Page 116 - India

India, France's trade ministers discuss progress on India-EU trade pact

Trade ministers of India and France have held discussions related to the ongoing talks for a free trade agreement between India and the European Union, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was here to attend India-France Business Summit and CEOs roundtable meet. He held bilateral meetings with several CEOs and French minister for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht. The ministers discussed priority areas related to India - EU FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations where issues related to market access were deliberated," it said. Goyal also said India is looking to buy 2,000 commercial aircraft in the next 10 years and there is a huge opportunity to make commercial aircraft in India to meet domestic and international demand. With the purchase of Rafale and the recent Airbus order, more value has been added to this partnership, he added. In January last year, India and the EU resumed ...

Covid entering endemic stage in India, cases to subside after 10-12 days

Covid in India is moving towards the endemic stage, so the cases may keep rising for the next 10-12 days after which they will subside, official sources said on Wednesday. The sources said even though the cases are increasing, hospitalisation is low and expected to remain low. The current rise in Covid cases is being driven by XBB.1.16, which is a sub variant of Omicron, they added. While Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the dominant variant, most of the assigned variants have little or no significant transmissibility, disease severity or immune escape. The prevalence of XBB.1.16 increased from 21.6 per cent in February this year to 35.8 per cent in March. However, no evidence of an increase in hospitalisation or mortality has been reported, official sources said.

Sitharaman, Japanese counterpart to announce Sri Lanka debt restructuring

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will join her Japanese counterpart and a senior French finance ministry official in Washington on Thursday to announce Sri Lanka's debt restructuring negotiations process, the IMF has announced. The finance ministers of the three creditor countries will hold a press briefing on the margins of the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington. "Japan, India, and France on Thursday will hold a press briefing on the margins of the Spring meetings to announce the launch of the debt restructuring negotiations process on Sri Lanka," IMF said on Tuesday, quoting a Japanese Finance Ministry statement. The three creditor countries have been working closely for a coordinated debt restructuring for Sri Lanka, the statement said. Japanese finance minister Shunichi Suzuki and France's Director General of the Treasury Emmanuel Moulin will join Sitharaman during the press briefing. Sri Lankan President R

India to put across concerns of Global South at G20: EAM Jaishankar

India is making efforts to include concerns of the Global South in the G20 framework under its presidency, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said

India offers predictable, stable & business-like environment: Industrialist

India offers a predictable, stable and business-like environment which is one of the major factors for foreign companies to invest in the country, a top Indian industrialist has said as he underscored the need for labour reforms. Alok B Shriram, CEO of manufacturing company DCM Shriram Industries, who is in the US as part of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) business delegation, said he sensed great deal of enthusiasm about India and the investment climate in the country in his interactions with his American counterparts. "On the whole, everyone is looking forward to working on investing in India. That difference coming in now, (is) not just transferring technology or something, but it's actually investing, Shriram told PTI on Tuesday. He observed that the first reason for it is that India has a very young and very well-trained workforce that, at least, is well educated. "It's a good environment. I think in the last decade, this government has prove

India logs 7,830 new Covid cases, active infections breach 40,000-mark

In the last 24 hours, India reported 7,830 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the country's overall caseload to 40,215, according to the latest Union Health Ministry data

India, Canada agree to enhance commercial ties, discuss regional issues

India, Canada agreed to enhance momentum in commercial ties, and strengthen cooperation in science and technology, energy, education, consular issues, counter-terrorism, and streamlined mobility

Huge delta of opportunities for investments in India: Goyal to French cos

According to the minister, young population, presence of huge talent pool and digital connectivity offer opportunities for investors

India at helm, G20 eyes common plan on crypto risks: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Sitharaman is currently visiting the US. Her visit started Tuesday, and she will be there for a week. She will be attending spring meetings and a G20 finance ministers' meeting

India strongly rejects China's objection to Amit Shah's visit to Arunachal

India on Tuesday firmly rejected China's objection to Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that the state "was, is and will" always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the reality. The home minister visited Arunachal Pradesh on Monday during which he launched the ambitious 'Vibrant Villages Programme' that is aimed at improving the standard of living of the people in villages in frontier areas. "We completely reject the comments made by the Chinese official spokesperson. Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India," Bagchi said. "Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the above reality," he said. Bagchi was responding to media quer

Indian team to take part in IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania C'ship

Tsewang Chuskit will captain the India squad with Dr Noor Jahan, a conservationist by training, in charge of the goal

India deeply values strategic partnership with France: Piyush Goyal

The minister further noted that this year India is celebrating 25 years of partnership with France and 75 years of India's Independence

India to put across concerns of Global South at G20: EAM Jaishankar

India would like to use its G20 presidency to get the influential forum focussed on its mandate of global growth and development, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Tuesday. Addressing members of the Parliamentary Forum on Indian Affairs in Uganda, he said India's G20 presidency is different in the sense that no other chair has made an effort to consult all the countries from the Global South. India will make efforts to include concerns of the Global South in the G20 framework under its presidency of the influential bloc. India assumed the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1 last year. The G20 Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 this year. The G20 meetings are being held across 56 cities, covering all 28 states and 8 Union Territories of India. Jaishankar said India would like to use the G20 presidency to get the forum focussed on its mandate which is global growth and development and issues important for Uganda. "Issues of green gro

India seeks global condemnation of Pak's delivery of weapons to terrorists

"The international community should condemn such behaviour and hold such states accountable for their misdeeds," Ruchira Kamboj said

Cost of Iraqi oil to India drops as competition from Russia bites

The price of crude from Iraq averaged $76.19 a barrel, compared with $78.92 in January, according to data published by India's ministry of commerce and industry

India remains top destination for Russian Urals oil in April: Report

Attractive prices for Urals mean good margins for Indian refiners while term contracts between Russian and Indian companies and lower freight rates are also helping keep supplies elevated

Two B1 heavy bomber jets of US to join exercise in India for first time

For the first time, two B1 heavy bomber jets of the US Air Force will be part of an India-US mega air exercise that began on Monday amid rapidly evolving regional security scenario and China's growing military muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific. The American platforms at the exercise 'Cope India' that started off Kalaikunda will also include a fleet of F-15 E fighter jets, C-130 and C-17 transport aircraft. The B1 bombers and F-15 E fighters will join the exercise later this week, Gen Kenneth S Wilsbach, the commander of the US Pacific Air Forces, told a small group of journalists. Two B1 bombers had joined the American exhibits at Aero India in Bengaluru in February but this will be for the first time that the aircraft will be part of an exercise in India. Nicknamed "The Bone", the B-1B is a long-range, multi-mission, conventional bomber capable of carrying out missions worldwide from its bases in the United States, as well as from forward deployed locations. The bomber carries

Punjab & Sind Bank open 25 new branches across India, takes total to 1,553

State-owned Punjab & Sind Bank on Monday announced the opening of 25 new branches across the country. With the opening of the new branches, the bank has now a total of 1,553 branches pan-India, Punjab & Sind Bank said in a statement. Considering the geographical spread, these 25 branches were inaugurated virtually from the bank's head office in the presence of top executives, it said. Punjab & Sind Bank Managing Director Swarup Kumar Saha said the bank has taken a new milestone to its journey of excellence and by opening new branches bank will look at enhancing its market outreach and all efforts will be made to mobilise quality business.

Ukraine wants tighter ties with India, visit by PM Modi: Ukraine minister

India has sought a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, while Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin in September that now is "not an era of war"

Nationwide Covid mock drill underway to take stock of preparedness

Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, mock drills to take stock of hospital preparedness are being held in several public and private facilities across the country on Monday. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the city to review the mock drill there. India logged 5,880 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases have increased to 35,199. The death toll has increased to 5,30,979 with 14 deaths, according to the health ministry data updated on Monday. In a review meeting held on April 7, Mandaviya had urged state health ministers to visit hospitals and oversee the mock drills on April 10 and 11. In the meeting with state health ministers, and principal and additional chief secretaries held virtually, Mandaviya had stressed the need to identify emergency hotspots by monitoring trends of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases, ramping up testing and vaccination, and ensuring readiness of hospital ...