Russia pledges the freedom of Indians fighting in its army
Russia has offered the early release of all Indian citizens serving in its army, according to India’s foreign ministry. The statement occurred after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Moscow, where he discussed the topic with President Vladimir Putin.
Delhi has been requesting the release of Indians who claim they were enticed to Russia with promises of non-combat duties in the army but were later forced into active fighting in Ukraine. At least four Indians were slain during the fighting. At a news briefing on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra stated that Mr Modi had “strongly raised the issue of early discharge” of Indians who had been “misled into the service of the Russian army”.
“The Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian army,” the politician stated.
Mr Kwatra stated that there were between 35-50 Indians in the Russian army, 10 of whom had already been repatriated home. The two countries would now collaborate to bring back the remaining men, he stated.
Samsung Electronics union goes on an indefinite strike
A union representing workers at South Korean technology behemoth Samsung Electronics has called on its about 30,000 members to go on strike indefinitely as part of a campaign for improved pay and benefits. The declaration came on the final day of a three-day national strike called by the National Samsung Electronics Union.
The union says it decided after management refused to negotiate its requests. The NSEU, which represents about a quarter of Samsung Electronics’ employees in South Korea, stated that its protests had hampered production. Samsung has refuted this claim.
“Samsung Electronics will ensure that there are no disruptions in the production lines. The corporation is still committed to engage in good faith negotiations with the union,” it told BBC News. However, the labour organisation responded: “The company has no intention to engage in a dialogue even after the first general strike, thus we declare a second general strike starting from July 10th, lasting indefinitely.”
South Korean lawmaker blames women for rising male suicide rates
A South Korean politician is under fire for making harmful and baseless remarks after associating an increase in male suicides to women’s more “dominant” roles in society. In a report, Seoul City Councillor Kim Ki-duck claimed that women’s greater engagement in labour over the years had made it more difficult for men to find employment and women who wished to marry them. He stated that the country has recently “begun to change into a female-dominant society,” which may be “partly responsible for an increase in male suicide attempts.”
South Korea has one of the worst suicide rates among the world’s wealthy countries, as well as one of the worst records for gender equality. Councillor Kim’s words have been attacked as the latest in a string of out-of-touch statements made by male politicians.
Councillor Kim of the Democratic Party came to his conclusion after examining data on the number of suicide attempts at bridges along Seoul’s Han River.
According to the analysis, which was published on the city council’s official website, the number of suicide attempts near the river increased from 430 in 2018 to 1,035 in 2023, with men accounting for 67% to 77% of those attempting suicide.
US officials uncover an alleged Russian bot farm
US officials claim they have taken action against an AI-powered information operation organised by Russia, which included roughly 1,000 accounts posing as Americans. The accounts on X were designed to propagate pro-Russia news, but they were automated “bots” rather than genuine individuals.
According to court documents released Tuesday, the operation was conceived by a deputy editor at Kremlin-owned RT, previously Russia Today. RT broadcasts TV stations in English and numerous other languages, but it is significantly more popular on social media than on traditional airwaves.
The Justice Department seized two websites used to send emails related to the bot accounts and ordered X to turn over information about 968 accounts that investigators believe were bots. According to court records, the accounts were created using artificial intelligence, which subsequently promoted pro-Russian narratives, particularly concerning the war in Ukraine.
