Page 36 - India

President Murmu leaves for six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand, Timor-Leste

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday left for a six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste. According to officials, she will visit Fiji from August 5-7 at the invitation of its President Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere. Murmu will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji's Katonivere and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. She is also scheduled to address the Fijian Parliament and interact with its members, many of whom are of Indian origin. "President Droupadi Murmu departs for her State visits to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste. This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Fiji, and Timor-Leste," the Rashtrapati Bhavan wrote on 'X'. Murmu will pay a State Visit to New Zealand on August 8 and 9 at the invitation of the island nation's Governor-General Cindy Kiro, officials said. This will be the first presidential visit to New Zealand from India after eight years. Besides a bilateral meeting with the governor-general, Murmu will have a meeting with Prime Minister ..

Here's how smartphones became India's superhero in fight against poverty

'India has been able to lift 800 million people out of poverty over the past five to six years simply by the use of smartphones,' said UNGA President Dennis Francis

ADB to give $200 mn loan to India for solid waste management in 100 cities

Asian Development Bank and the Government of India recently signed a USD 200 million (about Rs 1,700 crore) loan to improve solid waste management and sanitation in 100 cities across eight states in the country. The signatories to the loan agreement for the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 -Comprehensive Municipal Waste Management in Indian Cities Program were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Finance Ministry, and Mio Oka, Country Director for Asian Development Bank (ADB) - India Resident Mission, the Manila-based multilateral funding agency said in a statement on Tuesday. After signing the loan agreement, Mukherjee said that the programme supports the objectives of the government's Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission - Urban 2.0 by enhancing sanitation and solid waste management infrastructure, including waste segregation, collection and disposal. "This programme is guided by lessons derived from ADB's experience in urban infrastructure development across several states and will incorpora

Govt permits export of 1,000 tonnes non-basmati white rice to Namibia

India on Monday allowed the export of 1,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to Namibia through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL). Though exports of non-basmati white rice have been banned since July 20, 2023, to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs on request. "Export of 1,000 MTs of non-basmati white rice to Namibia is permitted through NCEL, " the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said. India's export of non-basmati white rice was USD 122.7 million in April-May and USD 852.53 million in the entire 2023-24. The country has earlier also allowed such exports to countries like Nepal, Cameroon, Cote D' Ivore, Guinea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Seychelles. NCEL is a multi-state cooperative society. It is jointly promoted by some of the leading cooperative societies in the country, namely Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), popularly

Russia Navy Day: President Putin greets Navy personnel onboard INS Tabar

The tradition to hold the Main Naval Parade in St Petersburg is "to honour glorious victories of the Navy that made a substantial contribution to defending the Fatherland" emerged in 2017

Chinese foreign min asks to step up dialogue in meet with Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings

2nd India-Japan consultations on Middle East discuss developments in region

The second India-Japan consultation on the Middle East was held in the national capital on Thursday, and both sides discussed the challenges and political developments happening in the Middle East and West Asia region.The delegation was led by Suresh Kumar, Joint Secretary, West Asia & North Africa (WANA) Division, and the Japanese delegation was led by Ando Toshihide, Director General, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau."The consultations covered a wide range of topics, including political developments, economic opportunities and challenges in the Middle East/West Asia region," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.Moreover, participants engaged in constructive discussions, sharing their perspectives and insights on the situation in the Middle East, including Gaza.Both sides agreed to remain in touch and continue their consultation on issues concerning the Middle East region.MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X, stating that the discussions were ...

Sawan 2024: Top 50 wishes, messages to share with your friends, families

One of the most auspicious Hindu months, Sawan, is starting from today. Devotees celebrate Lord Shiva with rituals and the Kanwar yatra to offer Gangajal to the Shivling

Indian-American organisations welcome appointment of Kwatra as envoy to US

Indian-American organisation and US advocacy groups have welcomed the appointment of seasoned diplomat Vinay Kwatra as the Indian ambassador to the United States, saying they look forward to working with him to elevate the bilateral partnership to new heights. Kwatra, the former foreign secretary, was appointed on Friday as India's ambassador to the United States. The post of India's envoy to the US has been lying vacant since Taranjit Sandhu retired in January. Indiaspora would like to congratulate Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra on his appointment as the next Indian Ambassador to the United States. Kwatra has served India honourably over a distinguished 30-year career, most recently as Foreign Secretary for India, Indiaspora said. Ambassador Kwatra will undoubtedly play a key role in helping to strengthen and grow the US-India relationship. Indiaspora is looking forward to working with Ambassador Kwatra, it said. As Foreign Secretary, he skillfully navigated India's foreign policy throug

Diljit Dosanjh accused of not paying desi dancers during Dil-Luminati tour

Rajat Bhatta, who owns several dance institutes, took to social media to accuse Diljit of not making payment to background dancers during Dil-Luminati international tour

Indian Embassy in Moscow to help Air India passengers stuck in Krasnoyarsk

The statement said that the Indian officials will stay on the ground till the replacement plane arrives and takes all the passengers

INDIA bloc to hold protests over collapsed law & order situation in Bihar

The opposition INDIA bloc in Bihar on Wednesday said it will organise a state-wide agitation later this week over the alleged deterioration in the law and order situation. The announcement was made at a joint press conference of the alliance partners here. The law and order situation has completely collapsed in the state. Everyday, Bihar is witnessing cases of murder, kidnapping, extortion, rape, etc Why is Chief Minister Nitish Kumar maintaining a stoic silence on the current situation? RJD's state party chief Jagadanand Singh said. We... will organise a protest march on July 20 across the state against rising crimes in Bihar. This issue will also be raised in the assembly during the upcoming monsoon session, Singh said. Leader of Opposition in the assembly and senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also slammed the state government on the issue. Bihar witnessed several incidents that expose the current law and order situation. For instance husband and wife brutally murdered by stabbin

India-Korea to hold next round of FTA review meeting from Jul 17 in Seoul

With talks to upgrade the existing India-Korea free trade agreement (FTA) moving forward, senior officials of both countries will hold the next round of negotiations from Wednesday in Seoul, an official said. The agreement, dubbed as comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), was operationalised in January 2010. So far, 10 rounds of review talks have been concluded. The Indian team "will visit Seoul from July 17-19" for the next round of review meetings, the official added. "In the 11th round, both the sides would discuss the broad contours for closing the deal," the official said, adding that Korea is keen to conclude the negotiations this year. The two countries have sought greater market access for certain products, which are under the negative list of the agreement. No customs duty concessions are granted for the goods under this list. The Department of Commerce has engaged with different ministries, including heavy industries, steel, and chemicals, to prepare the of

Country's top steeplechaser Sable hopes to win a medal in Paris Olympics

India's top 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable does not want to be just a participant at the Olympics and believes he can a win a medal at the Paris Games beginning later this month. The 29-year-old Sable, who recently broke his own national record, will be competing in his second Olympics. He had failed to make it to the finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. "I don't want to just participate, I believe I can win a medal. I am working hard with my eyes set on that goal, if everything falls into place I win a medal," Sable said when asked about the Paris Olympics. "I used to think Olympic medallists had a unique and difficult approach to training, but my experiences over the past two years have boosted my confidence," he said in a JioCinema release. Sable had clocked 8 minutes and 9.91 seconds to break his earlier national record while finishing sixth at the Paris Diamond League earlier this month. At the Paris Olympics, he will face at least seven competitors who have run at better

Most lung cancer patients in India are non-smokers, study reveals

A recent study highlights the role of poor air quantity in India and genetic diversity in rapidly increasing cases of lung cancer

Decoded: What is Thirty Meter Telescope? Why is it significant for India?

The Thirty Meter Telescope, featuring a 30-meter primary mirror and advanced adaptive optics, aims to explore fundamental questions about the universe

Vietnam tops list of most affordable countries for expats, India ranks 6th

This year's list sees a strong Asian presence, with six out of the top ten spots dominated by Asian countries

Sri Lanka to not ban any foreign research ships from its ports from 2025

Sri Lanka has decided to lift from next year a ban on the visit of foreign research ships imposed after strong security concerns raised by India and the US following frequent docking requests from hi-tech Chinese surveillance vessels, the Japanese media reported. The change in position was conveyed by visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry to the NHK World Japan. With the increased movement of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean, New Delhi had expressed concern that those might be spy ships and urged Colombo not to allow such vessels to dock at its ports. After India raised concern, Sri Lanka banned the entry of foreign research vessels from docking at its port in January. Earlier this year, it had made an exception for a Chinese vessel but said the ban would continue otherwise. Sabry said his government cannot have different rules for different countries and only block China. He added that his country will not take sides in a dispute between others, the NHK World

5 countries with updated visa policies; here's how Indians will be impacted

Many countries recently updated their visa policies and requirements which will have a potential impact on Indians. Anyone planning for foreign trips needs to stay informed about the latest updates

India's bond index entry to suck $11 bn from S Africa, Poland and Thailand

It will also pull $2.9 billion and $2.5 billion from the Czech Republic and Chile respectively, it added