
and China are locking horns just this
week before blinkin arrived in China the
United States approved fresh military
aid for Taiwan
plus American forces have started
military drills with the Philippines now
this is a clear challenge to China the
US is not just stepping on Chinese red
lines it is obliterating them and
blinkin gave no indication that they’ll
back off although he did say that they
want to keep talking to
China at the very least to avoid
misunderstandings to avoid
miscalculations uh that really is a
shared responsibility that we have not
only for our own people but for people
around the
world expecting China to behave
responsibly is being too optimistic
China has a reputation of disregarding
all establishment rules established
Rules of Engagement and now they have
another act to grind the impending ban
on Tik Tok in the United
States there are also growing tensions
over Russia the US accuses China of
fueling Russia’s War Machine in fact
anony linkoln raised this point blank in
the meeting I reiterated our serious
concern about the PRC providing
components that are powering Russia’s
brutal war of aggression against
Ukraine safe to say Beijing did not
relent instead it could be planning to
double down and boost its support to
Russia because next month Vladimir Putin
will visit China most likely right after
his inauguration remember Putin just won
an election a record fifth term in
office in a few days from now he will
take the oath of office and his first
overseas visit could be to
China and what’s on Putin’s agenda
defense supplies Reports say Beijing is
selling a large number of machine tools
microelectronics and other paths to
Russia’s defense manufacturers this
equipment is being used to boost
production of missiles tanks aircraft
and other weapons so what Putin wants
from China is dual use
components these this is equipment that
can serve both civilian and Military
purposes hence the term dual use and
China May be open to supplying these to
Russia which makes the Thor with America
even more
unlikely have you noticed how
politicians end their speech it varies
from country to Country in the US they
say God Bless America in India they say
J hind meaning hail India in France they
say Viv La France and in Saudi Arabia
they praise God and His Prophet Muhammad
different words but same sentiment a nod
to Greatness a hope that your country
and culture lives
forever but Emanuel macron has chosen a
different route on Thursday he delivered
a speech in Paris he outlined his vision
for the European Union but macron did
not praise or hail Europe instead he
warned that Europe could
die Paul Valerie said at the end of the
first world war that we knew from now
that our civilizations were mortal we
have to be clear about the fact that our
Europe today is is Mortal it could die
it could die and that depends solely on
our
choices Europe could die it’s a scary
thing for anyone to say more so for
Europe’s senior most leader to say so
why did President macron say it what was
he referring to and broadly two things
first was the war in in Ukraine macron
called it the biggest threat to European
security and second Europe strategic
position macron said the EU is losing
relevance it has it is too dependent on
others in fact let me quote from that
speech this is what the French president
said the European Union bought its
energy and fertilizer from
Russia outsourced its production to
China and Deen and depended on the US
for its security it’s hard to argue with
that Europe has done exactly that in the
last few
decades but macron says no more he wants
Europe to be independent to to show the
world that the EU is not a US vessel we
must continue to have Partnerships with
other countries yes meaning building a
Europe that can show that it is never
The Vessel of the United States of
America and it also knows how to speak
to all regions in the world to emerging
countries to Africa Latin
America a couple of questions here one
why is macron talking about this now and
what does he propose to do macron has
always spoken about a close-knit Europe
he once called for a European Army so
the sentiment itself is not new if
anything it’s more relevant today across
the Atlantic Donald Trump is leading the
US presidential race he is a known NATO
skeptic if he wins he will not support
Ukraine or european security not the way
Biden does so Europe must prepare for a
trump White House plus the EU itself is
going through a churn European
Parliament elections are in June this
year poll show right parties making
gains they may not get a majority but
this could be the most right-wing EU
parliament in history which means less
support for Ukraine less engagement in
NATO and a possible reset with
Russia even macron is feeling the heat
po showed that his party is trailing in
the in this right trailing the rightwing
rather in France in his country so the
president had to do something and what
better than an alarmist
call but does he have any concrete
proposals
macron did mention a few ideas he’s
dropped his call for a European Army but
now he wants to create a European
Military Academy he also wants a
continent-wide missile Shield sort of
like an Iron Dome for
Europe then he wants closer cooperation
with Britain and finally more investment
in the European Defense industry that
last one is very important in The Last 5
Years Around
55% 55% of European arms arms Imports
came from one country and that that is
the United
States in in 5 years before that it was
only
35% so Europe’s dependence on the US has
increased and macron wants to reverse
that he says the EU must be able to go
to war without America and how do you do
that by making your own weapons France
and Germany are pushing on with a new
deal together they will make battle
tanks by
204 on paper this is all very good every
country is aiming to be self-sufficient
so macron wants the same for Europe but
there’s a
problem Europe is not a country you see
there are 207 members in the European
Union many of them do not see eye to ey
they cannot agree on subsidies and Tech
laws good luck getting an agreement on
Missile
Shields plus macron is talking about a
major realignment Europe has spent 70
years in America Shadows their defense
their foreign policy their strategy all
of it was influenced by Washington so
abandoning that will take time and
investment nonetheless the French
president has openly called for it it’s
now up to his fellow EU members to
respond will they agree to this painful
reorientation or will they stick to the
status quo the elections in June could
answer that
question our next story is about Tesla a
company whose mention used to spark
excitement among both customers and
investors but I guess that was in the
the past now Tesla is on a bumpy road it
has just reported its worst results in
years and that has cast a shadow on its
India plans there’s a lot of speculation
after Elon musk’s visit was cancelled is
this just a delay or are those plans on
hold Tesla is yet to clarify they’ve not
committed to setting up a manufacturing
plant in India there’s
no movement really on charging stations
Tesla is yet to approach suppliers or
any state government for that matter
basically no groundwork has
begun Elon Musk was supposed to be here
last weekend to meet Prime Minister Modi
there was anticipation around the visit
a possible announcement of Tesla’s entry
into India but he called it off at the
last moment citing and I quote very
heavy Tesla
obligations since then the company has
not said much about its India plans but
it has made other announcements and that
is adding to the confusion 3 days ago
Tesla called off plans to build more
factories why it says it does not need
new manufacturing lines and that the
existing factories can make more cars so
if Tesla expans its existing factories
will be used they will supply vehicles
to the new markets in other words it
will be importing cars from overseas not
building them locally and investors seem
to be happy about this they believe that
new production lines increase Tesla’s
risk with this approach not having new
factories
Tesla can service new markets without
any dramatic escalation in cost that’s
how the investors see it but what does
it mean for India will the government of
India be on board with this
plan Tesla cannot just start importing
cars here if it wants to sell in India
it will have to fulfill certain
conditions the first condition is
investment Tesla needs to commit at
least $500 million in India the second
condition is domestic manufacturing
within 3 years Tesla must start making
cars in India without meeting these
conditions Tesla will not be able to
Avail any concessions especially the
discount on import tariffs something
that Elon Musk is said to have pushed
for the new import tax is 15% earlier it
was up to 100% so from 100 to 15 there
there’s been a steep cut but Tesla can
Avail this discount only when it meets
India’s
conditions and this presents a challenge
for Elon Musk because Tesla sales here
Tesla sales are down profits have
collapsed by
55% their margins are reducing they’ve
slashed the prices of cars to boost
sales only expansion into new markets
can solve their problems but for that to
happen they’ll have to spend some money
in fact to enter a market like India
Tesla needs more than a car factory it
needs facilities to build batteries an
entire network of charging
stations in the US for instance Tesla
has six battery fact factories they’re
called Giga factories what about
charging stations Tesla has around 2,000
of them 2,000 charging stations in North
America
alone they’re called superchargers Tesla
claims that these superchargers can add
a mileage of over 300 km with just a
15-minute charge if Tesla wants to
extend the same level of service in
India it will have to invest plus this
is a highly price sensitive Market the
cheapest Tesla car today costs almost
$40,000 that’s 33 lakh Indian
rupees this is too steep for Mass
penetration in a market like India local
EV manufacturers are already
undercutting Tesla they’re selling cars
for as low as
$177,000 if Tesla is serious about India
it cannot rely on its brand name alone
it needs a strategy that is unique to
India something that is clearly missing
right
now in the United States the pro Gaza
protest continues it started at one
University it has now reached two dozen
students want Justice for Palestinians
but there are also reports of
anti-Semitism classes have been
disrupted commencement ceremonies have
been cancelled some very dramatic images
and strong statements have come out but
what what really stands out is the
police brutality American cops are
cracking down on students using tear gas
and rubber
bullets pushing protesters to the
ground if it were any other country we
know the moral lectures that would have
come from the United States but since
this is the United States the world is
expected to understand our next report
tells you
more Colombia Harvard NYU Yale Emerson
Georgetown and Emory these are America’s
top colleges but they’re also America’s
top protest spots right
now it started with Columbia
but it has since spread from coast to
coast students are camping on the
grounds classes are suspended in some
cases commencement ceremonies will now
be
online the protests call for a permanent
ceasefire they want the us to stop
giving Aid to Israel the universities
have disagreed that there are
accusations of
anti-Semitism but what stands out is the
heavy-handedness of the police
doing anything they not
doing not doing
anything not doing anything they were
not
doing that was the University of Texas
the students were protesting police
reached the campus scuffles broke out
and soon videos showed police pushing
protesters to the ground the university
hasn’t commented on it neither have the
police but media Reports say several
were arrested
Ed and this is the picture everywhere
violent police brutality the police are
clashing with students They are tearing
down tents they are breaking phones they
are using tear gas they are arresting
protesters that they’ve put all of these
students through so much violence so
much psychological trauma many of our
students now uh are afraid to come back
to campus
because the last time they were on
campus they experienced police brutality
so I think this university has truly
traumatized numerous students and still
refuses to even acknowledge and it’s now
once again threatening police sweeps
against our stre
body in Emory they even used rubber
bullets against protesters those
arrested were pushed down to the ground
in Texas Troopers used their bikes to
push back the students if this was
happening anywhere else you can imagine
the
headlines police brutality at student
protests police using force on students
police showing
heavy-handedness there would be
widespread condemnation there would be
moral lectures there would be articles
about the erosion of democracy but in
the land of the hypocritical also known
as the United States of America the
rules change depending on
geography if someone uh for example is
is is being attacked we’re going to go
in to Columbia University as we would to
a private home to to help protect that
person but absent
exigency absent um some ongoing crime um
we cannot just go on the Columbia campus
as we see fit it is up to the
university uh to decide whether or not
they want us on
campus the protests are unlikely to end
anytime soon there have been
negotiations class cancellations even
crackdowns but it only continues to
Snowball right now it spread to at least
24 universities and there could be more
in the days to come so the United States
would do well to stop playing pretend
Peacemaker and dowe the fires at home
first our next story is also from the US
it’s about their former president Donald
Trump he’s been quite busy lately with
the slew of legal cases Trump has been
accused of everything really from
election interference to paying hush
money to an adult actor while he deals
with all these legal problems his
advisers are already planning ahead
they’re formulating policies for when
Trump returns to the White House that is
their hope and a new report tells us
what they’re working on Trump’s advisers
want to punish some countries countries
that want to dollarize we’ve spoken to
you about this before about
dollarization but here’s a brief
overview today the US dollar is the most
important currency in the world it’s the
world’s Reserve currency the currency
all countries hold to protect National
wealth about 60% of the world has
savings tied to the US dollar these are
called dollar dominated
assets and what does this mean in
Practical terms it means that the US has
unreasonable control over the world’s
economy we trade with the US dollar we
save using the US dollar and we are all
forced to track the US dollar to make
make sure we don’t suffer because of
American
policies it’s a system where we depend
on the us for our own Financial
stability so what’s the solution
dollarization moving away from this
excessive dependence on the US dollar
some countries have been trying to do
this or thinking about it making small
but defiant moves like India using the
rupee to buy oil from the UA or
Argentina using the Chinese Yuan to pay
off a loan these were moves to reduce
dependence on the US dollar and help
currencies from the global South rise in
value this is dollarization in a
nutshell but obviously the US does not
like that if dollarization begins in
Earnest the US will start losing its
cloud and Donald Trump is not a fan of
that idea he gave an interview recently
I’ll quote from what he
said I hate when countries go off the
dollar I would not allow countries to go
off the dollar because when we lose that
standard that will be like losing a
revolutionary war that will be a hit to
our
country it doesn’t get clearer than that
Trump wants everyone to stay hooked to
the US dollar and now his advisers are
working to make this possible they’re
planning punishments and sanctions for
anyone who does not tow this line and
India is in their crosshairs along with
Brazil Russia China and South Africa the
brics countries basically they have
caught Trump’s eye his advisers are
planning to Target
bricks for what was discussed last year
during the last Summit in South Africa
that was last August the brics country
spoke about creating a new common
currency a currency to be used among
brics member nations for trade and
Investments this new bricks currency was
supposed to be a hedge a protection
against the US dollar it sounds like a
smart pragmatic move a way to defend
National interest it’s an interesting
idea but it’s nowhere near becoming a
reality there are some very very obvious
security issues like sharing a currency
with China so the bricks currency is
still a pipe dream despite this it seems
Trump and his team feel threatened as
though this bricks currency is an attack
on the supremacy of the US dollar so it
seems they’re planning a Counter Strike
and what would that look like the
options include export controls currency
manipulation charges and
tariffs let me explain export controls
restrict free trade they prevent a
country from accessing some Goods or
Technologies like what the US does with
China it prevents Beijing from accessing
Advanced computer chips that’s an export
control Trump May expand export controls
to countries that want
dollarization then we have currency
manipulation charges there are a more
subtle attack a currency can be a
country rather can be branded a currency
manipulator it will affect your
reputation your currency may be shunned
and it could lose value
then we come to tariffs the simplest
form of punishment Trump may put tariffs
on goods from a country like an
additional import tax it makes an
imported product less more expensive
more expensive rather for American
customers if there’s more tariff meaning
the demand will go down because the
product has become more expensive and
the country’s trade suffers Trump and
his advisers want to impose these
punishments on bricks countries for
daring to try and replace the dollar
it’s pure mob Behavior use our currency
or
else India may be spared though New
Delhi and Washington are close allies
after all but this whole episode is
distasteful you cannot force anyone to
depend on you you have to let them make
their own way if not you aren’t an ally
you’re just a big
bully speaking of
bullies let’s turn to
China and this is about India’s
neighbors three of them in in particular
Bangladesh Sri Lanka and a constant
headache that is China Beijing is making
moves in South Asia it is trying to Cozy
up to India’s other neighbors it is
reaching out to Bangladesh’s military
for the first time ever China and
Bangladesh will conduct joint military
drills the exercise is called Golden
friendship
2024 since China is known for it its
dead trap diplomacy this name re saani
the drills will begin next month
meanwhile China is also courting India’s
Southern neighbor that is Sri Lanka
they’re expecting a record Chinese
investment Beijing plans to build a $4.5
billion oil
refinery with a domestic Focus
apparently this is a direct challenge to
Indian investment plans and it shows how
Beijing keeps undermining New Delhi
here’s our
report in early May China will be
sending troops to
Bangladesh no China isn’t starting
another territorial dispute this time
the troops have been invited they are
going to Bangladesh for joint military
drills code named China Bangladesh
golden friendship
2024 China has been investing heavily in
Bangladesh Beijing has spent $25 billion
across a number of projects China has
sent Bangladesh’s tanks fighter jets and
submarines as
well it’s been investing in every part
of Bangladesh st’s defense Land Air and
sea so as a reward taka has finally
allowed Chinese troops to visit a
contingent will take part in the golden
friendship exercises these are the first
ever China Bangladesh joint drills so
what will they be doing apparently
practicing counterterrorism scenarios
Chinese media has given two examples
rescuing hostages from hijacked buses
and cleaning up terrorist camps China
says this is to deepen practical
exchanges and
cooperation now China probably won’t
send troops if a Bangladeshi bus gets
hijacked and as far as Terror Camp
cleanups are concerned China has been
friends with Pakistan for a long time so
Terror cleanups aren’t exactly their
specialty these drills are just the
latest example of the China Bangladesh
military ties but DOA should be wary
because Chinese gold can transform into
NeverEnding debt before you know know it
just look at Sri Lanka Sri Lanka had a
financial meltdown in
2022 they defaulted on a foreign debt
payment the economy crashed people took
to the streets they ousted the president
it was
chaos and partly to blame were Chinese
loans it was a classic example of
Chinese debt trap diplomacy but it seems
Sri Lanka has forgotten those lessons
China accepted Sri Lanka’s f future
progress and
development new areas of
cooperation Ham Port at the tip of our
country Beyond Hab Port it is the Indian
otion and no other
country no other Island right down to
the South Pole please remember so Sanka
also looked forward and develop
H that was Sri Lanka’s prime minister
the Gard he was in China last month
inviting more Chinese Investments one
such investment will affect the hant TOA
Port it’s Sri Lanka’s second largest
port and China controls it the port was
leased to China for 99 years this port
will be getting some China funded
upgrades China’s statun oil refiner
copek plans to build a refining plant in
the port complex it’ll cost $4.5 billion
to set up now in India was planning to
build a fuel pipeline that would go to
Sri Lanka directly Supply the country
with Indian fuel so is this Chinese
Refinery being built for the people of
Sri Lanka or to undermine India at every
turn China is courting India’s neighbors
showering them with gifts and then
bankrupting them with debt New Delhi
should keep an eye out or it might find
itself surrounded by countries beholden
to Beijing
have you heard of Kim Kardashian she’s a
reality star turned influencer turned
businesswoman if you’re on social media
chances are you know about her she
started with a reality TV show and ended
up building an entire Empire her story
is that of modern day
branding using social influence to
create a brand but now she’s expanding
it she’s using her influence elsewhere
today Kim Kardashian was invited to the
White House for a round table with vice
president Kam Harris the discussion was
on Criminal Justice
Reform how does Kim Kardashian feature
in this because it’s a cause that she’s
taken up she’s become a vocal activist
for it podcasts documentaries meetings
with policy makers visiting prisoners
Kim Kardashian has done it all the most
famous example is from 2018 When Donald
Trump was a US president he met with Kim
kardashan they discussed the case of
Alice Johnson a 63-year-old woman who
was given a life sentence for a
nonviolent drug offense Trump granted
her clemency and she was soon out of
prison it’s one of the many cases that
Kim Kardashian has rallied for and now
she’s back at the White House to push
for reform everybody makes
mistakes and for some that might rise to
the level of being a
crime but is it not the sign of a civil
society that we allow people a way to
earn their way back and give them the
support and the resources they need to
do that it was actually this very room
that I was in years ago my first
clemency meeting that really inspired me
to take a journey of really helping to
figure out how I can be helpful and how
I can tell the amazing stories that I
would hear from the success stories from
um individuals like
yourself but our story is not just about
prison
reform it’s about influencers like Kim
she mentions her first clemency meeting
during the Trump Administration when she
was a regular fix at the White House she
partnered with Jared Kushner Trump’s
son-in-law and they worked on cases that
needed a pardon in 2020 Kim Kardashian
spoke in support of trump and his reform
but soon that relationship
SED this is a post from
2023 Trump took to truth social and he
called Kim kashan the world’s most
overrated
celebrity Kim never said who she voted
for in 2020 but it no longer matters
really this is election year in America
and Kim Kardashian is an asset the Biden
Camp knows that hence the round table
with the vice
president earlier this week Biden
granted clemency to 16 nonviolent drug
offenders he pardoned them chances are
you did not see that headline but when
Kim Kardashian talks about it you notice
That’s The Power of social media
influencers they have the read they can
sway public opinion and that means they
can also influence policies the Biden
Administration knows that they have four
digital staffers with one job reaching
out to influencers and content creators
ahead of Joe Biden State of the Union
this year the White House hosted 70 of
them 70 creators digital Publishers and
influencers with around 100 million
followers last year lgbtq influencers
were invited to celebrate same-sex
marriage in fact Biden took it one step
further he was at the Detroit Auto Show
it was supposed to be about cars instead
it became about this viral video hey
excuse me your car is awesome what do
you do for a living well I’m married to
Jill Biden and uh I uh make sure we’re
make a lot more electric vehicles in
America oh that’s amazing what kind of
car is this it’s a Cadillac okay and an
electric vehicle like that that’s
exactly right and it’s quick that’s
awesome well thank you so much you want
to get in the back and come ride with me
but I’m going all the way to Washington
here thank you so much I really
appreciate it thank you man see you guys
want to go to
Washington that’s not all the White
House is contemplating a briefing room
for influencers imagine that and this is
not unique to America really it’s
happening all over the world Davos
that’s the annual meeting of the world
economic Forum cop that’s the United
Nations climate Summit G20 influences
are everywhere in India they are the new
stars India has around
462 million social media users most most
of them follow at least one influencer
so the issues they take up become the
Talk of the Town political parties use
them to spread their message so do other
bodies take the ele election commission
for example it is using influencers to
ask people to
vote it shows you the power they hold
influencers have a large following
they’ve earned the trust of their
followers it’s called Source credibility
the theory is about how information from
particular sources can influence
acceptance
and we saw it during the Wuhan virus
pandemic people were skeptical about
vaccines but when their favorite
influencers endorsed them there was
wider acceptance It’s all about trust
really and that’s why influencers are a
hot favorite people may not trust
politicians but they trust influencers
and with that power comes great
responsibility our next story comes from
the world of AI that is artificial
intelligence and it’s going to sound
like a dystopian nightmare because we
regret to inform you but AI beauty
pageants are a thing now we’re talking
about Miss AI the world’s first
artificial intelligence beauty pageant
where AI generated virtual models will
compete against each other so what will
be the parameters who will be the judge
we’ll discuss that also what is the
purpose of this contest after all beauty
pageants are regressive and demeaning
add AI to the mix
and will the problems only get worse
here’s our
report can artificial intelligence cure
cancer can AI prevent the next pandemic
can it unlock World Peace since AI took
the World by storm many have wondered
about its potential humans have made big
requests and AI is still working on them
but what we never asked for was this
rating and ranking women pushing
impossible beauty standards and
upholding banal and demeaning Traditions
like beauty pageants that stand for
abuse and
misogyny but no shocker AI is already
doing all of this and more case in point
Miss AI this is the world’s first
artificial intelligence beauty pageant
it has been launched by a content
creator platform the pageant will sort
through and rank virtual models these
will be AI generated pictures of women
one of them will be crowned Miss Ai and
the winner in this case the creator of
the image will get a cash prize how much
about
$88,000 and how will miss AI be chosen
on the basis of looks
obviously Additionally the judges will
also look at the implementation of AI
tools the social media clout of these
virtual models for instance their number
of followers and the so-called
personality of these AI generated women
the participants will be answering a
series of questions including what would
be your one dream to make the world a
better
place and who will be judging the
participants two humans and two AI
models atana Lopez and Emily
Pelini Pelini was designed by an
anonymous Creator they asked Jack GPT
what the average man’s dream girl is and
the model was designed along those lines
meanwhile Lopez was built as Spain’s
first AI model its creator has been
criticized for sexualizing Lopez His
Image their response if we don’t follow
this aesthetic Brands won’t be
interested the world in general is
sexualized what an appealing response
you see beauty pageants are retrograde
this year Miss Japan gave up her crown
after Revelations about an affair Miss
France was violently criticized for her
short hair and in 2018 Miss Ukraine was
disqualified because officials found out
that she was a divorced mother that’s
not all beauty contest are also abusive
in 2023 Miss Universe Indonesia
contestants filed police complaints over
sexual harassment at least five
participants were asked to strip down to
their
undergarments beauty pageants should
have no place in our present let alone
the future but clearly they are already
preparing for it they are evolving with
AI as if unrealistic beauty standards
were not enough we now have computer
generated so-called Perfection for
instance in 2016 a beauty contest was
judged by Ai and it didn’t like the
participants with dark
skin also why only miss AI even though
both are problematic where is the Mr AI
contest so if we were asked this
question what would be your one dream to
make the world a better place the answer
would be quit the Antiquated toxic stunt
of beauty pageants and keep AI out of it
and now it’s time for vanted chart’s
images that tell the story in California
a historic Pier erupted in flames in
Brazil thousands of indigenous
demonstrators protested against the
government over alleged failure to
protect their ancestral lands in Japan
Transformer like robots drones and
flying taxis delighted children and
finally we are taking you back in
history on this day in 1986 the worst
nuclear accident in history unfolded the
chernobil nuclear disaster it took place
in what is now Northern Ukraine the
nuclear explosion discharged radioactive
substances into the atmosphere at least
30 people died we’re leaving you with
that thanks for watching have a good
weekend
[Applause]
hey
[Music]
[Music]
for
[Music]
are for

Can Saudi Arabia End Israel’s War in Gaza? | Israel Hamas War | Vantage with Palki Sharma

All eyes are on Saudi Arabia as it looks to host talks with Western and Arab partners on the future of post-war Gaza. Though the kingdom has criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, it hasn’t attempted major diplomatic initiatives to end the war. Riyadh has left the mediation to Qatar and Egypt, and the military pressure campaign to Iran and its proxies. With these planned talks, Riyadh could start playing a key role in shaping the future of the Gaza strip. UN officials estimate that post-war reconstruction could cost up to $20 billion. Will Saudi Arabia fund the reconstruction of Gaza? Can the kingdom stop Israel’s looming invasion of Rafah? Palki Sharma tells you.

—

Saudi Arabia | Israel | Palestine | Gaza | Peace Talks | Firstpost | World News | Vantage | Palki Sharma

#saudiarabia #gaza #peacetalks #israelhamaswar #israel #hamas #firstpost #vantageonfirstpost #palkisharma #worldnews

Vantage is a ground-breaking news, opinions, and current affairs show from Firstpost. Catering to a global audience, Vantage covers the biggest news stories from a 360-degree perspective, giving viewers a chance to assess the impact of world events through a uniquely Indian lens.

The show is anchored by Palki Sharma, Managing Editor, Firstpost.

By breaking stereotypes, Vantage aims to challenge conventional wisdom and present an alternative view on global affairs, defying the norm and opening the door to new perspectives. The show goes beyond the headlines to uncover the hidden stories – making Vantage a destination for thought-provoking ideas.

Vantage airs Monday to Friday at 9 PM IST on Firstpost across all leading platforms.
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