For the first time, India will host the annual G20 summit in 2022, when the country celebrates its 75th anniversary of Indepen- dence.Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement at the closing ceremony of the 13th G20 summit here in the Argentinian capital on Saturday.He thanked Italy for allowing India …
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India, U.S. Air Forces to begin joint drill today
The Air Forces of India and the U.S. will begin a 12-day military exercise in the Kalaikunda and Panagarh air bases in West Bengal on Monday with an aim to enhance operational coordination, officials said.The ‘Ex Cope India-18’ will be the fourth edition in the series of bilateral drills between …
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The decision to open the Kartarpur Sahib shrine to devotees from across the border was taken in good faith, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday.Mr. Qureshi’s clarification came as India indicated that it would reciprocate Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach without ceding points for either political opponents at home …
Read More »New CEC Arora seeks support for ‘fair’ polls
Sunil Arora, 62, a retired 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, took over as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Sunday.Mr. Arora sought the cooperation of political parties and people to make elections “totally free, fair and ethical.”He succeeded O.P. Rawat who demitted office on Saturday. The Lok Sabha election, …
Read More »Modi, Xi upbeat on ties post-Wuhan
Referring to the talks between the Special Representatives on the border issue as well as defence and various other delegations, President Xi said the two sides should work together to build an open world economy and make globalisation more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, the statement said. “We …
Read More »India-Pakistan ties beyond Kartarpur
In a year, if all goes to plan, the dusty roads leading to the Kartarpur shrine in Pakistani Punjab’s Narowal province will be transformed into a bustling network of tourists and pilgrims. In this town by the river Ravi, the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, spent his last 18 years. …
Read More »Brexit road ahead is going to be hard
What are the terms? On November 25, leaders of the EU-27 group of nations signed off on the 585-word treaty setting out the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the union as well as a non-binding political declaration of aspirations for the future relationship. While insisting that she did not share …
Read More »Ramaphosa to be Republic Day guest
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20 summit here and invited him to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations next year. Mr. Ramaphosa has accepted the invitation. “Glad to have met President @CyrilRamaphosa. At a time …
Read More »‘No possibility of Rohingya returning soon’
United Nations coordinator says the majority of the nine lakh refugees fear persecution There is no “real possibility” of Rohingya refugees returning to Myanmar from Bangladesh despite serial attempts to repatriate them, said Sumbul Rizvi, a senior United Nations coordinator in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. “The UNHCR, UNDP and Myanmar …
Read More »India, U.S. to review defence deals
Defence Minister to also discuss sanctions waiver during six-day visit India and the U.S. will review the progress of their expanding defence cooperation as well as discuss the issue of sanctions waiver for the arms purchases from Russia during Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s six-day visit starting Sunday. Ms. Sitharaman will …
Read More »Kashmir sees 17.3% voting
The turnout in the panchayat polls in Kashmir slid to 17.3% on Saturday, while Jammu recorded a heavy 84.6% polling. “An overall poll percentage of 76.9 was witnessed across the State. A massive 84.6% polling was witnessed in Jammu division and 17.3% in Kashmir division,” Shaleen Kabra, Chief Electoral Officer, …
Read More »Central guidelines for crèches at workplaces
The Centre has prepared guidelines for setting up of crèches at workplaces, which prescribe trained personnel to man the facility as well as infrastructure requirements and safety norms. In March this year, Parliament passed the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017, enhancing paid maternity leave from a period of 12 weeks …
Read More »EVMs being tampered with: Cong.
Releasing multiple videos of polling officials with electronic voting machines (EVMs) in a private hotel, a school bus without number plates carrying the machines and various persons approaching the strongrooms where the machines are kept, the Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of “an organised attempt to subvert the mandate” …
Read More »Kashmir sees 17.3% voting in panchayat polls
The turnout in the panchayat polls in Kashmir slid to 17.3% on Saturday, while Jammu recorded a heavy 84.6% polling. Anantnag and Kulgam districts, witnesses to widespread militancy and violence, recorded a dismal 7.3% and 4.6% polling, respectively. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/kashmir-sees-173-voting-in-panchayat-polls/article25646031.ece
Read More »Delhi fixes weight of school bags
Taking some burden off school students in Delhi, the AAP government issued a circular on Saturday fixing the maximum weight of a school bag. It stated that school bags for students in Class I and II should not weigh above 1.5 kg, 2-3 kg for Classes III to V, 4 …
Read More »Modi, Xi upbeat on relations post-Wuhan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that there had been a “perceptible improvement” in bilateral ties after their Wuhan summit and both sides are optimistic that 2019 would be an even better year for India-China relations. During their fourth meeting this year on the sidelines of …
Read More »Time-travelling, on the corridor to Kartarpur shrine
The history of Sikhism and Punjab is closely tied to the gurudwara which houses a rare, original copy of the holy Granth Sahib As they sat down to the ‘Guru ka Langar’ or community meal at the Kartarpur shrine after attending the ground-breaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor, conducted by …
Read More »TNA urges Sirisena to take a swift, considered decision
The mounting pressure of an impending Supreme Court verdict on his dissolution of Parliament, and the lack of majority support for his hand-picked Prime Minister might prompt President Maithripala Sirisena to end Sri Lanka’s political crisis this weekend, The Hindu learns.President Sirisena held two high-level meetings on Friday evening — …
Read More »Ukraine bars entry of Russian men
Ukraine on Friday barred Russian men aged 16-60 from entry as tensions mounted between the two countries over Moscow’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships last week.The move came after Kiev imposed martial law in border regions this week in response to the Russian seizure of the ships and 24 sailors …
Read More »Trade pact is signed, but U.S.-Canada rift remains
He has called Justin Trudeau “very dishonest and weak.” He also, perhaps jokingly, accused Canada — which came into formal being in 1867 — of burning down the White House during the War of 1812.But on Friday, as President Donald Trump, Mr. Trudeau and Mexico’s President, Enrique Peña Nieto, signed …
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