Members of the media report from outside the office building where Indian tax authorities raided BBC‘s office in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Questioned on I-T survey, U.K. government strongly defends the BBC
The U.K. government was questioned by MPs in the House of Commons on its response to the income tax (IT) raids on BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai last week. Tory MP David Rutley, who is the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), took questions on the raid and freedom of expression in India.
Ahead of UNGA resolution on Russia, France lobbies New Delhi for vote
France is in talks to convince India to shift its position on the Russian war in Ukraine a year into the conflict, urging the Narendra Modi-led government to vote for a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution due to be tabled this week that will call for a cessation of hostilities, according to diplomatic sources.
Attempt on to shape an extremist idea of India, PM: Jaishankar
The recent spate of criticism of the Modi government in the Western media and civil society, which included a two-part documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Narendra Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister, is “politics by other means”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday.
Coal India records 31% decline in fatalities in 2022 compared to previous year
Coal India Limited (CIL) recorded 20 fatalities in the year 2022, observing a decline 31% than the previous year. The number of fatalities recorded in the State-owned miner in the year 2021 was 29. According to the CIL, the fatality rate per million tonne (MT) of coal produced was 0.028 in 2022 decreasing sizeably by 40% against 0.047 of 2021.
India, Singapore launch UPI-PayNow linkage
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore’s PayNow were officially connected on Tuesday, to allow for a “real-time payment linkage”. The virtual launch was led by a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.
Confusion prevails over bike taxi services after government’s order
Confusion prevailed on Tuesday over the Delhi government’s notice against the operations of bike taxis in the city, with various aggregator platforms stating that the companies had not received any official communication from the authorities. Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), a body of several digital and app-based companies, on Tuesday requested the government to provide clarity on the matter and engage with all stakeholders before taking a coercive decision.
Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said in the Supreme Court that the State’s Governor had sworn in Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister fully knowing that he was facing disqualification proceedings under the anti-defection law.
NIA conducts searches to investigate nexus between gangsters, terrorists
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) searched 76 locations in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi to “dismantle the nexus between terrorists, gangsters, drug smugglers and traffickers based in India and abroad”. The agency said it had registered three separate cases since August 2022 to probe the nexus.
Russia suspends only remaining major nuclear treaty with U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States — sharply upping the ante amid tensions with Washington over the fighting in Ukraine.
Ahead of UNGA resolution on Russia, France lobbies New Delhi for vote
France is in talks to convince India to shift its position on the Russian war in Ukraine a year into the conflict, urging the Narendra Modi-led government to vote for a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution due to be tabled this week that will call for a cessation of hostilities, according to diplomatic sources. Thus far, New Delhi has refused to vote for any resolution that is critical of the war, either at the UNGA or at the UN Security Council when India was a member last year.
‘India should invest ₹33,750 cr. to achieve its lithium-ion battery production target’
India needs investments to the tune of ₹33,750 crore to achieve the government PLI target of setting up 50GWh of lithium-ion cell and battery manufacturing plants, according to an independent study released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The country required up to 903GWh of energy storage to decarbonise its mobility and power sectors by 2030, and lithium-ion batteries would meet the majority of this demand, it said.
Wreckage of missing plane confirmed on Philippine volcano
The wreckage of a small plane carrying two Filipino pilots and two Australian passengers was identified Tuesday on one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes, officials said. An aerial search found no sign of those aboard the Cessna 340, which crashed into a gully on the slope of Mayon volcano in Albay province, where it went missing after taking off Saturday enroute to Manila, aviation officials said.
Japan bids teary farewell to pandas sent to reserve in China
Japanese panda fans bid teary farewells to their idols Xiang Xiang, “super papa” Eimei and his twin daughters who were sent to China on February 21 to swap their home at the zoo for a protected facility in Sichuan province.
WTA Dubai Duty Free championship | Sania Mirza ends career with first round defeat
A fairytale ending was not there but Sania Mirza bows out of international tennis after achieving unprecedented success and setting high benchmark for the next generation. Sania and her American partner Madison Keys lost 4-6 0-6 to the formidable Russian pair of Vernokia Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova in exactly one hour at the WTA Dubai event.