Shanghai Cooperation Organization
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Indian media worried over falling education standards
Media are worried over the falling standards of higher education in the country after a study revealed that no Indian university is in the list of the world's top 200 institutions. The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings published on Tuesday ranked 800 universities from 76 countries on the basis of four criteria - research, teaching, employability and internationalisation. Even the elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which are counted among the country's finest universities, could only manage a ranking of 222, the Hindustan Times reports. The ratings are "an unpleasant surprise" to those who think that Indian higher education is world-class, the paper says in an editorial, adding that "there's little doubt that the absence of truly exemplary institutions of learning is terrible news for a country that aspires to be a world leader". The Indian Express says that the government "has failed to act upon the infirmities in Indian institutions, in upgrading their curriculum, producing and recruiting the needed faculty, and regulating admissions - and allowing them enough autonomy to do so". The paper, however, hopes that the government's decision to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India will raise educational standards. "The hope touched off by this move must encompass domestic educational providers too, by drawing attention… to the grave problems that inhibit state-funded universities from achieving their potential," it says. The Tribune is also optimistic, saying that the "huge gap in demand and supply" in higher education will be addressed by the coming of foreign private universities. Moving on to foreign affairs, India has decided to fund a power project in Liberia, the Zee News website reports. In a press statement during a visit by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that India has been helping Liberia's development efforts and that "our decision to sign a line of credit agreement of $144m (£91m)… to fund a power transmission and distribution project in Liberia will further enhance our engagements". Staying with foreign affairs, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid will have an "informal meeting" with his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, The Times of India reports. "The engagement in Bishkek is expected to lay the groundwork for the proposed meeting later this month between PM Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York where the two PMs will participate in the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly," the report adds. Curfew relaxed in Muzzafarnagar In domestic news, the riot-hit northern Indian town of Muzaffarnagar was "largely calm" after a curfew was relaxed for four hours on Wednesday, the DNA reports. "Tens of thousands of men and women poured onto the streets for panic buying of essential commodities when authorities relaxed curfew… When the four hours got over, the otherwise bustling Muzaffarnagar again became a ghost town, taken over by soldiers and other security forces," the paper said. At least 38 people have been killed since clashes erupted between Hindus and Muslims on Saturday. Meanwhile, Bollywood and the south Indian film industry are all set to come together for a celebration marking 100 years of Indian cinema, the Deccan Herald reports. Politicians and the "creme de la creme" from the Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam film industries will converge in Chennai for the four-day festival which starts on 21 September, the paper says. And finally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appealed to people to refrain from using currency notes to make garlands, a common practice at weddings and political rallies. Bank notes "should be respected as they are a symbol of the sovereign and the public should not misuse them," an RBI statement says. Controversial Dalit leader Mayawati was criticised in 2010 for accepting a huge garland made entirely of 1,000-rupee notes.
Oil top of agenda as President Putin visits Beijing
Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun a three-day trip to China, which will be his first overseas visit since starting an historic third term last month. He is set to discuss energy ties with Beijing and a group called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO is made up of six members, including central Asian nations like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The group controls oil and natural gas fields, as well as pipeline routes between China and Russia. Russia is the world's leading oil producer and China is the largest consumer of energy. However, China's demand for oil from Russia has fallen in recent years, from 11% in 2006 to about 7% in 2011. So with China seeking cheaper natural resources, how will this impact their trade relationship? Dr Youfa Liu, deputy head of China's Institute of International Studies in Beijing says they'll need to agree on pricing going forward.
China morning round-up: Sino-Russian friendship growing
National newspapers in China play up a picture of ever warming relations between China and Russia on Friday, as Vice-Premier Li Keqiang begins his visit to Moscow. Quoting Mr Li, China Daily says that business opportunities will emerge from the economic development of China and Russia, and both countries will benefit from increasing prosperity and global influence. It says bilateral trade between the two countries surged by 42.7% in 2011, from a year earlier, to $79.25bn. People's Daily says Mr Li - who is tipped to be China's next premier - will be meeting incumbent Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, as well as President-elect Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, the paper also reports on the joint naval parade in the Yellow Sea, which is part of a Sino-Russian naval exercise. Before the Thursday parade, the two navy forces held a live-fire drill, which involved a simulated anti-pirate operations, Beijing News and others report. A spokesman for China's Defence Ministry has insisted that the joint naval drill has nothing to do with regional situations, reports the People's Daily . China Daily's editorial hailed such a picture as a proof of Beijing's growing relations with Moscow. "Thanks to their close co-operation in the UN and other multilateral platforms including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China and Russia have become an indispensable force in the quest for a multi-polar world," said the editorial. As Li Keqiang begins his Europe trip, Wen Jiabao, the incumbent premier, is about to conclude his own Europe visits. Shanghai Daily reports that Mr Wen has announced a multi-billion-dollar investment fund dedicated to central and eastern European states. Back in Beiijng, China Daily and People's Daily report further vows from the military on safeguarding Beijing's "oceanic rights" in the South China Sea. Regional and local papers such as the Beijing Times have also mentioned the warning from the Foreign Ministry, asking the Philippines "not to play tricks" in the ongoing stand-off at the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The Global Times says that Manila will make use of the upcoming Washington visit by its foreign and defence ministers to seek for material support from the US, which would include sales of surveillance vessels and F-16 fighter jets. But an analysis from Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News suggests that Beijing will avoid engaging in any battles in the South China Sea as it wants a stable power transition at the Communist Party conference to be held later this year.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari, are in Beijing this week for the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is led by China and Russia.
2 In Yekaterinburg a representative of the city's administration Konstantin Pudrov believes the experience of staging the latest Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and other events holds them in good stead.
3 Russia is not facing complete isolation, but there will be tensions. Russia needs to secure China's support – but at what price? Russia should use the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to counter NATO.