Page 108 - India

Need to do home work before visiting India, says Nepal PM Prachanda

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda' is making elaborate preparations ahead of his much-publicised trip to India next month, saying he needs to do home-work before embarking on the visit. The official date of his visit to India is yet to be announced. Prachanda could be travelling to New Delhi during the first or the second week of May, a Prime Minister's aide said. This will be his first foreign trip since he became Nepal's Prime Minister in December last year. Boosting bilateral ties and talks on trade, energy, agriculture, culture, and air service will prominently feature in his talks with Indian leaders. I am preparing for my upcoming visit to India, which is taking place soon Prachanda said at an event here. We need to do proper home-work before the visit, the 68-year-old Maoist leader said. Foreign ministry officials have begun the groundwork for his visit. Earlier this year, Prachanda announced that he would visit India on his first foreign trip after assum

Next target is to breach top 100 in FIFA ranking: AIFF president Chaubey

After a jump of five spots in the latest FIFA rankings thanks to the recent tri-nation tournament title win, the Indian football team's next target is to breach top 100, All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey said. India is ranked 101 after winning the international tournament in Imphal, which also involved Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan, and played during the FIFA window last month. "Wins over Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan in the tournament helped India boost their FIFA ranking while Manipur as a state bared its heart for the beautiful game," Chaubey said in AIFF's latest Vision 2047 newsletter. "Now ranked 101, our next focus is to break the 100 mark and rise further. For that, we will strive and move forward," he added. India achieved its best ever ranking of 94 in February 1996 under Rustam Akramov. The country breached top 100 in 1993 (99th), 2017 (96th) and 2018 (96th). The FIFA ranking system was introduced in 1994. Chaubey was effusive in praising the football fans and ..

Success of climate crisis will in part depend on India's decisions: US

The success of the world in combating the climate crisis will in part depend on decisions taken by India, a senior US official has said, as he vowed to work with New Delhi and other countries in achieving the ambitious targets. These remarks were made by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu, who in an interview with PTI said that the US is determined to support that effort through technology and through financing. I would say none (of the issues) is more important than the climate crisis. The success of the world in facing the climate crisis will in part depend on decisions taken by India, Lu said. "And we have so much respect for the Prime Minister's pledge to create 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel capacity in India by 2030, he said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious energy transition goal. Our teams are working every day on this challenge together and I have great confidence that working together not only between the United ..

2024 going to be a big year for India-US relationship, says official

US President Joe Biden is looking forward to travelling to India in September, his administration's point person for South and Central Asia has said, observing that 2024 is going to be a big year for the India-US relationship. India's leadership in the G-20 further broadens its capacity to stand as a force for good in the world, the official said. This is gonna be a big year. Of course, India is hosting the G-20. This year, the United States is hosting APEC. Japan is hosting the G7. We have lots of our QUAD members who are taking on leadership roles. And it provides opportunities for all of us to bring our countries closer together, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu, told PTI in an interview on Thursday. I know our President is looking forward to travelling to India in September. That will be his first trip to India as part of the G-20 Leaders Summit. We're really excited about what's to come in the next few months, he said. We're only a little over

China under Xi more hostile, India is most important bulwark: Expert

"So, while the US and the United Kingdom work to bolster Australia's defence, a smaller investment in India could pay greater dividends in case a war ever erupts," Rubin said

India logs 12,193 fresh Covid-19 infections, active cases up to 67,556

India has recorded 12,193 fresh COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, with the number of active cases of the infection going up to 67,556, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. The death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 5,31,300 with 42 more fatalities, including 10 reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The tally of Covid cases was recorded at 4,48,81,877. The active cases account for 0.15 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.66 per cent, according to the health ministry's website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 4,42,83,021, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of anti-Covid vaccines have so far been administered to people across the country.

Export, demand slowdown may hurt Schaeffler India's near-term prospects

March quarter earnings were below estimates due to weak show of industrial segment

India's forex reserves up $1.65 bn to $586.4 bn, shows RBI data

But the country's foreign exchange reserves were lower by $ 17.28 billion compared to a level a year ago

UK Parliament panel criticises lack of information on FTA talks with India

A cross-party Parliament committee in charge of scrutinising the UK government's trade affairs on Friday strongly criticised the lack of information provided around Britain's ongoing negotiations with India for a free trade agreement (FTA). The House of Commons International Trade Committee, which is set to be dissolved next week to make way for a new Business and Trade Committee in keeping with the creation of the new merged department by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said in many cases it gleaned more detail on the talks from reports in the Indian media often citing unnamed Indian government officials. India and the UK are negotiating an FTA to enhance the bilateral trading relationship worth 34 billion pounds in 2022, with the eighth round of negotiations concluding in New Delhi at the end of last month and the next round expected in the coming weeks. Parliament must be kept more fully informed about the negotiations. It cannot be right that we have obtained more details from the

Can't wait to return, says Apple CEO Tim Cook last day of India visit

After a five-day long visit, Apple CEO Tim Cook left India with a note that he can't wait to return to the country. The visit of Cook coincided with 25 years of the iPhone maker's presence in India. Cook arrived in India on Monday. The visit started with the launch of the first official Apple store in Mumbai on April 18 followed by a second in the national capital on April 20. "What an incredible week in India! Thanks to our teams across the country. I can't wait to return," Cook tweeted. The company has been selling products in India through exclusive Apple Premium Reseller (APR) stores, large format retail chains like Reliance Digital, Croma etc, multi-brand retail stores and through e-commerce platforms. Apple has over 100 APR stores in India. One of the APR stores was located in the Select CityWalk Mall which had to shift to a nearby mall to pave the way for the Apple Store. Apple started making iPhones in India in 2017 after Cook's last visit in 2016 with low-cost iPhone SE

'Little evidence' of China approaching India to resolve border dispute: US

Reiterating that the United States supports a resolution of the India-China border dispute through a negotiated settlement and direct conversations between the two countries, a top Biden Administration official has said that Washington has seen "little evidence" that Beijing is seriously approaching the talks with a sense of goodwill. Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh. India has maintained that its bilateral ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. "Our position on India's border dispute with China is long-standing. We support a resolution of that border dispute through a negotiated settlement and through direct conversations between the two countries, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told PTI in an interview on Thursday. "Having said that, we see little evidence that the Chinese government is seriously approaching these talks with a sense

How many Indians are there really? India isn't ready for the answer

Centre has a somewhat difficult relationship with data. Various surveys and calculations, from the national income accounts to household consumption patterns and jobs data, have been cancelled

With $100 bn in 2022, India biggest recipient of money from overseas

Highly-skilled Indian migrants from the US, UK and Australia were sending more money home, helped by job support programs during Covid-19 restrictions

India's major ports handled highest ever cargo at 795 million tonne in FY23

India's major ports handled the highest ever cargo at 795 million tonne in 2022-23, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary Sudhansh Pant said on Friday. Pant further said that with transactions worth about Rs 5,000 crore, the shipping ministry has surpassed its FY23 asset monetisation target of about Rs 3,700 crore. He also said that next week, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will launch 'Green Port' guidelines to make India's ports green. "Our major ports have handled the highest ever cargo in the history of the ports at 795 million metric tonne. This is 10 per cent higher than the previous year's cargo handled," he told PTI. India has 12 major ports -- Deendayal (Kandla), Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore (Kamarajar), Tuticorin (V O Chidambaranar), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. "Four or five of the major ports, including Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (Kolkata), Deendaya

Rupee gains 1 paisa to 82.16 against dollar as market sentiment improves

The rupee gained 1 paisa to 82.16 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, tracking a weak greenback against major currencies and positive sentiment in the domestic equities market. Forex traders said downward movement of crude oil prices also supported the local unit. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened strong at 82.11 against the dollar and hit the lowest level of 82.17 before trading at 82.16, registering a rise of 1 paisa over its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee closed at 82.17 against the US currency. Participants were also cautious due to expectations of further interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks. "Upside hopes were abandoned as soon as USDINR turned below 82.2. Look for bounce back today as long as 81.97 holds, but the 82.4 objective now appears far. Towards this end, expect selling pressure on first entry into the 82.15-82.20 region," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, s

India, Armenia, Iran hold 1st trilateral political consultations in Yerevan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, Armenia and Iran held the first trilateral political consultations on Thursday in Yerevan.The three countries had a wide range of discussions, particularly on economic issues and regional communication.Trilateral cooperation in various fields was also discussed during the meeting.Informing of the consultations, the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia wrote, "First trilateral political consultations btw MFAs of #Armenia, #Iran & #India were held in Yerevan. Sides discussed, particularly economic issues & regional communications outlined prospects of deepening cultural & people to people contacts & trilateral coop in various fields."Armenia and India celebrated 30 years of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2022. Armenia and India maintain active political ties. Effective cooperation exists between the two nations within international bodies.After Armenia's independence in 1991, ...

India records 11,692 new Covid-19 infections, 66,170 active cases

India has recorded 11,692 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have increased to 66,170, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll has increased to 5,31,258 with 28 deaths, which includes nine reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.48 crore (4,48,69,684) The active cases now comprise 0.15 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.67 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,42,72,256, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

India, Bangladesh agree to settle bilateral trade transactions in rupee

A delegation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the State Bank of India (SBI) visited Dhaka in April to discuss transaction processes between the two nations

Working on contingency plans, possible evacuation in Sudan: Arindam Bagchi

As fighting between two rival forces rages in Sudan, India on Thursday said the situation in that country is "very tense" and it is focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community, including working on contingency plans and possible evacuation. New Delhi is keeping a close watch on the developments in Sudan besides being in touch with relevant countries, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing and added that any evacuation plan will depend on the ground situation. "We are in readiness of taking multiple options. There are contingency plans. We are in close touch with our teams on the ground. But it will all depend on how long there is a pause in the fighting or a ceasefire; where it is happening, what is available in terms of locations where we can safely take people away," he said. He was responding to a question on whether India is looking to evacuate its citizens from Sudan. Bagchi also said External Affairs Minister

States to establish 100 food streets across 100 districts: Centre

The Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has written to the states and Union Territories to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across the country. The initiative is being taken up as a pilot project to create an example for other such streets to come up across the country to ensure safe and hygienic food practices. The project aims to encourage safe and healthy practices among food businesses and community members, thus reducing foodborne illnesses and improving overall health outcomes, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement. In a letter to the states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi highlighted that "easy access to safe and hygienic food is vital for the good health of citizens". "Safe food practices not only promote the 'eat right campaign' and food safety but will improve hygiene credibility of local food businesses, boost local employment,