EAM Jaishankar to meet US Secretary Blinken amid India-Canada diplomatic row
Washington (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Thursday, amid the diplomatic rumpus between India and Canada stirred over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
Although officials from both sides are tightlipped about the agenda of the meeting, the latest diplomatic crisis between two of America’s friends, its traditional ally Canada and India, is expected to come up prominently during the talks.
“I don’t want to preview the conversations he (Blinken) will have in that meeting (with Jaishankar) , but as we’ve made clear, we’ve raised this; we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, and we continue to encourage them to cooperate,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
He was responding to questions about the meeting between Jaishankar and Blinken at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department here on Thursday afternoon (which is about mid-night local India time).
The two leaders are expected to pose for pictures ahead of the meeting and are not expected to take any questions from the media.
While the meeting between the two top diplomats was scheduled much before the Canadian crisis broke out, the US has been urging India to cooperate in the Canadian investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia early this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that the Indian government was behind the killing of Nijjar, 45, outside a gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
India has rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official. India has also asked Canada to crack down on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.
Miller said that the issue did not come up for discussion in New York during the Quad ministerial that involved foreign ministers of the US, India, Japan and Australia.
“It was a meeting of a number of countries and it did not come up in that meeting. But we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this issue and urged them to fully cooperate with the Canadian investigation,” the State Department spokesperson said.
Jaishankar arrived in the American capital from New York after attending the annual General Assembly meetings of the United Nations on Tuesday.
In addition to his meeting with Blinken, the external affairs minister is expected to have a series of meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration, review the progress made between the two countries after the historic State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and talk about other regional and global issues.
The minister is also expected to engage with the diaspora, think-tank community and interact with leaders from the corporate sector.
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Mirabai carries Indian weightlifting as juniors rise but doping woes persist in 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Indian weightlifting once again revolved around the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the single biggest achievement for the sport in a year marked by doping concerns and senior-level stagnation.
Returning after an injury-forced hiatus of over a year, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist claimed Commonwealth Championships gold on home soil.
She then added a World Championships silver in the 48kg category, reaffirming her status as the sport's flag-bearer even as the elusive 90kg snatch lift remained out of reach for her.
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Mirabai Magic
Chanu, who had been side-lined since the Paris Games in 2024, marked a successful return to competition by claiming the gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad in August, albeit against a weak field.
She sustained the momentum by adding a third World Championships medal to her glittering trophy cabinet.
The silver at Forde, Norway was achieved with a total lift of 199kg, 84kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk section.
However, not only did the coveted 90kg snatch continue to elude her, the Manipuri lifter failed to even improve her personal best performance.
"In the context of Mirabai, this year has been good. She came to competition after a long time, and won a silver medal at the World Championships which was uplifting after the failure of Paris Olympics," chief coach Vijay Sharma told PTI.
In what can be construed as a fresh challenge for her, the International Weightlifting Federation changed the Olympic weight categories for the second time in a year.
In the latest reshuffle, Chanu's current 48kg category was dropped from the Olympic programme.
As a result, she will eventually have to move up to the 53kg class, the lowest women's category at the Los Angeles Games.
For now, she will continue competing in the 48kg division, with an eye on the Asian Games scheduled for next year, an event where a medal has remained out of her grasp.
Beyond Chanu, there were no other standout performances from the senior lifters during the season.
While Indians managed medals at the Commonwealth Championships against an inferior field, none of the performances came close to world-class standards.
At the Asian Championships too, Nirupama Devi finished fourth in the women's 64kg while Dilbag Singh was ninth in the men's 96kg category competition, reflecting that the Commonwealth level remains the only arena where India can consistently assert dominance.
Dope cheats galore
The persistent menace of doping once again cast a long shadow over Indian weightlifting.
India was flagged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as the worst doping offender for the third consecutive year, based on 2024 data, with weightlifting accounting for the second-highest number of violations.
The gravity of the situation was evident at the Khelo India University Games earlier this month, where several lifters reportedly went missing in action after entering their names.
The competition witnessed a spate of DNSs (Did Not Start) entries following the arrival of anti-doping officials.
Juniors make a mark
Amid the gloom, the rise of junior and youth lifters offered genuine hope as Indian weightlifting headed into a crucial year with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled next season.
"The second line is developing well. The juniors did very well at the Commonwealth Championships.
"There were youth world records and their totals were very good, equal to what the senior national champions are lifting," Sharma said.
Koyel Bar set two youth world records at the Commonwealth Championships on home soil in August, while Priteesmita Bhoi broke the youth world record in clean and jerk on her way to winning gold in the girls' 44kg category at the Youth Asian Games later in the year.
