A massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process on Tuesday with more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine flown to 13 cities across India from Pune and taken to designated national and state-level stores amid tight security.
After her elevation as defence minister, Sitharaman has become a member of the cabinet committee on security headed by the prime minister.
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said a military approach to tackle the Syrian crisis would result in "havoc" as it would lead to aiding and abetting of terrorism which would have serious consequences for the entire region.
Emirates and Etihad Airways have over the past year continued to lobby India to allow them more flight slots, which won't be possible until the 2007 pact is revised.
India on Thursday said it expects an "impartial" investigation by the International Criminal Court into war crimes committed during the Libyan conflict that punishes both Muammar Gaddafi's troops as well as opposition forces responsible for violence and killings during the uprising.
While the meetings on Friday were preliminary discussions, it is learnt that sectors like tourism; hospitality; aviation; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and livestock have sought deferring loan repayments and temporary tax holidays in specific cases to help them tide over the steep fall in economic activity.
This year promises to offer ample opportunities on the electoral turf to the SP, BSP and Congress to get their act together and play the "semi-final" of sorts before the "final match" two years later, reports Virendra Singh Rawat
India has said the 15-nation United Nations Security Council should be expanded to include 10 more members, cautioning that delay in reforming the powerful world body will be at the international community's "own peril". Participating in the 8th round of intergovernmental negotiations on UN Security Council reforms, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said India is of the view that reform and expansion of the Security Council are essential
India has given over four million dollars to the United Nations Democracy Fund, bringing to nearly 30 million dollars its total contribution to the entity launched in 2005 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then United States President George W Bush for promotion of democratic values. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri handed over a cheque for $ 4.17 million on Friday to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
India's permanent representative to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri explains New Delhi's stand on Syria to Suman Guha Mozumder.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
India on Wednesday said that mere "cosmetic changes" to the United Nations Security Council will not improve its effectiveness, asking its five permanent members to realise that the reform of the powerful body, including its expansion, is necessary to reflect contemporary realities.
There is also a buzz about Shah joining the government. About 60 ministers may take oath.
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned the Syrian government's violent crackdown on civilians demanding democratic reforms and widespread human rights violations, saying those responsible for the atrocities should be held "accountable."
The protest by Dalits against the demolition of a Ravidas temple in the Tughlakabad area of Delhi turned violent on Wednesday night, leaving several people, including policemen, injured.
Modi, 68, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at a glittering ceremony at the forecourt of majestic Rashtraparti Bhavan.
Sachin Tendulkar will travel to the Rio Olympics after being invited by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach along with other eminent global personalities.
As major airports like Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad have a severe cap on the number of fights they can handle, cancellations continued on Tuesday.
The Sikhs love a good fight, and that's what the Modi government has given them.
Hooking on to Facebook lingo, India's envoy to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri said revitalisation of the UN General Assembly is highly "commented upon" but rarely "shared" and faces the danger of having its status "updated" once a year.
New Delhi's candidature was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping, including China and Pakistan, in June last year.
Voicing its opposition to the use of force to resolve the crisis in Syria, India on Wednesday asked all sides to cooperate with the Arab League and start a political process that should respect Damascus' sovereignty.
As India assumes the month-long presidency of the United Nations Security Council, the international community has "very high expectations" from it, New Delhi's envoy to the United Nations, Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.
India on Friday called for the full implementations of United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against Iran without harming its legitimate economic activities, as New Delhi underlined the need to resolve the row over Tehran's nuclear programme peacefully.
The death toll due to the coronavirus infection rose to 7,466 and the cases mounted to 2,66,598 in the country.
Almost all the deceased were migrant labourers hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon recently announced the appointment of Lakshmi Puri as the Assistant Secretary-General for Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women.
Indian envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said while there is no word yet of a formal bilateral meeting between Krishna and Khar, the "possibility" of a meeting in a social set-up "is very likely."
Probable reasons that led to failure of the sale process include 24 per cent government stake and corresponding rights, high debt, volatile crude oil prices, fluctuations in exchange rate, changes in macro environment, profitability track record of bidders and restriction on bidding by individuals.
After a gap of 19 years, India on Monday assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for August, a period it intends to utilise to establish its credentials for a permanent membership by creating a more "enduring" presence for itself. A temporary member of the Council, India last held the monthly presidency in December 1992. August, being a vacation period, is expected to be a more relaxed one.
The new Ministers of State sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan include Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, former IAS officers Alphons Kannanthanam and R K Singh, former diplomat Hardeep Puri and ex-Mumbai police chief Satyapal Singh. Two other new faces are Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a member of the Lok Sabha from Bihar, and Shiv Pratap Shukla from Uttar Pradesh.
Reacting cautiously, MEA said an agreement has been signed between the two countries finalising the modalities for visits and India will stick to it.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
Despite a strong call for establishing a no-fly zone in Libya by Britain, deliberations on the measure were still "very preliminary", according to a top Indian envoy in United Nations, who stressed that key questions like "objective" and "assets" remain unanswered.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna was caught in a public gaffe when he inadvertently read out the speech of the Portuguese minister at a United Nations Security Council meeting at the United Nations, but rectified the error after an Indian official drew his attention to the mistake. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council at a debate on security and development on Friday, Krishna read out the wrong speech for nearly three minutes before being corrected.
Osama bin Laden's killing did not mean the end of the war against terrorism, India has said, underlining the need to root out the "syndicate of terrorism", which includes elements of the Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. "Without the elimination of terrorist safe heavens and sanctuaries, there can be no end to the global war on terror," India's envoy to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri said at a UN counter-terrorism meeting, without referring to Pakistan.
'Some of his decisions were not so good, but his intentions were always guided by a deep national interest.'
Close on the heels of Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar being subjected to a 'pat-down' search, another incident of top Indian diplomat Hardeep Puri being patted down at Houston Airport has come to light following which India has lodged a strong protest with the United States.
A total of 27,920 people have been cured of the disease with 1,685 in the last 24 hours, taking the recovery rate to 34.06 per cent, the ministry said.
Hardeep Singh Puri, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the architect of India's stunning diplomatic victory this week, speaks to Aziz Haniffa.
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