Page 52 - India

Sri Lanka approves free tourist visas for India, six others; not for US

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved the policy to issue free tourist visas to travellers from India and six other countries, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said on Tuesday, amidst efforts to rebuild the debt-trapped island nation's tourism sector. Foreign Minister Sabry in a statement said that this would be carried out as a pilot project effective until March 31, 2024. The Cabinet approved free entry to travellers from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand with immediate effect. Tourists from these countries will be able to obtain visas when visiting Sri Lanka, without a fee. India is traditionally Sri Lanka's top inbound tourism market. In the September arrival figures, India topped with over 30,000 arrivals or 26 per cent with Chinese tourists trailing at over 8,000 arrivals as the second largest group. Tourist arrivals to the island had slumped since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that left 270 persons, including 11 Indians, dead and over 500 injured. S

India only nation with no history of antisemitism: Diaspora supports Israel

"India is our motherland. Israel is in our hearts. India is in our blood," he said

Happy Dussehra 2023: Top 10 best wishes, quotes, and messages to share

The auspicious festival of Dussehra will be celebrated across the country with complete joy and enthusiasm. Here is the collection of 10 best wishes, quotes, and messages to share with friends

Navratri festival: Dos and Don'ts to avoid heart attack during Garba dance

Around 10 people died in parts of Gujarat in the last 24 hours. This has raised concern about cardiac arrest among higher authorities and experts. Here are some dos and don'ts to avoid heart attack

Navratri 2023, 9th Day: Maa Siddhidatri Puja, Havan, Aarti and Kanya Poojan

On the ninth day of Navratri 2023, devotees worship goddess Siddhidatri, who is known to be the giver of perfection to devotees. Here is everything you need to know about this auspicious day

India sends humanitarian aid to people of Palestine amid Israel-Hamas war

India on Sunday sent nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine. The consignments were sent in a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The plane is transporting the aid to El-Arish airport in Egypt. "India sends Humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine. An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on 'X'. "The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items," he said. India sent the aid three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences to President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas over the deaths of civilians at a hospital in Gaza and reiterated India's long-standing "principled

India has never seen conflicts on which Israel, Hamas fighting: Bhagwat

Hinduism respects all sects and India has never seen strifes on issues like the one that has led to the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said. He was speaking at a programme organised at a school here on Saturday to mark 350 years of the coronation of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "In this country, there is a religion, culture that respects all sects and faiths. That religion in Hinduism. This is a country of Hindus. That does not mean we reject all other (religions). Once you say Hindu, it is not needed to be told that Muslims too were protected. Only Hindus do this. Only India does this. Others have not done this," Bhagwat said. "Everywhere else, strifes are underway. You must have heard of the war in Ukraine, Hamas-Israel war. In our country, there were never wars on such issues. The invasion during Shivaji Maharaj's time was of that kind. But we never fought of battles on this issue with anybody. That is why we are .

UNSC facing 'crisis of credibility,' says India in renewed call for reform

"The New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism, which we advocate, flows from the idea that there cannot be genuine solidarity without trust," Kamboj said

India rejects Canada's accusation of violating norms amid diplomatic row

The Indian government on Friday rejected any notion that it had violated international law in asking Canada to recall diplomats so that both governments have roughly the same number stationed in each country. Canada said Thursday it was recalling 41 of its 62 diplomats in India after what it said was New Delhi's warning that it would strip their diplomatic immunity something Canadian officials characterised as a violation of the Geneva Convention. The back-and-forth comes amid a spat between the two countries over Canada's allegation that India was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada. India had not publicly stated it would withdraw diplomatic immunity from the Canadian diplomats, nor did it give a deadline for their departure. But it said it wanted Canada to reduce its number of diplomats in India to match the amount that India has in Canada. We reject any attempt to portray the implementation of parity as a violation of international norms, India's Minist

Canada suspends some consulate services in India, issues travel advisory

Visa and in-person consular services in Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Mumbai have been temporarily suspended by Canada

We must find a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, says MEA

India continues to condemn terror attacks on Israel, but says they would support the formation of a viable state of Palestine

Top 6 Durga Puja pandals that will mesmerise you in Kolkata, check list

The Durga Puja festival is celebrated with complete joy and enthusiasm. The festival will start on October 20 and will conclude on October 24. Here's the list of top Durga Puja pandals

Google to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India, will roll out by 2024

The first India-made Pixel devices will come to market in 2024

India's UPI system leading in cross-border payment: US treasury official

India's Unified Payments Interface system (UPI) stands out in advancing bilateral links with other countries, including Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, a US treasury official said. In a speech at Harvard Law School on Wednesday, Jay Shambaugh, Under Secretary of US Treasury for International Affairs, spoke on new technologies and cross-border payments. He said a set of ASEAN countries have the greater ambition of interlinking their fast payment systems multilaterally. Shambaugh said several initiatives are already underway to upgrade legacy payment systems. He said payment service providers, system operators, banks, and FMIs are investing in operational improvements to make their systems faster, cheaper, more transparent, more accessible, and more efficient for individual or financial sector users. "For example, institutions around the world are presently at different stages of implementing the ISO 20022 messaging standard. This standard is more data-rich than its precursor

India, UK free trade deal unlikely to finalise by month end: Report

Both sides already missed the Diwali deadline last year former set by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Navratri 2023: Top 5 Best dandiya events and parties to join in India

The Navratri season is on, and the celebrations are beginning across the nation, especially in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Here are the top 5 dandiya events and parties in Maharashtra to join

No decision yet on India joining trade pillar of IPEF, says official

The government has not yet taken any decision on the issue of India joining the trade pillar of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a 14-member grouping, a senior official said. The IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region on May 23 in Tokyo. The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP and 28 per cent of global goods and services trade. The framework is structured around four pillars relating to trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy (issues like tax and anti-corruption). India has joined the three pillars except the trade part. The member countries are holding negotiations to sign separate agreements on these subjects. Talks are already concluded on the supply chain resilience and the process for domestic approval in India for this agreement is underway. The member nations are holding talks on clean economy, and fair economy pillars under the sixth negotiating round, which is undergoing in Kuala

India needs to be cautious of carbon levy in FTA, says GTRI report

India must make domestic rules and standards before taking commitments under the FTAs on non-trade issues

Global Maritime India Summit 2023: Check date, venue, discussions and more

PM Modi inaugurated the Global Maritime India Summit 2023, which is scheduled to take place from October 17 to 19, 2023. The two-day event will be held at MMRDA Grounds in BKC, Mumbai

NASA experts wanted India to share space technology, says ISRO chief

The ISRO chief stated, circumstances are different and India is fit for building the best of devices and rockets, and due to this, PM Modi has opened the sector to private players