Vladimir Putin conveys to PM Modi his inability to attend G20 summit; Sergey Lavrov to attend
New Delhi, Aug 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin who conveyed his inability to attend the G20 Summit on September 9 to 10 in India and said Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The two leaders also reviewed progress on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern, including the recently concluded BRICS summit in Johannesburg, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin in its readout said "a mutual commitment" to the consistent implementation of "large-scale projects" in the energy sector and joint work on the expansion of international transport and logistics infrastructure was "expressed" during the conversation.
It said the significance of the decision on the expansion of BRICS at its summit in Johannesburg last week figured in the conversation and that they emphasised that it will undoubtedly contribute to the growth of the grouping's influence in international affairs.
The PMO said PM Modi and President Putin reviewed progress on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of "mutual concern", including the recently concluded BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Johannesburg.
"President Putin conveyed his inability to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 and informed that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov," the PMO said in a statement.
"While expressing an understanding for Russia's decision, the PM thanked President Putin for Russia's consistent support to all initiatives under India's G20 Presidency. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch," it added.
India is hosting the G20 summit in New Delhi in its capacity as the current president of the grouping.
Putin did not travel to Johannesburg for the BRICS summit from August 22-24 and joined some of its key sessions through video conferencing.
The Kremlin also said that topical issues of "Russian-Indian relations, steadily developing in the spirit of the special and privileged strategic partnership, were touched upon."
"The positive dynamics of trade and economic cooperation was underscored. A mutual commitment to the consistent implementation of large-scale projects in the energy sector and joint work on the expansion of international transport and logistics infrastructure was expressed," it said.
The Kremlin said Putin once again warmly congratulated Modi on the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon near its South Pole and that they reaffirmed the willingness to further develop bilateral cooperation in the space exploration sector.
"The results of the XV BRICS summit in Johannesburg were discussed. The significance of the agreements reached, primarily, the expansion of BRICS, which will undoubtedly contribute to the growth of its influence in international affairs, was emphasised," it said.
In a landmark move, the top leaders of the BRICS nations last week decided to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as full members of the grouping that is largely seen as a counterweight to Western powers.
"The sides agreed on close interaction in the context of Russia's BRICS chairmanship starting on January 1, 2024. An exchange of views was also held with regard to the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi," it added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
