India launches new campus at site of ancient Nalanda university

Special India launches new campus at site of ancient Nalanda university
Indian PM Narendra Modi visits the site of the ancient Nalanda university and Buddhist monastery in Bihar, June 19, 2024. (PM’s Office)
Short Url
Updated 19 June 2024
Follow

India launches new campus at site of ancient Nalanda university

India launches new campus at site of ancient Nalanda university
  • Ancient Nalanda university was founded in 427 CE during Gupta empire
  • Present-day Nalanda University is a flagship project of India’s government

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on Monday a new campus of Nalanda University, an institution located at the site of a 5th-century learning center considered the world’s first residential university.

The ancient Nalanda university in the state of Bihar was founded in 427 CE during the Gupta empire and flourished for more than seven centuries. Its archaeological remains became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016.

The present-day Nalanda University was established in Nalanda district as a public research university by an act of the Indian Parliament in 2010. A flagship project of the Ministry of External Affairs of the government of India, it was proposed by India’s former president A.P. J. Abdul Kalam and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who served as its first chancellor.

Supported by 18 member countries of the East Asia Summit, Nalanda University’s first batch comprised a dozen students enrolled in graduate and postgraduate courses in 2014. The construction of its new campus started in 2017. It was announced as a “net zero green campus,” with solar panels and water treatment and recycling plants.

“It’s a very special day for our education sector,” Modi said during the inauguration ceremony attended by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and foreign ambassadors.

“Nalanda has a strong connect with our glorious past. This university will surely go a long way in catering to the educational needs of the youth.”




India’s PM Narendra Modi, top officials and foreign diplomats participate in the inauguration of Nalanda University’s new campus in Bihar, June 19, 2024. (PM’s Office)

The ancient Nalanda, whose complex spread over an area of 23 hectares, attracted thousands of students arriving from China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Tibet to learn medicine, logic, mathematics and Buddhist teachings. It also sent some its best professors to propagate Buddhist philosophy in learning centers across Asia.

“Ancient Nalanda had come up in the 5th century CE and this used to be one of the prime institutions of not only Asia but of the world, because it was the first residential university of the world,” Nalanda University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abhay Kumar Singh told Arab News.

“The new university is situated at the same place where you have the ancient campus ... Lots of authentic literature on philosophy was produced. Not only philosophy. Sanskrit, grammar, Ayurveda, metallurgic arts, cosmology, astrology and astronomy — all these things were studied here.”

There are conflicting reports on who destroyed the ancient campus. Some Indian historians believe that it was the Turko-Afghan military general Bakhtiyar Khilji during his conquest of northern India, while many Buddhist sources blame local Hindu Brahmins who they say were jealous of Buddhist dominance at that time.

What is undisputed is that when Nalanda was burnt down in the 12th century, most of its scholars fled to Tibet, and exchanges with other Asian learning centers stopped.

“They lost their source of knowledge. These interactions ended 800 years ago ... In 2006, former president Abdul Kalam suggested that we should have ancient Nalanda rejuvenated again. At the same time there was an East Asia Summit. Member countries also suggested that we want the same Nalanda to be revived and we would support the Indian government to establish the center,” Singh said.

“The university was established and 2014 was the first batch of students, just 10 or 12 ... Now we have students from 26 countries. Although the number is not high, the representation of all these countries is here. It’s truly an international university.”

In the past semester, the university had 170 foreign and 50 Indian students enrolled in world peace, Buddhism, comparative religion, philosophy, literature and management courses.

Soon it will be ready to receive more students at the new complex, which has two academic blocks with 40 classrooms and total seating for about 1,900.

“Earlier we were functioning from temporary facilities. This campus has the capacity to accommodate about 7,000 to 8,000 people — both teaching and non-teaching staff combined,” Singh said.

“We initially planned to have more than 2,000 students and for this we need more courses. Right now, we have six master’s degrees and every course takes 40 students. We are now adding more master courses and more students will join.”


Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’

Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’
Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’

Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’
  • China has for several years been trying to relocate its embassy, currently in the British capital’s upmarket Marylebone district, to the sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London

LONDON: Hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday protested at a site earmarked for Beijing’s controversial new embassy in London over human rights and security concerns.
The new embassy — if approved by the UK government — would be the “biggest Chinese embassy in Europe,” one lawmaker said earlier.
Protester Iona Boswell, a 40-year-old social worker, told AFP said there was “no need for a mega embassy here” and that she believed it would be used to facilitate the “harassment of dissidents.”
China has for several years been trying to relocate its embassy, currently in the British capital’s upmarket Marylebone district, to the sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London.
The move has sparked fierce opposition from nearby residents, rights groups, critics of China’s ruling Communist Party and others.
“This is about the future of our freedom, not just the site of a Chinese embassy in London,” Conservative Party lawmaker Tom Tugendhat told AFP at the protest, adding that people living in the UK “sadly have been too often been threatened by Chinese state agents.”
“I think it would be a threat to all of us because we would see an increase in economic espionage... and an increase in the silencing of opponents of the Chinese Communist Party (in the UK),” the former security minister added.
Housing the Royal Mint — the official maker of British coins — for nearly two centuries, the site was earlier home to a 1348-built Cistercian abbey but is currently derelict.
Beijing bought it for a reported $327 million in 2018.
“It will be like a headquarter (for China) to catch the (Hong Kong) people in the UK to (send them) back to China,” said another protester dressed all in black and wearing a full face mask, giving his name only as “Zero,” a member of “Hongkongers in Leeds,” the northern English city.
“After the super embassy (is built) maybe they will have more people to do the dirty jobs,” he added.
The protest comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, elected last July, wants more engagement with Beijing, following years of deteriorating relations over various issues, in particular China’s rights crackdown in Hong Kong.
In November Starmer became the first UK prime minister since 2018 to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, when the pair held talks at the G20 in Brazil.
A national planning inspector will now hold a public inquiry into the scheme, but Communities Secretary Angela Rayner will make the final decision.
That has alarmed opponents who fear the Labour government’s emphasis on economic growth, and improved China ties, could trump other considerations.
Multiple Western nations accuse Beijing of using espionage to gather technological information.
They have also accused hacking groups backed by China of a global campaign of online surveillance targeting critics.
The United States, Britain and New Zealand in March 2024 accused Beijing-backed hackers of being behind a series of attacks against lawmakers and key democratic institutions — allegations that prompted angry Chinese denials.


Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club

Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club
Updated 56 min 17 sec ago
Follow

Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club

Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club
  • Protesters and supporters frequently gather outside venues where Trump is staying to show their disdain or their enthusiasm for his policies

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: A handful of demonstrators gathered outside Trump International Golf Club on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies while the commander-in-chief spent leisure time at the club.
Carrying signs and Mexican, Guatemalan and US flags and chanting “Immigrants Make America Great,” the small group of people shouted loudly and was visible as Trump, who spent several hours at the club, exited in his motorcade and drove by on Saturday afternoon.
Their chant was a reference to the president’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
One sign in Spanish said “the American Dream is also ours.”
Trump, a Republican who has been in office just shy of three weeks, won the presidency in large part on the back of a promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
He has implemented that promise with speed, starting on the day he was inaugurated, by tasking the US military to help with border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and seeking to restrict citizenship for children born on US soil.
Protesters and supporters frequently gather outside venues where Trump is staying to show their disdain or their enthusiasm for his policies.


Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’

Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’

Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’
  • Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months
  • Rostelecom’s operator told RIA Novosti news agency: “Repair work is being carried out”

MOSCOW: Russia’s state-controlled telecoms giant said Saturday that its underwater cable in the Baltic Sea had been damaged by an “external impact.”
Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against Western countries supporting Ukraine.
“Some time ago in the Baltic Sea a Rostelecom underwater cable was damaged as the result of external impact,” Rostelecom’s operator told RIA Novosti news agency.
“Repair work is being carried out,” it added. The company said consumers were not affected.


Earlier Saturday, the Finnish coast guard said they were monitoring repairs of a Russian underwater cable carried out by a Russian vessel in the Gulf of Finland.
According to local authorities the undated incident took place inside Finland’s exclusive economic zone.
The spate of incidents led NATO countries to launch a patrol mission to protect critical underwater infrastructure in January.
Aircraft, frigates, submarines and drones have been deployed as part of the new operation, titled “Baltic Sentry.”
Finnish authorities said in November 2023 that a Rostelecom cable in the Baltic Sea was discovered damaged in October, roughly coinciding with damage to subsea infrastructure in Sweden and Finland.


South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
  • “We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation,” the government said
  • South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa condemned on Saturday US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze aid to the country over a law he alleged allows land to be seized from white farmers.
“We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation,” the government said.
“It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America.”
The law would “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation,” Trump alleged in an executive order, which also noted foreign policy clashes between the two countries over the war in Gaza.
South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order, but added: “It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid and the government under pressure to implement reforms.


War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
  • The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States
  • The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorized by US President Donald Trump that target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of US citizens or US allies, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annex — not yet made public — to an executive order signed by Trump a day earlier, a senior ICC official and another source, both briefed by US government officials, told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential matter.
The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.
The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned.
The ICC on Friday condemned the sanctions, pledging to stand by its staff and “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it.” Court officials met in The Hague on Friday to discuss the implications of the sanctions.
The International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.
Dozens of countries warned on Friday that the US sanctions could “increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law.”
“Sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the Court may have to close its field offices,” the 79 countries — who make up about two-thirds of the court’s members — said in a statement.

UN DEAL WITH US
Under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, Khan should be able to regularly travel to New York to brief the UN Security Council on cases it had referred to the court in The Hague. The Security Council has referred the situations in Libya and Sudan’s Darfur region to the ICC.
“We trust that any restrictions taken against individuals would be implemented consistently with the host country’s obligations under the UN Headquarters agreement,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday.
Khan was most recently in New York last week to brief the Security Council on Sudan.
“International criminal law is an essential element to fighting impunity, which is unfortunately widespread,” Haq said. “The International Criminal Court is its essential element, and it must be allowed to work in full independence.”
Trump’s move on Thursday — repeating action he took during his first term — coincided with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who — along with his former defense minister and a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas — is wanted by the ICC over the war in the Gaza.
During a visit to the US Congress on Friday, Netanyahu praised Trump’s move, describing the court as a “scandalous” organization “that threatens the right of all democracies to defend themselves.”