Page 86 - India

CPI(M) excluding Cong from seminar on UCC aimed at creating conflict: IUML

Key Congress ally in Kerala, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Sunday rejected the ruling CPI(M)'s overtures to take part in its seminars on the hotly debated Uniform Civil Code (UCC), claiming that the Left party was trying to create "conflict" and "division" by not inviting the grand old party. The IUML said it was implied from the CPI(M)'s invite that it had "no good intentions" and there was no need for a seminar which divides people -- a response that comes as a blow to the Left party which was optimistic of seeing the League take part in its first seminar to be held on July 15 in Kozhikode district of the state. Throwing its weight behind the Congress, the League said without the grand old party's leadership and support, it would not be possible for anyone to fight against the UCC at the national level as it was an issue concerning everyone in India and not just the Muslims. The IUML announced its decision after a meeting of the party leadership at Panakkad here followi

Kashmir heaves sigh of relief as water level recedes in Jhelum river

People living in the low-lying areas of Kashmir, including Srinagar city, heaved a sigh of relief on Sunday as a flood threat eased due to a dip in the water level in the Jhelum river following improvement in weather conditions, officials said here. "The weather is improving and the water level will drop, but those living in low-lying areas should take precautionary measures at least for Sunday. Rains are expected in south Kashmir over the next 24 hours but not of the same intensity as on Saturday. The danger of flood is also receding," Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a meteorologist associated with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told PTI. The Jhelum was flowing above the danger mark at Sangam in Anantnag district and Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar since Saturday evening, bringing back the nightmares of 2014 when massive floods inundated vast areas of the Kashmir valley. "Like our prediction, heavy rainfall and snowfall in the upper reaches have taken place. The level of water in the ..

India's space start-ups exploring niche markets, global collaborations

From aiming to re-fuel satellites in orbit to monitoring the Earth's health, Indian start-ups in the space sector are exploring niche markets with the hope of striking it big as opportunities for global commercial collaborations open up. India becoming a signatory to the Artemis Accords and the focus on the space sector, particularly on addressing issues related to export control and technology transfer, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the US will open up doors for private players, industry leaders believe. Since India opened up its space sector in 2020, more than 150 start-ups have come up in areas such as building rockets and satellites, setting up astronaut training facilities and exploring possibilities for space tourism. "It is a good start, because it was unheard of for the US to supply any space or defence-related technology 10-15 years ago. It was a taboo. Now, we are talking of working together in sunrise sectors," Manastu Space co-founder Tushar Jadha

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to visit India on July 21

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on Sunday. This will be Wickremesinghe's first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July. Wickremesinghe was appointed President for the balance term of Rajapaksa till September 2024. India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will arrive in Sri Lanka early next week to work out the arrangements for Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Saturday. According to officials, Wickremesinghe is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi during his two-day visit to India. Officials said Wickremesinghe will finalise the implementation of several Indian projects related to power and energy, agriculture, and maritime issues in the island nation ahead of his departure

36-member aquatics squad to represent India in Asian Games announced

A 36-member aquatics squad including former bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade will represent India at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou in September-October. The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) on Saturday announced the squad which includes 21 in swimming, three in diving and 13 members in waterpolo. The 12-member men's swimming squad includes the star duo of Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj along with veteran Khade, who won a 50m butterfly bronze at the Guangzhou 2010 edition. Teenagers Aneesh Gowda and Aryan Nehra who broke four records and were adjudged the best swimmers in the Senior Nationals this year were also picked in the squad. India squad: Swimming, Men: Aneesh Gowda, Advait Page, Aryan Nehra, Anand A S, Kushagra Rawat, Likith S P, Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj, Tanish George Mathew, Utkarsh Patil, Vishal Grewal and Virdhawal Khade. Women: Anannya Nayak, Dinidhi Desinghu, Hashika Ramchandran, Linyesh A K, Maana Patel, Nina Venkatesh, Palak Joshi, Shivangi Sarma

Sri Lanka's speaker thanks India for help during financial crisis

Expressing his gratitude to "trustworthy friend" India for saving Sri Lanka and preventing a "bloodbath" during its unprecedented economic crisis last year, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has said that not a single nation has extended that kind of assistance to Colombo as done by New Delhi. Sri Lanka was hit by a catastrophic financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. As the country struggled, locked in the throes of the crisis, India extended multi-pronged assistance of about USD 4 billion to it last year, through multiple credit lines and currency support, in line with India's Neighbourhood First' policy. In his address at the gala dinner reception hosted for delegates of the Indian Travel Congress here on Friday, Abeywardena said India "saved us" during the financial crisis, otherwise, there would have been "another bloodbath for all of us". At the evening reception, he thank

India, Tanzania started trade settlements in local currencies: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that India and Tanzania have started trade settlements in local currencies and this new initiative will help in promoting commerce between the two countries. Addressing industry leaders at a function, the minister said India-Tanzania bilateral trade has seen very strong growth, and stood at USD 6.4 billion in 2022-23. "Now, bear in mind, this is not only a very substantial bilateral trade, but it's also actually a bilateral trade, which is getting increasingly balanced. Many new products are being added to the trade basket...India remains the biggest destination for Tanzanian exports," he said. There's also an issue which has been brought up from time to time, which is the possibility of trade settlements in our own currencies, Jaishankar said. "And I want to share with you that the India central bank has cleared such a possibility. So the three Indian banks, which are here, have that ability to do trade settlements in each ..

US diplomat in charge of democracy to visit India, Bangladesh from Jul 8-14

A senior US diplomat in charge of democracy and human rights will visit India and Bangladesh from July 8 to 14 to engage with civil society organisations on freedom of expression and association, and inclusion of women and girls and vulnerable groups, the State Department has said. In India, she will also meet with senior government officials to discuss the deepening US-India partnership, the State Department said in a release on Friday. Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights and US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya will travel to India and Bangladesh from July 8 to 14 to engage with civil society organisations on freedom of expression and association, and inclusion of women and girls, persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups, including marginalised religious and ethnic minorities, it said. "In India, she will meet with senior government officials to discuss the deepening and enduring US-India partnership, including advancing shared .

First elevated cross taxiway to be inaugurated at IGI Airport on July 13

The dual-lane elevated Code F taxiways are capable of handling large aircraft and wide-body jets such as A380, 8777, and B747-8

World Bank Prez Ajay Banga to travel to India next week to attend G20 meet

World Bank President Ajay Banga will travel to India next week to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, according to the development lender. This would be Banga's first trip to India after he took over as the World Bank president last month. Gujarat is hosting four meetings of G20 in the first two weeks of July. These meetings will provide an opportunity for business representatives to share their perspectives, insights and policy recommendations on various economic and business-related topics and will play a very significant role in shaping global economic agendas and policies, according to officials.

India in exciting period in technology space: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

India is in an "exciting period" in the history of the country when it comes to the technology space, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said. Speaking at the 113th annual general meeting of industry body Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) here today, Chandrasekhar said the country has developed capabilities, capacities, and confidence in the last nine years, particularly with regard to technology and innovation. Releasing the 'Emerging Tech Trends in 2023" guide at the event, the minister said that in the global value chain, electronics is the second highest traded commodity after hydrocarbons and energy but India did not find a place in it before 2014. "I want to draw attention to two quotes one from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, a son of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. He spoke about how it was almost prescient on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji to anticipate the power of technology and launch ..

Hague court rejects India's objections over water treaty arbitration

India called the arbitration proceeding illegal as a neutral expert was also looking at the issue and the World Bank-brokered treaty prohibits parallel proceedings

Ex-Japan PM hopeful of leap forward in economic relations with India

Earlier, on Thursday, the former Japanese PM called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the two holding discussions on deepening India-Japan Special Strategic and global partnership

I am here on IT mission, India-Tanzania mission: EAM to Indian community

He also noted that at the heart of India-Tanzania ties is the solidarity of spirit and mutuality of interests

Uniqlo expands to western India, to open its first store in Mumbai

Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo on Thursday said it will open its first store in Mumbai as part of the expansion of the company's sales network in the country. This would be Uniqlo's 11th store in India, where the company opened its first store in October 2019. Uniqlo was largely focusing on the northern Delhi-NCR region. The Mumbai store would be launched on October 6 at Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla. "October will also mark the anniversary of our four-year journey in India, and this new milestone highlights our strong ongoing commitment to India, Uniqlo India CEO Tomohiko Sei said. "Until now, our customers in Mumbai have been using our e-commerce channel to shop for their lifewear essentials, and we now look forward to welcoming them in person to our first Mumbai store," he said. Uniqlo also has a presence in India through online sales and it expects 15 per cent sales from e-commerce channels. Today, Uniqlo has more than 2,400 stores across the world. Uniqlo is a brand of Fast .

India rejects ruling by Permanent Court of Arbitration in dispute with Pak

India on Thursday said it cannot be compelled to participate in "illegal" proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Kashmir after the Hague-based tribunal ruled that it has the "competence" to consider the dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad on the matter. India has been maintaining that it will not join the Pakistan-initiated proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration as the dispute is being already examined by a neutral expert under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty. "India cannot be compelled to recognise or participate in illegal and parallel proceedings not envisaged by the treaty," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. In January, India issued a notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the Indus Waters Treaty in view of Islamabad's "intransigence" to comply with the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact. The pact, brokered by the World Bank, was inked in 1960

India slams Pakistan for politically-motivated, venomous remarks in UNSC

India has slammed Pakistan for its "politically-motivated" and "venomous" remarks that referred to Jammu and Kashmir during a Security Council debate on children and armed conflict, saying those who are soaked in bigotry will find it hard to understand a pluralistic society. Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ashish Sharma's sharp response came at the UN Security Council open debate on Wednesday on Children and Armed Conflict, held under UK's presidency for the month, after Pakistan's UN envoy Munir Akram referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his statement. Akram said that it was an anomaly that the latest report of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Children and Armed Conflict does not include India. "Let me also respond to the politically-motivated and frivolous remarks made by one delegation against my country. I will not dignify their venomous comments on India by responding to those, since those who are soaked in bigotry will find it hard to understand a ...

Ambrane expects to almost double revenue to Rs 500 cr by 2025-26

Smart devices and accessories maker Ambrane India expects to almost double its revenue to Rs 500 crore by 2025-26 as it looks to expand both product portfolio and geographic reach, a top official of the company said on Thursday. Ambrane founder and Director Ashok Rajpal told PTI that the company clocked revenue of Rs 230 crore in the last fiscal. "We crossed Rs 230 crore in revenue in the last financial year. It is a testament to our commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. With our upcoming plans, we aim to clock our revenue to 500 crore by 2025-2026," Rajpal said. Since its inception in 2012, Ambrane claims to have sold over 4 crore products in India with a majority of the contribution coming from power banks. "Our expansion roadmap through a combination of widening product portfolio, technology and geography shall drive our growth," Rajpal said. As a part of its next step of growth, the company aims to focus on direct sales and strengthen its availability i

India's tri-services contingent leaves for Paris Bastille Day parade

A 269-member tri-services contingent of the Indian armed forces on Thursday left for Paris to participate in the Bastille Day parade next week that will be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the guest of honour. Three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will also take part in the flypast over the Champs Elysees on the occasion along with French jets. "The parade will witness a 269-member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces marching alongside their French counterparts. The contingent has left for France today," the Army said. The association of the Indian and the French armies dates back to the first world war. "Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated in the war and almost 74,000 of them fought in the muddy trenches to never return, while another 67,000 were wounded," the Army said in a statement. The Indian troops valiantly fought on French soil also. "Their courage, valour and supreme sacrifice not only thwarted the enemy but also significantl

India, Singapore extend MoU to co-operate on public administration till '28

The MoU aims at strengthening the partnership between the two countries through various forms of cooperation between both countries' public service