India News
Sushma Swaraj Meets Iranian FM Javad Zarif in New York
Two top diplomats discuss bilateral ties and the looming US sanctions on Tehran
Continuing their bilateral contacts in the backdrop of US pressure to bring Iranian oil export to “zero” by November 4, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with her Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in New York on Wednesday and discussed bilateral issues.
According to agency reports, the issues discussed during the meeting held at the sidelines of UN General Assembly, touched upon the bilateral ties and the US’ sanctions against Iran and the status of the deal with European Union.
The meeting was considered important after P4+1 foreign ministers’ meeting with Iran’s top diplomat Javad Zarif when they assured to create an alternate mechanism for making payments for Iran’s exports.
British, French, Russian and Chinese Foreign Ministers along with their German counterpart, who are now being called as P4+1, met with Zarif. They discussed about the possible ways and means to continue their trade and economic cooperation.
Read More: US: Contradictory reports on impact of anti-Iran sanctions on India
Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs told journalists in New York on Wednesday, “On the issue of sanctions, India remains engaged with all stakeholders who are part of the process and Iran is one of them. So, it was natural that the issue of sanctions did come up during the meeting”.
He further said that the two sides shared each others’ position about where they stand at this point of time. “There are developments taking place in different corners of the world,” Kumar said, adding that Zarif shared part of the discussion Iran is having with the European Union on the future of the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as JCPOA.
The Indian official reportedly said, “We heard them out, we also explained our position. It is important to understand that as far as the sanctions on Iran go, we are also engaged with other stakeholders and countries for example the US as well”.
Read More: India Increases Iranian Oil Imports In June By 48 Percent
Iran’s official news agency IRNA reports that foregn minister Javad Zarif and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in a meeting in New York Wednesday afternoon discussed issues of mutual interest.
In May, US President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration in 2015, under which Tehran had agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow international inspectors in return for lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
The US adminsitration has told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to “zero” by November 4 or face sanctions. The spokesman of Ministry of External Affairs said that India has been talking to several partners and countries on the issue before the sanctions come into effect in early November this year.
“We are engaged with all countries in this regard. We hope that our positions, sensitivities, concerns, which we have explained to the US, must have been taken into account by them. It’s not only a question of purchasing oil from Iran but it is also a question of relationship”, he said.
Read More: Germany asks India to continue buying oil from Iran
MEA spokesman Kumar described the talks between the two foreign ministers as a “good meeting”, saying the two countries share strong civilization bonds and go back a long way.
At present Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia. During the first ten months of 2017-2018 fiscal (between April 2017 and January 2018) Iran supplied 18.4 million tonnes of crude oil.
On May 28 this year, when Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif was visiting New Dellhi, Sushma Swaraj had emphasised that India does not recognise country specific sanctions saying, “Our foreign policy is not made under pressure from other countries.”
Bihar news
Bihar: 2 die, 3 lose eyesight after consuming spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur
Two people died while three people lost their eyesight in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur after consuming spurious liquor, as per the police.
Two people died while three people lost their eyesight in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur after consuming spurious liquor, as per the police.
Police have received information that two people died after their health suddenly deteriorated. In the prima facie inquiry, it has been told that they both had consumed country-made liquor. We have arrested two people. Further probe underway, the Superintendent of Police Abhishek Dixit said after two people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur.
According to reports, one of the victims, Dharmendra Ram, has revealed that he consumed spurious alcohol after purchasing from Shiv Chandra Paswan, who generally sells adulterated and low-quality liquor, due to which he lost his eyesight.
He started losing his vision after consuming two glasses of low-quality liquor, which cost him Rs 100.
Police, based on the victim’s statement, have arrested two people. One of the arrested persons is a local resident and has been jailed in the past as well in a liquor-related case.
For interrogation, police have also detained accused Shiv Chandra Paswan’s wife and daughter.
Police confirmed that the deaths and loss of eyesight happened due to the consumption of spurious alcohol.
Earlier this year in April, a shocking case was reported from Bihar’e Motihari district where at least 5 people died after consuming illicitly made liquor while twelve others were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
The incident was reported from Laxmipur Village of Motihari district in Bihar. The cases of spurious liquor creating hazardous health problems and death of people in Bihar have been in focus for quite some months now. Earlier in January this year it was reported from Siwan that four people died post consuming the spurious liquor after which the Police arrested 16 people who were involved in the storage and trading of alcohol in the state.
Purchase, sale and trade of liquor stands banned in Bihar since April 2016 after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took this move to impose a complete prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state.
India News
Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi says India-Middle East-Europe corridor will become future basis of world trade
The India-Middle East-Europe corridor will become the basis of world trade for hundreds of years to come and history will always remember that the corridor was initiated on Indian soil, said PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 105th episode of Mann Ki Baat said that the India-Middle East-Europe corridor will become the basis of world trade for hundreds of years to come and history will always remember that the corridor was initiated on Indian soil.
On September 24 in his monthly Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi also talked about Chandrayaan-3’s success and urged all citizens to participate in the Chandrayaan-3 Mahaquiz, a unique opportunity to learn and celebrate India’s lunar mission. Let’s embark on this cosmic adventure together, he added.
PM Modi said throughout the year, programmes related to G20 were held at numerous universities in the country. Now in this series, another exciting programme is about to take place in Delhi, which is G20 University Connect Programme, he said.
Speaking about World Tourism Day, he said two days from now, 27th September, is World Tourism Day. Some people view tourism just as a means of touring and travelling, but a very big aspect of tourism is related to employment, the Prime Minister further said.
He further talked about temples in Karnataka. PM Modi said a few days ago, that Shantiniketan and the holy Hoysala temple of Karnataka have been declared world heritage sites by UNESCO. He extended his greetings to the countrymen on this feat.
During the G20 Summit in New Delhi, US principal deputy national security advisor Jon Finer announced an unprecedented and ground-breaking infrastructure initiative involving a railway and shipping corridor that will improve trade, energy, and digital connectivity.
Speaking to reporters, Finer drew an indirect but striking comparison between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the project, saying it will close a significant infrastructure gap and be high-standards, transparent, sustainable, non-coercive and based on the demand signal from the region instead of being an imposition.
BRI is heavily attacked for entangling nations in unmanageable debt, as well as for being opaque, forceful, and sacrificing standards.
Finer claimed that the project is consistent with the greater West Asian agenda of the Joe Biden administration.
India News
Man seeking job in Indian Army attempts to breach PM Modi’s security in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security was breached in Varanasi after a BJP worker jumped in front of PM Modi’s convoy asking for a job in Indian Army.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security was breached in Varanasi. An Indian Army aspirant jumped in front of PM Modi’s convoy, asking for a job in defence. Later, he was held by the police.
After laying the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, PM Modi with CM Yogi attended the evening musical show at Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre.
From there, PM Modi was travelling to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, when the incident took place. A man who tried to breach the Prime Minister’s security has been identified as Krishna Kumar, who hails from Ghazipur, allegedly a BJP worker. He is the son of a senior BJP worker Bharat Kumar.
According to reports, Kumar was frustrated as he failed the medical test after clearing the physical test. Kumar tried many times in the past to get recruited into the Indian Army. He also appealed to many people for help but everything failed.
After all this, he decided to meet the Prime Minister in Varanasi regarding his job in Indian Army. Krishna Kumar was waiting for the PM’s convoy to pass at least for an hour, the moment Modi’s convoy crossed beside Kumar, he jumped carrying a file with him asking for a job in Indian Army.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 23 laid the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi’s Ganjari, Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was present for the occasion in Varanasi.
Varanasi, PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency also witnessed big names from the cricket fraternity on the occasion. The names include Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Madan Lal, Gundappa Viswanath, and Gopal Sharma.
PM Modi also inaugurated 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya built across Uttar Pradesh, during the programme.
The Varanasi International Cricket Stadium is a step towards realising PM Modi’s vision to develop a modern and world-class sports infrastructure.
