The Subcontinent: 7 February 2021
Congressional India Caucus for Allowing Peaceful Protests, Internet Access
Quad: First Leaders' Meeting Planned
Mountaineer Sadpara, 2 Others go Missing in K2
Two Arrested in Pakistan in International Child Porn Case
Books: Indian Icon: A Cult called Royal Enfield
1. Congressional India Caucus for Allowing Peaceful Protests, Internet Access
The Congressional India Caucus' leadership has urged the Indian government to ensure that protesters are allowed to demonstrate peacefully and have access to the Internet (The Telegraph).
Congressman Brad Sherman, the Co-Chair of the Caucus convened a meeting with the other Co-Chair Steve Chabot and Vice-Chair Ro Khanna to speak with India's ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, regarding the farmers protest in India (The Tribune).
While Brad Sherman is Democratic, Steve Chabot is Republican.
Why is it Important?
The Congressional Caucus, also known as the Samosa Caucus, is like a parliamentary group that pursues common legislative objectives. The India Caucus acts as a bridge between India and the US while advocating issues of mutual interest.
The statement by the Caucus leadership comes within two days of the written response by the US to the Wall Street Journal urging dialogue and stressing "unhindered access to information, including the internet"
Also
UN Human Rights for Exercising Maximum Restraint: The Times of India
From our previous editions
The Indian Celebrity Backlash on Global Celebrity Tweets (4 February 2021)
Greta Thunberg, Rihanna, Meena Harris Express Support for Farmers’ Protest (3 February 2021)
Twitter Temporarily Blocks Accounts Related to Farm Stir (2 February 2021)
2. Quad: First Leaders' Meeting Planned
The first leaders’ meeting of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, informally known as the "Quad," is being planned. Nikkei states that the meeting is likely to be online. This follows a 2020 meeting in Japan of the foreign ministers of the three countries and the US Secretary of State (Japan Times).
What is the Quad?
The Quad is an informal strategic forum of four countries — the United States, Japan, India, and Australia. Initiated by Japan, the four seek to establish an "Asian Arc of Democracy" and focus on "a free, open and inclusive" Indo-Pacific.
It is often portrayed as a counterbalance to China, and China has described it as an Indo-Pacific NATO.
India's Position
India had maintained a cautious position with regards to the Quad (The Japan Times).
3. Mountaineer Sadpara, two others go Missing in K2
Mountaineer Ali Sadpara of Pakistan, John Snorri from Iceland, and Juan Pablo Mohr from Chile have been declared missing in the K2 expedition. Army helicopters flew upto 7,000 meters to locate the missing mountaineers, but they could not find any clues (The News).
No Contact with Base Camp
The last contact with the base camp was over 30 hours ago, The Tribune reported from Gilgit. A new search operation has been launched this morning (Samaa TV).
Sadpara's Son Return to Camp 1
Sajid Sadpara, son of Ali Sadpara, who was waiting at Camp 2, has now descended to Camp 1 (Geo TV).
Also Read
Nepal Seeks to Ban two climbers for fake Everest Summit (The Indian Express)
4. Two Arrested in International Child Porn Case
Two men have been arrested on suspicions of their links to an international child pornography ring. The arrests were made by the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) (CTV News).
Two Suspects At Large
The arrests were made near Sialkot (Punjab). Two other suspects remain at large.
Interpol Tip from Italy
The arrests were made following an Interpol top that came from Italy (Dawn). This was the first occasion when Interpol provided information to Pakistan on a criminal investigation involving child pornography.
Why is it Important?
Reports about child pornography in Pakistan have been frighteningly frequent. The linkage with an international child pornography ring has been discussed, but this arrest seeks to connect the links in the chain.
2015: 400 videos of 280 children
In 2015, the Child Protection Bureau in Punjab (Pakistan) unearthed what was described as the “country's biggest child pornography ring,” confiscating 400 videos of 280 children being sexually exploited. A large number of cases came from Kasur in Punjab (Daily Pakistan).
The 1st-ever conviction in 2018
In 2018, a person from Sargodha (Punjab, Pakistan), Sadat Amin was convicted and sentenced for seven years on charges of child pornography. This was the first-ever conviction in Pakistan on charges of child pornography (Dawn).
2020 Arrests
In 2020, four persons were arrested from Sialkot, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala on charges of child pornography (The News).
5. Books: Indian Icon: A Cult called Royal Enfield
The Royal Enfield was originally produced in England. In 1956, they established their first factory in Madras, with the first made-in-India emerging in 1962.
Read more about this iconic motorcycle in the book titled "Indian Icon: A Cult called Royal Enfield" by Amrit Raj.
Reviews
Book tells story behind making of Indian biking giant: The Economic Times
The Enfield journey: A new book explores a bumpy ride into history: The Hindustan Times
Iconic ride with Royal Enfield: The Tribune