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British Council will sell its English language testing business, IELTS, in India to IDP for £130 million.

IDP Education Ltd., an Australian listed entity, is an international education service facilitating international students’ study in western, English-speaking countries.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the world’s most popular English language tests.

The score of IELTS is usually taken as a basis by international universities to evaluate a candidate’s proficiency in the language.

This exam was controlled by IDP Education and British Council separately. However, recently, in an announcement, IDP reported that it will be acquiring 100 per cent of British Council India’s IELTS business.

The deal has reached a conclusion for £130mn on a debt free, cash free basis. In addition to this, all British Council India IELTS employees will be shifted to the IDP team when the deal is completed with all formalities in August 2021.

"It was a pleasure to act for our client IDP on this strategically important transaction in India. We look forward to the future success of the business,"&nbsp;corporate partner Arthur Stewart said about the deal.

This deal will help the Indian students as now there will be no service interruption during the British Council’s transfer of operations to IDP and students will continue studying and preparing the long-established IELTS programme.

"The deal is significant from an India perspective given its size and scale and reflects the continued interest that India is generating around the world. The sector is also particularly exciting," counsel and head of the India group for UK corporate, Shashwat Patel said.

International law firm Simmons &amp; Simmons and Indian law firm DSK Legal have jointly advised IDP Education Ltd. throughout the deal.

Talking about the deal, DSK's corporate M&amp;A partners Aparajit Bhattacharya said, "It was a pleasure for us here at DSK Legal, India to act for IDP Education on this landmark transaction. Spread across three jurisdictions (India, UK and Australia), the entire team came out strong working together through the pandemic to create a win-win for all stakeholders."

British Council will sell its English language testing business, IELTS, in India to IDP for £130 million. IDP Education Ltd., an Australian listed entity, is an international education service facilitating international students’ study in western, English-speaking countries.

British Council will sell its English language testing business, IELTS, in India to IDP for £130 million. IDP Education Ltd., an Australian listed entity, is an international education service facilitating international students’ study in western, English-speaking countries. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the world’s most popular English language tests. The score of IELTS is usually taken as a basis by international universities to evaluate a candidate’s proficiency in the language. This exam was controlled by IDP Education and British Council separately. However, recently, in an announcement, IDP reported that it will be acquiring 100 per cent of British Council India’s IELTS business. The deal has reached a conclusion for £130mn on a debt free, cash free basis. In addition to this, all British Council India IELTS employees will be shifted to the IDP team when the deal is completed with all formalities in August 2021. "It was a pleasure to act for our client IDP on this strategically important transaction in India. We look forward to the future success of the business," corporate partner Arthur Stewart said about the deal. This deal will help the Indian students as now there will be no service interruption during the British Council’s transfer of operations to IDP and students will continue studying and preparing the long-established IELTS programme. "The deal is significant from an India perspective given its size and scale and reflects the continued interest that India is generating around the world. The sector is also particularly exciting," counsel and head of the India group for UK corporate, Shashwat Patel said. International law firm Simmons & Simmons and Indian law firm DSK Legal have jointly advised IDP Education Ltd. throughout the deal. Talking about the deal, DSK's corporate M&A partners Aparajit Bhattacharya said, "It was a pleasure for us here at DSK Legal, India to act for IDP Education on this landmark transaction. Spread across three jurisdictions (India, UK and Australia), the entire team came out strong working together through the pandemic to create a win-win for all stakeholders."

IDP to buy British Council India's English testing service IELTS for £130 million

The houseboats in Kashmir valley are famous all around the world but they have been dying a slow death. The numbers have gone down from 5,000 houseboats to 900. And at this speed, it seems they might become history soon.&nbsp;

The rich heritage of houseboats on water bodies of Kashmir valley has&nbsp;always been a big tourist attraction. The stakeholders have always called it the Jewel of Tourism Industry in Kashmir valley. More than 40 per cent of houseboats have vanished in just three decades.&nbsp;

The reason people living on the lake say they are getting no permissions to repair the houseboats. A huge number of repair requests are pending with the government for the restoration of these houseboats. And the unending wait has led to a decrease in the numbers of these houseboats.&nbsp;

''There were thousands of houseboats across Srinagar, in Dal Lake, Jhelum river, Chinar Bagh, and Nigeen. Four Places had the majority of these boats. There was dunga, houseboats and bahach. The reason is that we don't get permission on time, we don't get timber, we have been asking the government for subsidised timber because Kashmir tourism was hit. Before 1989 we never used to ask anything from the government because we had business and now since we don't have much business we are asking for their help. Government should come forward to help the community, otherwise there are only 900 houseboats left and many need repair and attention from the government otherwise in the coming days there would be no houseboats. '' said Tariq Patloo, a houseboat owner.&nbsp;

The houseboat owners allege that injustice is being done to them by the government. They say that thousands of liters of sewage goes into Dal Lake every day, and less than two to three per cent pollution is caused by houseboats. But the whole blame is put on them.

''There will be a time when our grandchildren will read about the houseboats in books, as none would exist. If there are houseboats in Kashmir, the tourism industry is alive. The way we move the oar while riding a shikara is how we keep the water clean. You should see the old pictures of chinar bagh and see how many houseboats there were. Dal Lake has 600 houseboats, Nigeen has 195 and Chinar Bagh has 40 while the river will have 70. Slowly numbers are going down and the day it finishes tourism will finish too. They come here for Shikara and Houseboats. We say with pride that we own houseboats, the government knows and called it heritage. This is a very small thing of repairing the houseboats, an officer started a boatyard for the repairs and would you believe that not even a single houseboat was repaired there. The timber is banned for us, but people all across the city are using it but we have no access to it. The coming generation would blame us for not saving the heritage. '' said M Ashraf Badyari, Houseboat owner.&nbsp;

In 2009, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had banned the repair and renovation of houseboats after the government told the court that houseboats were the main cause of pollution of water bodies in Srinagar.&nbsp; The government says they are working on a policy to keep the heritage alive.

The houseboats in Kashmir valley are famous all around the world but they have been dying a slow death. The numbers have gone down from 5,000 houseboats to 900. And at this speed, it seems they might become history soon.

The houseboats in Kashmir valley are famous all around the world but they have been dying a slow death. The numbers have gone down from 5,000 houseboats to 900. And at this speed, it seems they might become history soon. The rich heritage of houseboats on water bodies of Kashmir valley has always been a big tourist attraction. The stakeholders have always called it the Jewel of Tourism Industry in Kashmir valley. More than 40 per cent of houseboats have vanished in just three decades. The reason people living on the lake say they are getting no permissions to repair the houseboats. A huge number of repair requests are pending with the government for the restoration of these houseboats. And the unending wait has led to a decrease in the numbers of these houseboats. ''There were thousands of houseboats across Srinagar, in Dal Lake, Jhelum river, Chinar Bagh, and Nigeen. Four Places had the majority of these boats. There was dunga, houseboats and bahach. The reason is that we don't get permission on time, we don't get timber, we have been asking the government for subsidised timber because Kashmir tourism was hit. Before 1989 we never used to ask anything from the government because we had business and now since we don't have much business we are asking for their help. Government should come forward to help the community, otherwise there are only 900 houseboats left and many need repair and attention from the government otherwise in the coming days there would be no houseboats. '' said Tariq Patloo, a houseboat owner. The houseboat owners allege that injustice is being done to them by the government. They say that thousands of liters of sewage goes into Dal Lake every day, and less than two to three per cent pollution is caused by houseboats. But the whole blame is put on them. ''There will be a time when our grandchildren will read about the houseboats in books, as none would exist. If there are houseboats in Kashmir, the tourism industry is alive. The way we move the oar while riding a shikara is how we keep the water clean. You should see the old pictures of chinar bagh and see how many houseboats there were. Dal Lake has 600 houseboats, Nigeen has 195 and Chinar Bagh has 40 while the river will have 70. Slowly numbers are going down and the day it finishes tourism will finish too. They come here for Shikara and Houseboats. We say with pride that we own houseboats, the government knows and called it heritage. This is a very small thing of repairing the houseboats, an officer started a boatyard for the repairs and would you believe that not even a single houseboat was repaired there. The timber is banned for us, but people all across the city are using it but we have no access to it. The coming generation would blame us for not saving the heritage. '' said M Ashraf Badyari, Houseboat owner. In 2009, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had banned the repair and renovation of houseboats after the government told the court that houseboats were the main cause of pollution of water bodies in Srinagar. The government says they are working on a policy to keep the heritage alive.

How Kashmir is losing its houseboat heritage

As different parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan had intermittent rainfall on Sunday, at least 68 people were killed by lightning.

Eleven of them died while taking pictures in front of a fort dating from the 12th century in Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital.

On Monday, the death toll from severe lightning in Uttar Pradesh reached 41, while seven people died in Madhya Pradesh.

In addition, 20 people were killed when lightning struck Rajasthan on Sunday.

Lightning struck the historic Amber Fort's watchtower, killing 11 people and injuring 35 others, according to Jaipur police commissioner Anand Srivastava.

Amid the city's strong rains, several others fell down the hill into the bushes.

More lightning strikes, as well as heavy showers, are expected in portions of north India during the next two days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

(With inputs from agencies)

As different parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan had intermittent rainfall on Sunday, at least 68 people were killed by lightning. Eleven of them died while taking pictures in front of a fort dating from the 12th century in Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital.

As different parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan had intermittent rainfall on Sunday, at least 68 people were killed by lightning. Eleven of them died while taking pictures in front of a fort dating from the 12th century in Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital. On Monday, the death toll from severe lightning in Uttar Pradesh reached 41, while seven people died in Madhya Pradesh. In addition, 20 people were killed when lightning struck Rajasthan on Sunday. Lightning struck the historic Amber Fort's watchtower, killing 11 people and injuring 35 others, according to Jaipur police commissioner Anand Srivastava. Amid the city's strong rains, several others fell down the hill into the bushes. More lightning strikes, as well as heavy showers, are expected in portions of north India during the next two days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). (With inputs from agencies)

Lightning kills 68 across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh's&nbsp;Dharamshala was hit with flash floods&nbsp;triggered by heavy rains as&nbsp;authorities moved to close the airport on Monday.

Areas along Mecleodganj were badly affected as reports indicated buildings were badly damaged due to flash floods.

Cars and bikes were swept away as reports said hotels were inundated and a school building at Bhagsunag&nbsp;damaged.

Two buildings were reportedly swept away at Manjhi Khad near Dharamshala&nbsp;and a bridge was damaged on the Mandi-Pathankot highway as traffic was stopped.

People took to social media to show video clips of the damage.

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Cloudburst reported in Bhagsu, Dharamshala, Himachal 
 
Damage to parked vehicles and some hotels <a href="https://t.co/OmKNF866od">pic.twitter.com/OmKNF866od</a>
— Shalinder Wangu (@Wangu_News18) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wangu_News18/status/1414446666984263680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Praying for everyone's safety 🙏🏻 <a href="https://t.co/oRLkEIpF6R">pic.twitter.com/oRLkEIpF6R</a>
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Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur of the northern Indian state&nbsp;has asked people not to go to river banks with several districts hit by floods. People have been shifted to safe areas due to flood conditions.

Locals have also been asked not to go to sensitive places prone to landslides. Deputy Commissioner Dr Nipun Jindal said he had ordered tourists visiting Dharamshala&nbsp;to postpone their tour in view of the situation with several roads damaged due to heavy rains.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur assuring him of help from the central government.&nbsp;

According to the Meteorological Department, heavy rain is forecast on July 13 and from July 14 to 16.

Meanwhile, authorities said 50 people were killed in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/lightning-kills-68-across-rajasthan-uttar-pradesh-and-madhya-pradesh-397629">lightning</a> strikes across the country with 42 killed in various districts in Uttar Pradesh.

Amer Fort in Rajasthan was hit with lighting with at least eleven people killed and several injured, according to police.

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala was hit with flash floods triggered by heavy rains as authorities moved to close the airport on Monday. Areas along Mecleodganj were badly affected as reports indicated buildings were badly damaged due to flash floods.

Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala was hit with flash floods triggered by heavy rains as authorities moved to close the airport on Monday. Areas along Mecleodganj were badly affected as reports indicated buildings were badly damaged due to flash floods. Cars and bikes were swept away as reports said hotels were inundated and a school building at Bhagsunag damaged. Two buildings were reportedly swept away at Manjhi Khad near Dharamshala and a bridge was damaged on the Mandi-Pathankot highway as traffic was stopped. People took to social media to show video clips of the damage. Cloudburst reported in Bhagsu, Dharamshala, Himachal Damage to parked vehicles and some hotels pic.twitter.com/OmKNF866od — Shalinder Wangu (@Wangu_News18) July 12, 2021 × Rains wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh, cloudburst in #Dharamshala Praying for everyone's safety 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/oRLkEIpF6R — Dr. Prashant Korat (@DrPrashantkorat) July 12, 2021 × Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur of the northern Indian state has asked people not to go to river banks with several districts hit by floods. People have been shifted to safe areas due to flood conditions. Locals have also been asked not to go to sensitive places prone to landslides. Deputy Commissioner Dr Nipun Jindal said he had ordered tourists visiting Dharamshala to postpone their tour in view of the situation with several roads damaged due to heavy rains. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur assuring him of help from the central government. According to the Meteorological Department, heavy rain is forecast on July 13 and from July 14 to 16. Meanwhile, authorities said 50 people were killed in lightning strikes across the country with 42 killed in various districts in Uttar Pradesh. Amer Fort in Rajasthan was hit with lighting with at least eleven people killed and several injured, according to police. (With inputs from Agencies)

Flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala; cars, buildings swept away

‘Swarnim Vijay Mashal’ of the Flame of Victory that is being taken across India to honour and celebrate the 1971 war victory, reached the southern-most district of Kanyakumari. In adherence to COVID-19 protocols, veterans were honoured in the presence of the district civil administration.&nbsp;

The golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 war victory commenced in December last year. Four victory flames were lit from the eternal flame at the National War Memorial and one each is being carried to the four directions, through the cities and villages of the 1971 war heroes.&nbsp;

It was on Sunday, July 11&nbsp;that the Flame reached Naval Station INS Kattabomman located near Tirunelveli, where it was accorded a ceremonial&nbsp;&nbsp;Guard of Honour and received by Station Commanded Captain Aashish K Sharma along with defence personnel, their families and veterans.&nbsp;

Following the Kanyakumari leg, the flame will also be taken to Tirunelveli district, to the houses of Late Sepoy Kasimani and Late Natik Sangili Chelliah who made the ultimate sacrifice during the 1971 war. The Veer Naris (war widows) would also be facilitated by the person from INS Kattabomman.&nbsp;

On Wednesday July 13, the the flame will pass through Tuticorin district, where it will be received by the Indian Coast Guard, following which&nbsp;&nbsp;it will be handed over to INS Parundu on its way to Madurai.&nbsp;

‘Swarnim Vijay Mashal’ of the Flame of Victory that is being taken across India to honour and celebrate the 1971 war victory, reached the southern-most district of Kanyakumari.

‘Swarnim Vijay Mashal’ of the Flame of Victory that is being taken across India to honour and celebrate the 1971 war victory, reached the southern-most district of Kanyakumari. In adherence to COVID-19 protocols, veterans were honoured in the presence of the district civil administration. The golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 war victory commenced in December last year. Four victory flames were lit from the eternal flame at the National War Memorial and one each is being carried to the four directions, through the cities and villages of the 1971 war heroes. It was on Sunday, July 11 that the Flame reached Naval Station INS Kattabomman located near Tirunelveli, where it was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour and received by Station Commanded Captain Aashish K Sharma along with defence personnel, their families and veterans. Following the Kanyakumari leg, the flame will also be taken to Tirunelveli district, to the houses of Late Sepoy Kasimani and Late Natik Sangili Chelliah who made the ultimate sacrifice during the 1971 war. The Veer Naris (war widows) would also be facilitated by the person from INS Kattabomman. On Wednesday July 13, the the flame will pass through Tuticorin district, where it will be received by the Indian Coast Guard, following which it will be handed over to INS Parundu on its way to Madurai.

‘Flame of Victory’ reaches India’s southern tip Kanyakumari; 1971 war veterans honoured

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Monday said all Covid-related protocols will be followed during the Monsoon Session of parliament scheduled to begin from July 19.

He said those who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus will be requested to undergo an RT-PCR test before entering the parliament premises during the session.

Addressing a press conference in the parliament complex, Birla said 323 MPs have been fully vaccinated against the virus, while 23 have not been able to take their first jab due to some medical reasons.

Birla said both the Houses will sit simultaneously and proceedings will start from 11 am.

The Monsoon Session of parliament will begin from July 19 and conclude on August 13.

Since the pandemic began, three sessions of Parliament were curtailed while the winter session last year had to be cancelled.

The Monsoon Session, which usually starts in July, had begun in September last year owing to the pandemic situation.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Monday said all Covid-related protocols will be followed during the Monsoon Session of parliament scheduled to begin from July 19. He said those who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus will be requested to undergo an RT-PCR test before entering the parliament premises during the session.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Monday said all Covid-related protocols will be followed during the Monsoon Session of parliament scheduled to begin from July 19. He said those who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus will be requested to undergo an RT-PCR test before entering the parliament premises during the session. Addressing a press conference in the parliament complex, Birla said 323 MPs have been fully vaccinated against the virus, while 23 have not been able to take their first jab due to some medical reasons. Birla said both the Houses will sit simultaneously and proceedings will start from 11 am. The Monsoon Session of parliament will begin from July 19 and conclude on August 13. Since the pandemic began, three sessions of Parliament were curtailed while the winter session last year had to be cancelled. The Monsoon Session, which usually starts in July, had begun in September last year owing to the pandemic situation.

Monsoon Session of Parliament from July 19, will have 19 business days 

A cloudburst in Dharamshala has triggered a flash flood, washing away vehicles and causing damage to properties in Himachal Pradesh. Some of the hotels in the area have also reported heavy damage.

India: Cloudburst triggers flash floods in Himachal’s Dharamshala

Even as India has withdrawn its diplomats from its consulate in Kandahar, the local government has said that the consulate remains open.

Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Bahir Ahmadi, spokesman of the Kandahar governor said, "Indian consulate is still open.&nbsp;It&nbsp;is&nbsp;functioning&nbsp;normally".

India has withdrawn its diplomats as the violence increases, with&nbsp;the Taliban making&nbsp;attempts to gain more territories in the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal: What is the situation&nbsp;at&nbsp;the Indian consulate?&nbsp;

Bahir Ahmadi: I can assure you that the place where the Indian consulate is located is safe and sound and there is no problem. But yes, for&nbsp;four to five&nbsp;days, the situation was a little bit critical and fighting was&nbsp;happening&nbsp;at least 3 kilometers away from the Indian consulate. Besides&nbsp;that,&nbsp;Pakistan and Iran consulate is also located&nbsp;nearby.&nbsp;The governor, the chief of police&nbsp;and&nbsp;chief of commando forces&nbsp;have&nbsp;checked the area.&nbsp;They have&nbsp;ensured&nbsp;that there&nbsp;is&nbsp;no security issue&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;three&nbsp;consulates.&nbsp;Although&nbsp;Indian&nbsp;diplomats&nbsp;at the&nbsp;consulate&nbsp;have&nbsp;shifted&nbsp;to Kabul,&nbsp;the&nbsp;local staff&nbsp;is&nbsp;still&nbsp;present&nbsp;and the consulate is open.&nbsp;It is functioning&nbsp;normally.&nbsp;Anyone can go to the consulate&nbsp;as there are&nbsp;no security issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;What about the security of Pakistani and Iranian&nbsp;consulates?&nbsp;

Bahir Ahmadi: Pakistani and Iranian diplomats are still in their&nbsp;respective consulates&nbsp;because we assured&nbsp;them that there will not be any kind of problem. They are still continuing their operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;What is the&nbsp;situation in Kandahar?&nbsp;

Bahir Ahmadi: As you know, the Taliban attacked&nbsp;five&nbsp;districts, some places in the city but can assure that the central government and the local government&nbsp;are able to control the situation&nbsp;with local forces&nbsp;and&nbsp;central government forces.&nbsp;Several&nbsp;airstrikes&nbsp;were also carried out&nbsp;by&nbsp;our troops in the area. The problem is Taliban has entered local people's houses, and we&nbsp;can’t&nbsp;carry out&nbsp;air strikes or&nbsp;other&nbsp;operations&nbsp;as it&nbsp;might&nbsp;cause&nbsp;injuries to locals. We are&nbsp;trying to safeguard&nbsp;locals,&nbsp;therefore,&nbsp;our operation&nbsp;is&nbsp;going slowly. In the next&nbsp;seven to eight&nbsp;days,&nbsp;there will be&nbsp;no&nbsp;security issue&nbsp;in Kandahar and the people of Kandahar will be safe and sound.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Even as India has withdrawn its diplomats from its consulate in Kandahar, the local government has said that the consulate remains open. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Bahir Ahmadi, spokesman of the Kandahar governor said, "Indian consulate is still open.

Even as India has withdrawn its diplomats from its consulate in Kandahar, the local government has said that the consulate remains open. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Bahir Ahmadi, spokesman of the Kandahar governor said, "Indian consulate is still open. It is functioning normally". India has withdrawn its diplomats as the violence increases, with the Taliban making attempts to gain more territories in the country. Sidhant Sibal: What is the situation at the Indian consulate? Bahir Ahmadi: I can assure you that the place where the Indian consulate is located is safe and sound and there is no problem. But yes, for four to five days, the situation was a little bit critical and fighting was happening at least 3 kilometers away from the Indian consulate. Besides that, Pakistan and Iran consulate is also located nearby. The governor, the chief of police and chief of commando forces have checked the area. They have ensured that there is no security issue at the three consulates. Although Indian diplomats at the consulate have shifted to Kabul, the local staff is still present and the consulate is open. It is functioning normally. Anyone can go to the consulate as there are no security issues. Sidhant Sibal: What about the security of Pakistani and Iranian consulates? Bahir Ahmadi: Pakistani and Iranian diplomats are still in their respective consulates because we assured them that there will not be any kind of problem. They are still continuing their operations. Sidhant Sibal: What is the situation in Kandahar? Bahir Ahmadi: As you know, the Taliban attacked five districts, some places in the city but can assure that the central government and the local government are able to control the situation with local forces and central government forces. Several airstrikes were also carried out by our troops in the area. The problem is Taliban has entered local people's houses, and we can’t carry out air strikes or other operations as it might cause injuries to locals. We are trying to safeguard locals, therefore, our operation is going slowly. In the next seven to eight days, there will be no security issue in Kandahar and the people of Kandahar will be safe and sound.

Indian consulate in city still open, says Kandahar governor's spokesman

After much speculation,&nbsp;actor south Indian movie superstar Rajinikanth has said he has no intentions of entering politics.

He has&nbsp;disbanded the organisation Rajini&nbsp;Makkal&nbsp;Mandram&nbsp;(RMM)&nbsp;and its allied&nbsp;organisations,&nbsp;and&nbsp;reversed it to a fans’ association.&nbsp;

In the whole episode, the actor performed a flip-flop within an hour of&nbsp;first&nbsp;addressing the media saying that he will discuss with fans regarding his political future and the role of his political launch vehicle,&nbsp;RMM, the&nbsp;Rajini People’s Forum.&nbsp;And then, he came up with a statement which was heartbreaking for many of his followers.&nbsp;

Speaking to the media outside his residence on Monday, the actor recalled that he couldn’t meet fans and functionaries after saying (in late December) that he would not be entering politics owing to medical reasons and the threat of COVID-19.&nbsp;

Due to&nbsp;the developments over the&nbsp;past few months,&nbsp;he said, the shooting of his upcoming flick&nbsp;'Annaathe'&nbsp;had been delayed&nbsp;as&nbsp;there&nbsp;were&nbsp;assembly elections&nbsp;in Tamil Nadu, the second wave of COVID-19&nbsp;and&nbsp;his travel to the US for routine medical check-up.&nbsp;

He said that everyone had questions over the&nbsp;future&nbsp;of&nbsp;RMM, whether they should continue, what role would they perform and whether Rajini was going to foray into politics in future, among others. He told reporters that he would speak to his functionaries and revert with an announcement.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Barely an hour after setting tongues wagging about a possible political foray, Rajini issued a statement that said he had no intentions of entering politics.&nbsp;

“Owing to the circumstances,&nbsp;we couldn’t accomplish what we had aspired for (political foray). I don’t have the intention of entering politics in future. Hence,&nbsp;RMM&nbsp;and its allied&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;will be disbanded."

"For now, all the state-level and district-level functionaries appointed as a part of RMM, can revert to social service activities as a part of the earlier Rajinikanth Fans Welfare Association,”&nbsp;the&nbsp;statement&nbsp;said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It is important to note that the actor had transformed his Rajinikanth Fans Welfare Association into RMM, the Rajini People’s Forum, with the intention of using it as a political launch vehicle.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After much speculation, actor south Indian movie superstar Rajinikanth has said he has no intentions of entering politics. He has disbanded the organisation Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) and its allied organisations, and reversed it to a fans’ association.

After much speculation, actor south Indian movie superstar Rajinikanth has said he has no intentions of entering politics. He has disbanded the organisation Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) and its allied organisations, and reversed it to a fans’ association. In the whole episode, the actor performed a flip-flop within an hour of first addressing the media saying that he will discuss with fans regarding his political future and the role of his political launch vehicle, RMM, the Rajini People’s Forum. And then, he came up with a statement which was heartbreaking for many of his followers. Speaking to the media outside his residence on Monday, the actor recalled that he couldn’t meet fans and functionaries after saying (in late December) that he would not be entering politics owing to medical reasons and the threat of COVID-19. Due to the developments over the past few months, he said, the shooting of his upcoming flick 'Annaathe' had been delayed as there were assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the second wave of COVID-19 and his travel to the US for routine medical check-up. He said that everyone had questions over the future of RMM, whether they should continue, what role would they perform and whether Rajini was going to foray into politics in future, among others. He told reporters that he would speak to his functionaries and revert with an announcement. Barely an hour after setting tongues wagging about a possible political foray, Rajini issued a statement that said he had no intentions of entering politics. “Owing to the circumstances, we couldn’t accomplish what we had aspired for (political foray). I don’t have the intention of entering politics in future. Hence, RMM and its allied organisations will be disbanded." "For now, all the state-level and district-level functionaries appointed as a part of RMM, can revert to social service activities as a part of the earlier Rajinikanth Fans Welfare Association,” the statement said. It is important to note that the actor had transformed his Rajinikanth Fans Welfare Association into RMM, the Rajini People’s Forum, with the intention of using it as a political launch vehicle.

South Indian superstar Rajnikanth dissolves political front, reverses it into fans association 

Kashmir's Pashmina is extremely famous, but little is known about the Silk produced in Kashmir. The Mulberry Silk from Kashmir valley is considered of high quality with great demand from across the world.

India: Kashmir's silk industry poised for revival?

In a first, Vietnam has appointed an Honourary Consul General in Bengaluru as ties improve between the 2 countries. NS Srinivasa Murthy will be the first such appointment of honourary consul in India, and 19th globally by Vietnam.&nbsp;

Speaking to WION, Murthy said, "I will live up to expectations, to see that the interest of Vietnam is totally protected in the state of Karnataka".

He will serve as the honourary consul for a period of 3 years. He will be the Vietnam embassy's direct contact point in the state even as plans are afoot to increase direct connectivity between the state and the southeast Asian country.&nbsp;

Pointing out the reason behind it, the Vietnamese Ambassador in India Pham Sanh Chau said,"In order to expand the outreach of the Embassy of Vietnam to the state of Karnataka and the city of Bengaluru. This is a very big milestone between the relationship of Vietnam and India".

NS Srinivasa Murthy is a partner of NK Subbiah Shetty and sons, agarbatti manufacturers since 1932 and has in the past served as the president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of commerce and industry.

In a first, Vietnam has appointed an Honourary Consul General in Bengaluru as ties improve between the 2 countries. NS Srinivasa Murthy will be the first such appointment of honourary consul in India, and 19th globally by Vietnam.

In a first, Vietnam has appointed an Honourary Consul General in Bengaluru as ties improve between the 2 countries. NS Srinivasa Murthy will be the first such appointment of honourary consul in India, and 19th globally by Vietnam. Speaking to WION, Murthy said, "I will live up to expectations, to see that the interest of Vietnam is totally protected in the state of Karnataka". He will serve as the honourary consul for a period of 3 years. He will be the Vietnam embassy's direct contact point in the state even as plans are afoot to increase direct connectivity between the state and the southeast Asian country. Pointing out the reason behind it, the Vietnamese Ambassador in India Pham Sanh Chau said,"In order to expand the outreach of the Embassy of Vietnam to the state of Karnataka and the city of Bengaluru. This is a very big milestone between the relationship of Vietnam and India". NS Srinivasa Murthy is a partner of NK Subbiah Shetty and sons, agarbatti manufacturers since 1932 and has in the past served as the president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of commerce and industry.

In a first, Vietnam appoints Honourary Consul General in Bengaluru

Twitter filed its first grievance redressal report as required by India's new Information Technology norms. The social media platform said that it has suspended 22,564 accounts for "child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity" and "promotion of terrorism".

Twitter also said that it had acted against 133 posts over reasons such as harassment and privacy infringement.

The data pertains to the period of May 26, 2021 to June 25, 2021 that included content on Twitter. This includes complaints received from individual users with accompanying court orders, it said.

"We receive complaints in our Grievance Officer - India channel that relate to account verification, account access, or seeking assistance or information regarding an account or Twitter`s enforcement actions that are not included in the data below. The majority of complaints received in this channel during this reporting period fell into these categories," the report said.

"In addition to the above data, we processed 56 grievances which were appealing Twitter account suspensions. These were all resolved and the appropriate responses were sent. We overturned 7 of the account suspensions based on the specifics of the situation, but the other accounts remain suspended."

Twitter has also appointed Vinay Prakash as its &nbsp;Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) for India.

Last week, Twitter had informed the Delhi High Cout that it will take 8 weeks to appoint a resident grievance officer in compliance with the new IT rules

Vinay Prakash comes with a public policy background and will work towards easing off the ongoing tensions between Twitter and the IT ministry, which now has a new minister in Ashwini Vaishnaw who made it clear on day one that Twitter has to follow the law of the land.

On its portal, Twitter has updated the grievance officer contact information for users in India, naming Prakash as its RGO and providing an email contact ID.

(With inputs from agencies)

Twitter filed its first grievance redressal report as required by India's new Information Technology norms. The social media platform said that it has suspended 22,564 accounts for "child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity" and "promotion of terrorism".

Twitter filed its first grievance redressal report as required by India's new Information Technology norms. The social media platform said that it has suspended 22,564 accounts for "child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity" and "promotion of terrorism". Twitter also said that it had acted against 133 posts over reasons such as harassment and privacy infringement. The data pertains to the period of May 26, 2021 to June 25, 2021 that included content on Twitter. This includes complaints received from individual users with accompanying court orders, it said. "We receive complaints in our Grievance Officer - India channel that relate to account verification, account access, or seeking assistance or information regarding an account or Twitter`s enforcement actions that are not included in the data below. The majority of complaints received in this channel during this reporting period fell into these categories," the report said. "In addition to the above data, we processed 56 grievances which were appealing Twitter account suspensions. These were all resolved and the appropriate responses were sent. We overturned 7 of the account suspensions based on the specifics of the situation, but the other accounts remain suspended." Twitter has also appointed Vinay Prakash as its Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) for India. Last week, Twitter had informed the Delhi High Cout that it will take 8 weeks to appoint a resident grievance officer in compliance with the new IT rules Vinay Prakash comes with a public policy background and will work towards easing off the ongoing tensions between Twitter and the IT ministry, which now has a new minister in Ashwini Vaishnaw who made it clear on day one that Twitter has to follow the law of the land. On its portal, Twitter has updated the grievance officer contact information for users in India, naming Prakash as its RGO and providing an email contact ID. (With inputs from agencies)

India: Twitter submits first compliance report

An elderly couple from southern India has gone above and beyond the call of duty to fulfil their civic duties.&nbsp;

Since almost eleven years ago, Gangadhar Tilak Katnam and his wife Venkateshwari Katnam have been using their savings to cover these accidental hazards.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-gupta-brothers-from-india-landed-south-africas-ruling-party-in-its-biggest-crisis-397138">How Gupta brothers from India landed South Africa's ruling party in its biggest crisis</a>

Some years ago, Gangadhar Tilak Katnam,&nbsp;would complain to his local government and the police about potholes in the city roads, but to no avail.&nbsp;

Tilak says that the potholes caused many accidents. He kept trying to find an appropriate solution from the authorities, but when he was unable to do so, he filled them himself.&nbsp;

This elderly couple says that using&nbsp;a mixture of Bitumen and aggregate,&nbsp;they have filled up around two thousand potholes in the last eleven years. This has helped in&nbsp;preventing numerous accidents.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/staring-at-civil-war-how-bad-is-the-situation-in-afghanistan-397134">Staring at civil war: How bad is the situation in Afghanistan?</a>

Venkateshwari Katnam, 64, and her husband, Tilak Katnam, 73, routinely fill potholes with their own money, using their pensions to do so.&nbsp;

Damage to roads, potholes, and stoney irregularities along flyovers and highways are common in the country, and they become even worse during the monsoon, when waterlogging covers the potholes, leaving riders unaware.

An elderly couple from southern India has gone above and beyond the call of duty to fulfil their civic duties. Since almost eleven years ago, Gangadhar Tilak Katnam and his wife Venkateshwari Katnam have been using their savings to cover these accidental hazards.

An elderly couple from southern India has gone above and beyond the call of duty to fulfil their civic duties. Since almost eleven years ago, Gangadhar Tilak Katnam and his wife Venkateshwari Katnam have been using their savings to cover these accidental hazards. Also read | How Gupta brothers from India landed South Africa's ruling party in its biggest crisis Some years ago, Gangadhar Tilak Katnam, would complain to his local government and the police about potholes in the city roads, but to no avail. Tilak says that the potholes caused many accidents. He kept trying to find an appropriate solution from the authorities, but when he was unable to do so, he filled them himself. This elderly couple says that using a mixture of Bitumen and aggregate, they have filled up around two thousand potholes in the last eleven years. This has helped in preventing numerous accidents. Also read | Staring at civil war: How bad is the situation in Afghanistan? Venkateshwari Katnam, 64, and her husband, Tilak Katnam, 73, routinely fill potholes with their own money, using their pensions to do so. Damage to roads, potholes, and stoney irregularities along flyovers and highways are common in the country, and they become even worse during the monsoon, when waterlogging covers the potholes, leaving riders unaware.

Hyderabad elderly couple and their mission to save lives

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting back into launch activity fully at Sriharikota spaceport with the planned orbiting of geo imaging satellite GISAT-1 on board GSLV-F10 rocket on August 12.

ISRO plans to launch GISAT-1 on August 12

As violence&nbsp;spreads&nbsp;in Afghanistan, India has brought back personnel from its consulate in Kandahar. India has brought back its diplomats and Indo-Tibetan Border Police&nbsp;(ITBP)&nbsp;personnel from the consulate in the city.&nbsp;

In a statement,&nbsp;India's ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi,&nbsp;said,&nbsp;"Due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, Indian&nbsp;personnel have been brought back for the time being" and this is "purely temporary measure until the situation&nbsp;stabilises".&nbsp;The consulate is being operated through local staff members. Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Kabul will continue the delivery of visa and&nbsp;other&nbsp;consular services.&nbsp;

The MEA statement&nbsp;said,&nbsp;"The safety and security of our personnel is paramount. The Consulate General of India in Kandahar has not been closed."&nbsp;&nbsp;

India has been&nbsp;'closely monitoring the evolving security situation'&nbsp;in Afghanistan even as a few days ago,&nbsp;the Afghan envoy to India Farid&nbsp;Mamundzay&nbsp;briefed about the development in the country to India's foreign secretary Harsh&nbsp;Shringla.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kandahar is the second-largest city in the country and in the past has been the Taliban's base. It is the same city that saw the Indian Airlines IC 814 being taken to by Pakistani terror groups after being hijacked in December 1999. Currently, around 10 districts of the province have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.&nbsp;

As violence spreads in Afghanistan, India has brought back personnel from its consulate in Kandahar. India has brought back its diplomats and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel from the consulate in the city.

As violence spreads in Afghanistan, India has brought back personnel from its consulate in Kandahar. India has brought back its diplomats and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel from the consulate in the city. In a statement, India's ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, said, "Due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, Indian personnel have been brought back for the time being" and this is "purely temporary measure until the situation stabilises". The consulate is being operated through local staff members. Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Kabul will continue the delivery of visa and other consular services. The MEA statement said, "The safety and security of our personnel is paramount. The Consulate General of India in Kandahar has not been closed." India has been 'closely monitoring the evolving security situation' in Afghanistan even as a few days ago, the Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay briefed about the development in the country to India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla. Kandahar is the second-largest city in the country and in the past has been the Taliban's base. It is the same city that saw the Indian Airlines IC 814 being taken to by Pakistani terror groups after being hijacked in December 1999. Currently, around 10 districts of the province have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

As violence escalates, India brings back personnel from its Kandahar consulate

In a moving ceremony, India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday handed over the holy relic of St. Queen Ketevan to the government of Georgia. &nbsp;

The relic was handed over in the presence of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia--Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II and the Prime Minister of Georgia H.E. Irakli Garibashvili.

Jaishankar reached Georgia on Friday from Moscow, in the first-ever visit by an Indian external affairs minister since the country's independence in 1991. A part of the relic has been gifted by the Indian government&nbsp;and was a long-standing request of the government of Georgia due to its&nbsp;immense emotional and historical value.

St. Queen Ketevan was 17th century Georgian Queen who was martyred in Iran's Shiraz. Her relics were found in St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, India in 2005. DNA analysis by the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad at the instance of the Archaeological Survey of India confirmed its authenticity. It is believed her relics were brought to Goa in 1627.

The relics have reached Georgia&nbsp;after more than 390 years. In the past, in September 2017, relics were sent to Georgia for almost a year and were returned to India in September 2018.

The last time an Indian EAM visited the country was 40 years ago. In 1978, the then EAM of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Georgia. After that, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had met in New Delhi on 11 May 2000.

In a moving ceremony, India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday handed over the holy relic of St. Queen Ketevan to the government of Georgia. The relic was handed over in the presence of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia--Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II and the Prime Minister of Georgia H.

In a moving ceremony, India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday handed over the holy relic of St. Queen Ketevan to the government of Georgia. The relic was handed over in the presence of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia--Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II and the Prime Minister of Georgia H.E. Irakli Garibashvili. Jaishankar reached Georgia on Friday from Moscow, in the first-ever visit by an Indian external affairs minister since the country's independence in 1991. A part of the relic has been gifted by the Indian government and was a long-standing request of the government of Georgia due to its immense emotional and historical value. St. Queen Ketevan was 17th century Georgian Queen who was martyred in Iran's Shiraz. Her relics were found in St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, India in 2005. DNA analysis by the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad at the instance of the Archaeological Survey of India confirmed its authenticity. It is believed her relics were brought to Goa in 1627. The relics have reached Georgia after more than 390 years. In the past, in September 2017, relics were sent to Georgia for almost a year and were returned to India in September 2018. The last time an Indian EAM visited the country was 40 years ago. In 1978, the then EAM of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Georgia. After that, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had met in New Delhi on 11 May 2000.

India hands holy relic of St. Queen Ketevan to Georgia

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart&nbsp;Phạm Minh Chinh will be speaking to each other on Saturday.

The talks will happen around 11:15 am IST and comes as part of growing engagement between the two&nbsp;countries.

This is the first conversation between the two leaders after Pham took charge as the PM of Vietnam.

Phạm Minh Chính took charge in April of the year and has served in various positions of the government.

During the talks, a key focus will be on dealing with the covid crisis, vaccines, engagement in Indo pacific, and other related areas. Amid the 2nd wave of the COVID pandemic, Vietnam had reached out to India with supplies.&nbsp;

Vietnam's envoy Pham Sanh Chau speaking to WION recently on vaccines said, "We also have the opportunity to purchase Covaxin. Covaxin is not approved yet by WHO for emergency use, that is why we are waiting for this approval by WHO and then we will intensify the discussion and drafting of the contract for the purchase of this COVAXIN for Vietnamese people."

In December of last year, Indian PM Modi and the then PM of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc held a virtual summit. During the summit, India handed over the first of 12 High-Speed Guard boats to Vietnam under the $100 million Defence Line of Credit extended by New Delhi to Hanoi.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Defence in fact has emerged as one of the pillars of the relationship.&nbsp;On first of this month, India's defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Defence Minister of Vietnam, Sr. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang.&nbsp;Tweeting after the meet, he said,"India and Vietnam continue to make forward movement in overcoming the challenges posed by COVID-19."

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India and Vietnam continue to make forward movement in overcoming the challenges posed by COVID-19. 
I thank my Vietnamese counterpart for inviting me on an official visit to his beautiful and amazing country. I look forward to it. 3/3
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/1410512509547671557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chinh will be speaking to each other on Saturday. The talks will happen around 11:15 am IST and comes as part of growing engagement between the two countries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chinh will be speaking to each other on Saturday. The talks will happen around 11:15 am IST and comes as part of growing engagement between the two countries. This is the first conversation between the two leaders after Pham took charge as the PM of Vietnam. Phạm Minh Chính took charge in April of the year and has served in various positions of the government. During the talks, a key focus will be on dealing with the covid crisis, vaccines, engagement in Indo pacific, and other related areas. Amid the 2nd wave of the COVID pandemic, Vietnam had reached out to India with supplies. Vietnam's envoy Pham Sanh Chau speaking to WION recently on vaccines said, "We also have the opportunity to purchase Covaxin. Covaxin is not approved yet by WHO for emergency use, that is why we are waiting for this approval by WHO and then we will intensify the discussion and drafting of the contract for the purchase of this COVAXIN for Vietnamese people." In December of last year, Indian PM Modi and the then PM of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc held a virtual summit. During the summit, India handed over the first of 12 High-Speed Guard boats to Vietnam under the $100 million Defence Line of Credit extended by New Delhi to Hanoi. Defence in fact has emerged as one of the pillars of the relationship. On first of this month, India's defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Defence Minister of Vietnam, Sr. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang. Tweeting after the meet, he said,"India and Vietnam continue to make forward movement in overcoming the challenges posed by COVID-19." India and Vietnam continue to make forward movement in overcoming the challenges posed by COVID-19. I thank my Vietnamese counterpart for inviting me on an official visit to his beautiful and amazing country. I look forward to it. 3/3 — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 1, 2021 ×

PM Modi, New Vietnam PM to speak on Saturday

In a first, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will establish a ‘Bangabandhu Chair’ at the Delhi University to further ties between India and Bangladesh. It is a homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sheikh Mujibur is called father of modern Bangladesh. He always strove for independent Bangladesh and is fondly called 'Bangabandhu' or Friend of Bengal.

Dinesh Patnaik, Director-General of ICCR and Prof PC Joshi, Acting Chancellor of University of Delhi will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday in this regard. &nbsp;A visiting professor or a subject expert on Bangladesh, likely to be a person of Bangladeshi origin will be occupying the "chair".

Key focus will be on the shared cultural heritage of India and Bangladesh with subjects like Anthropology, Buddhist Studies, Geography, History, Music and Fine Arts, Political Science etc.

A release from ICCR said, "As Bangladesh records consistent economic growth and has rapidly raised its socio-economic standards, there could not be a more appropriate time for Indian academia and contributors to policy-making to pay more attention to Bangladesh Studies in an institutional manner. This Chair is an important step in this direction."

The establishment of the chair was a decision taken during PM Modi's visit to Bangladesh in March 2021. The development comes even as both countries have seen increased engagement at every level especially political, with a key focus on connectivity.

"Bangabandhu Chair focuses on a better understanding of developments in Bangladesh, one of India's most important neighbors, positioned at the strategic intersection of our "Neighborhood First "and "Act East" policies", the release said.&nbsp;

The chair will not only teach but also help in mentoring research students and take part in other activities in the university like seminars, public lectures. The initiative, all in all, will help in increasing cultural exchanges between the 2 countries. The development coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Bangladesh diplomatic relations.

In a first, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will establish a ‘Bangabandhu Chair’ at the Delhi University to further ties between India and Bangladesh.

In a first, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will establish a ‘Bangabandhu Chair’ at the Delhi University to further ties between India and Bangladesh. It is a homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sheikh Mujibur is called father of modern Bangladesh. He always strove for independent Bangladesh and is fondly called 'Bangabandhu' or Friend of Bengal. Dinesh Patnaik, Director-General of ICCR and Prof PC Joshi, Acting Chancellor of University of Delhi will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday in this regard. A visiting professor or a subject expert on Bangladesh, likely to be a person of Bangladeshi origin will be occupying the "chair". Key focus will be on the shared cultural heritage of India and Bangladesh with subjects like Anthropology, Buddhist Studies, Geography, History, Music and Fine Arts, Political Science etc. A release from ICCR said, "As Bangladesh records consistent economic growth and has rapidly raised its socio-economic standards, there could not be a more appropriate time for Indian academia and contributors to policy-making to pay more attention to Bangladesh Studies in an institutional manner. This Chair is an important step in this direction." The establishment of the chair was a decision taken during PM Modi's visit to Bangladesh in March 2021. The development comes even as both countries have seen increased engagement at every level especially political, with a key focus on connectivity. "Bangabandhu Chair focuses on a better understanding of developments in Bangladesh, one of India's most important neighbors, positioned at the strategic intersection of our "Neighborhood First "and "Act East" policies", the release said. The chair will not only teach but also help in mentoring research students and take part in other activities in the university like seminars, public lectures. The initiative, all in all, will help in increasing cultural exchanges between the 2 countries. The development coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Bangladesh diplomatic relations.

Homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: ICCR to set up ‘Bangabandhu Chair’ at Delhi University

In a mega ceremony with pomp and splendor in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar officially handed over part of the relics of St Queen Ketevan to government. St Ketevan was a 17th century Georgian Queen martyred in Iran's Shiraz with her remains having been brought to Goa by the Portuguese in 1627.

Speaking at the ceremony at the Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jaishankar said, "Given the immense spiritual value that this relic holds for the people of Georgia, we had kept this sacred heritage as our own. The martyrdom of St Queen Ketevan is a story of courage and sacrifice." The event saw the participation of Georgia's top political and religious leaders including His Holiness Beatitude Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

While a part of the relic has been permanently handed over, a part remains in India.

"One part of the holy relics still remain in India as a reminder of our shared past", said Jaishankar adding, "The presence of some of the relics in India and Georgia is a bridge of faith between our two countries"

This is the first visit of an Indian external affairs minister to the country since the country's independence in 1991. During the visit, Jaishankar held talks with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani. The last time any Indian EAM and Georgian foreign minister met was in Delhi in 2000. The meet was between the then Georgian FM Irakli Menagarishvili &amp; Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

Connectivity was the key focus of the talks in Tblisi, with EAM at the joint presser alongside PM Irakli Garibashvili saying, "We had a discussion on connectivity...And whether it is land, maritime or air connectivity, I think we have agreed that it is in our mutual interest to promote it and to do so expeditiously."

There are 8000 Indian students in Georgia. A number of Indian movies have been shot in the country.

EAM thanked the Georgian govt for the "care that you have taken of the Indian student community" amid the Covid pandemic, saying "you went the extra mile to look after our students in many cases help them come back home and then come back to Georgia for their studies and I do want on their behalf to really convey our appreciation."

The country has a number of investments in hydroelectricity, steel, power transmission and power sector.&nbsp; 
Lauding the country's pro-investment policies, EAM said, "I really applaud your ranking, I am sure that if there was a wider appreciation of that in India you would see an even more enthusiastic business interest in India."

In a mega ceremony with pomp and splendor in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar officially handed over part of the relics of St Queen Ketevan to government.

In a mega ceremony with pomp and splendor in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar officially handed over part of the relics of St Queen Ketevan to government. St Ketevan was a 17th century Georgian Queen martyred in Iran's Shiraz with her remains having been brought to Goa by the Portuguese in 1627. Speaking at the ceremony at the Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jaishankar said, "Given the immense spiritual value that this relic holds for the people of Georgia, we had kept this sacred heritage as our own. The martyrdom of St Queen Ketevan is a story of courage and sacrifice." The event saw the participation of Georgia's top political and religious leaders including His Holiness Beatitude Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. While a part of the relic has been permanently handed over, a part remains in India. "One part of the holy relics still remain in India as a reminder of our shared past", said Jaishankar adding, "The presence of some of the relics in India and Georgia is a bridge of faith between our two countries" This is the first visit of an Indian external affairs minister to the country since the country's independence in 1991. During the visit, Jaishankar held talks with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani. The last time any Indian EAM and Georgian foreign minister met was in Delhi in 2000. The meet was between the then Georgian FM Irakli Menagarishvili & Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. Connectivity was the key focus of the talks in Tblisi, with EAM at the joint presser alongside PM Irakli Garibashvili saying, "We had a discussion on connectivity...And whether it is land, maritime or air connectivity, I think we have agreed that it is in our mutual interest to promote it and to do so expeditiously." There are 8000 Indian students in Georgia. A number of Indian movies have been shot in the country. EAM thanked the Georgian govt for the "care that you have taken of the Indian student community" amid the Covid pandemic, saying "you went the extra mile to look after our students in many cases help them come back home and then come back to Georgia for their studies and I do want on their behalf to really convey our appreciation." The country has a number of investments in hydroelectricity, steel, power transmission and power sector. Lauding the country's pro-investment policies, EAM said, "I really applaud your ranking, I am sure that if there was a wider appreciation of that in India you would see an even more enthusiastic business interest in India."

Martyrdom of St Queen Ketevan is a story of courage: EAM Jaishankar

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was nominated by US President Joe Biden as the country's ambassador to India, has said that he is honoured to accept the nomination and will bring the same energy, commitment and love with which he served the city to his new role.

If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti, 50, would replace Kenneth Juster, who served as the US Ambassador to India during the Trump administration. 
Earlier this week, Mr Juster was appointed as distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"Today, the President announced that I am his nominee to serve as US Ambassador to India. I am honoured to accept his nomination to serve in this role," Mr Garcetti said in a statement on Friday soon after Biden announced his nomination.

Announcing the nomination along with several other ambassadors, the White House said Eric M. Garcetti has been the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles since 2013, following 12 years as a member of the City Council, including six as Council President. Biden also nominated Denise Campbell Bauer as his envoy to Monaco; Peter D. Haas to Bangladesh; and Bernadette M. Meehan as his top diplomat to Chile.

"I love Los Angeles and will always be an Angeleno. I want you to know that every day I am your Mayor, I will continue to lead this city like it is my first day on the job, with passion, focus, and determination," Mr Garcetti said in a statement.

"I have committed my life to service -- as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant, and if confirmed, next as an ambassador. Part of that commitment means that when your nation calls, you answer that call," he said.

"And should I be confirmed, I'll bring this same energy, commitment, and love for this city to my new role and will forge partnerships and connections that will help Los Angeles," Mr Garcetti said.

As Mayor, Mr Garcetti oversees the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the country, and one of the busiest airports in the world. He led the city's successful bid to return the summer Olympic Games to American soil for the first time in three decades.

He currently chairs LA Metro, the country's second-busiest transit agency, which is building or extending 15 new transit lines, and shifting to an all-electric fleet. 
Mr Garcetti co-founded Climate Mayors and led more than 400 US mayors to adopt the Paris Climate agreement. He is the current Chair of C40 Cities - a network of 97 of the world''s biggest cities taking bold climate action and has led the organisation''s engagement and expansion in India as well as C40's global response to the COVID pandemic through the sharing of best practices and resources.

During 12 years as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve Component, Garcetti served under the Commander, US Pacific Fleet and the Defence Intelligence Agency, retiring in 2017 as a Lieutenant.

A Rhodes Scholar, he studied at Queen's College, Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Mr Garcetti was selected as an inaugural Asia 21 Fellow of the Asia Society, and taught at Occidental College's Department of Diplomacy and World Affairs, as well as at the University of Southern California's School of International Relations.

"He has lived and conducted field work on nationalism, ethnicity, and human rights in Southeast Asia and Northeast Africa. He is the founding Chair of the Latino Alliance of Mayors at the US Conference of Mayors, serves on the Board of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and speaks fluent Spanish," the White House said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was nominated by US President Joe Biden as the country's ambassador to India, has said that he is honoured to accept the nomination and will bring the same energy, commitment and love with which he served the city to his new role.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was nominated by US President Joe Biden as the country's ambassador to India, has said that he is honoured to accept the nomination and will bring the same energy, commitment and love with which he served the city to his new role. If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti, 50, would replace Kenneth Juster, who served as the US Ambassador to India during the Trump administration. Earlier this week, Mr Juster was appointed as distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Today, the President announced that I am his nominee to serve as US Ambassador to India. I am honoured to accept his nomination to serve in this role," Mr Garcetti said in a statement on Friday soon after Biden announced his nomination. Announcing the nomination along with several other ambassadors, the White House said Eric M. Garcetti has been the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles since 2013, following 12 years as a member of the City Council, including six as Council President. Biden also nominated Denise Campbell Bauer as his envoy to Monaco; Peter D. Haas to Bangladesh; and Bernadette M. Meehan as his top diplomat to Chile. "I love Los Angeles and will always be an Angeleno. I want you to know that every day I am your Mayor, I will continue to lead this city like it is my first day on the job, with passion, focus, and determination," Mr Garcetti said in a statement. "I have committed my life to service -- as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant, and if confirmed, next as an ambassador. Part of that commitment means that when your nation calls, you answer that call," he said. "And should I be confirmed, I'll bring this same energy, commitment, and love for this city to my new role and will forge partnerships and connections that will help Los Angeles," Mr Garcetti said. As Mayor, Mr Garcetti oversees the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the country, and one of the busiest airports in the world. He led the city's successful bid to return the summer Olympic Games to American soil for the first time in three decades. He currently chairs LA Metro, the country's second-busiest transit agency, which is building or extending 15 new transit lines, and shifting to an all-electric fleet. Mr Garcetti co-founded Climate Mayors and led more than 400 US mayors to adopt the Paris Climate agreement. He is the current Chair of C40 Cities - a network of 97 of the world''s biggest cities taking bold climate action and has led the organisation''s engagement and expansion in India as well as C40's global response to the COVID pandemic through the sharing of best practices and resources. During 12 years as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve Component, Garcetti served under the Commander, US Pacific Fleet and the Defence Intelligence Agency, retiring in 2017 as a Lieutenant. A Rhodes Scholar, he studied at Queen's College, Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Mr Garcetti was selected as an inaugural Asia 21 Fellow of the Asia Society, and taught at Occidental College's Department of Diplomacy and World Affairs, as well as at the University of Southern California's School of International Relations. "He has lived and conducted field work on nationalism, ethnicity, and human rights in Southeast Asia and Northeast Africa. He is the founding Chair of the Latino Alliance of Mayors at the US Conference of Mayors, serves on the Board of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and speaks fluent Spanish," the White House said.

‘Honoured’: Los Angeles mayor on his nomination as US ambassador to India 

The new president of the Tibetan government-in-exile or the Central Tibetan administration Penpa Tsering has welcomed the announcement of PM Modi's call to Dalai Lama on his birthday saying it sends a message to China. Speaking to WION's Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Tsering said,"we know that the Indian govt, particularly PM Modi has been wishing his Holiness Dalai Lama for many years. It is just not PM Modi, but his predecessors as well." Last week, a public announcement was made for the first time that Indian PM congratulated Dalai Lama on his birthday. This is a major departure from the past.&nbsp;

Penpa Tsering also hit out at the Chinese govt, as it attempts to eradicate "Tibetan national identity", highlighting, "loyalty of Tibetan people inside Tibet lies with his holiness Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration rather than the Chinese government." On China keen on making an announcement on next Dalai Lama, he advised that "if China is really interested in looking for reincarnation they should learn Buddhism first"

WION: What will be your key focus areas?

Penpa Tsering: One of the main focus areas is to solve the Sino-Tibet conflict through the middle way that was proposed by His Holiness Dalai Lama and approved by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile. The second focus is to look after the welfare of the Tibetan diaspora. Within that, as soon as I took over, the first issue we needed to handle was Covid cases within the Tibetan community in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. So, in terms of specific programs there is quite a number, but in terms of a larger issue that we need to handle, resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict comes first.

WION: Resolving the conflict, do you think China will be willing to resolve it, given the provocative behavior it has been engaging in?

Penpa Tsering: I think, many governments, and many communities live in denial. The issue here is that the Chinese government lives in denial that there is no Tibet issue, there is no Tibet problem or Tibet conflict. Similar was the case how they used to view the Uyghur issue, Mongolian case, or the Hong Kong case. Now all those issues have become dominant in world politics and the Tibetan issue has taken a little bit of a back seat due to the emerging situations in other parts of China.&nbsp;

But the reality is over the last 60 years, since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the aspiration of the Tibetan people have never been met. As long as the ruler, the people who don't understand the real aspiration of the people they rule, in terms of Tibet, it is to do with Tibetan national identity, Tibetan language which came from India, Tibetan religion which came from India or the larger issues of human rights in Tibet, in China as a whole and environmental issues that concerns not only Tibet but the whole region of south and southeast Asia. These are issues that cannot be ignored.&nbsp;

Therefore we have a lot of hope and we remain positive that a sense of realization will happen in the mind of Chinese leadership that these issues, you just cannot wish away by hoping that His Holiness is now 86 and that he might die very soon, or the Tibetan issue will die because they can rule Tibetans inside with an iron hand. That wishful thinking is not going to work. I believe that Chinese leadership will have to understand the real situation inside Tibet, the policies and programs that they are implementing inside Tibet are all aimed at eradicating Tibetan national identity.&nbsp;

It will be our job to point out to the Chinese leaders that these policies and programs are not helpful for Tibetan people and the Chinese govt in long run, in the short there might be some sense of satisfaction that they have been able to repress and put force on the Tibetans to refrain them from doing certain things they don't want Tibetans to do. But in the long run, this is sure is not going to work out, over the last 60 years they have realized that the loyalty of Tibetan people inside Tibet lies with his holiness Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration rather than the Chinese government. This is also the reason that China is the only country that perhaps spent more money on internal security than external security. But we remain hopeful, if there is no hope, then there is no struggle.

WION: Indian PM called Dalai Lama and wished him over his birthday. This for the very first time made public. How do u see the development?

Penpa Tsering: I have always been saying it will be too naive on my part to advise the Indian govt as to what they should be doing. But over the last 60 years, the humanitarian support, the political support that the Indian government has extended to the Central Tibetan Administration and its people and diaspora. Therefore we remain ever grateful, but in terms of political position, his Holiness Dalai Lama used to say India is over-cautious when it comes to Tibet.&nbsp;

Now because of the certain emerging situation that has already developed over the last one or 2 years with Galwan and Doklam, there is a sense of urgency within the Indian leadership, as well as the media and the people. Lot of interest as to what is happening and how Tibet comes into play because there was no border ever before 1951 when the so-called 17 point agenda was enforced on the Tibetans through the threat of invasion by the Chinese people liberation army.&nbsp;

But at the same time, we are very very grateful and we know that the Indian govt, particularly PM Modi has been wishing His Holiness Dalai Lama for many years. It is just not PM Modi, but his predecessors as well. This time, the defense was that also because of technology PM made it public and everyone got to know that, that also sends a signal to Chinese leadership as to where the relationship between the Indian govt, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan people are today. It is a development that sends a message.&nbsp;

WION: Can we expect more communication. We know a hesitation had developed by the Indian side after Doklam, has that been dropped?

Penpa Tsering: Engagement between the Tibetans and the Indian govt has gone on for many years, as I said before also. The visibility depends on the situation. Otherwise, engagement has been very very strong, it is not something new that is going on. Now because of the developing situation, it is becoming more visible. For the Indian govt decides on how they go about it..but in our heart of heart, the mind of the mind, we know India is always there for us.

WION: India will be hosting an International Buddhist Conference, will Dalai lama will be keen to participate in it?

Penpa Tsering: The issue of religion or spirituality is not related to politics. So His Holiness devolved his political and administrative responsibilities in 2011 and since then, even now he says, you do your job, my job will be to help humanity as much as I can. His Holiness is one of the most revered Buddhist leaders in the world, naturally, all Buddhists, have a lot of respect for him and it will be ideal for His Holiness to be invited or to address such gatherings that will be good for everybody including the organizers and attendees coming from different parts of the world.&nbsp;

Wion: How do you see China, at the present time, when it has been indulging in provocative behavior. Do you think, the threat needs to be dealt with?

Penpa Tsering: China doesn't respect weakness, China respects strength, I think, India and the rest of the world community understand how China views this. So India is also showing its strength by not succumbing to Chinese belligerence. What China is doing today is completely not in tune with what china has been saying. The Chinese leadership has been saying harmonious international relations, relations with its neighbors, within its people, but what they are saying and what they are doing are 2 different things.&nbsp;

Unprovoked provocation through belligerent moves cannot sustain China's respectability. China has military power, China has political power, China has economic power, but the only thing they lack is moral power. The only way they can win moral power is by being friendly with its neighbors, India or the countries around the South China Sea or East Asia, Europe, or the US. You cannot be friends by being violent with them, the only way u can win friends and also trust is by having cordial relations, relations that benefit the country and the people of all the country. This is not happening right now. I have been saying China is not on the right track.

WION: China is very keen to appoint the next Dalai Lama, take the leadership of Buddhism, your views?

Penpa Tsering: Everybody knows what China does particularly when it comes to religion, is to control organised groups which they perceive as a guest. But religious matters are purely religious matters, spirituality is dependent on an Individual's choice, not the govt's choice. And Communist govt which does not belives in religion, cannot change the landscape of religion.&nbsp;

So therefore whatever China does, everybody knows in the world, they will be doing it only for political gains, or for political purposes. The influence of His Holiness Dalai Lama has expanded over many years and decades around the world, and it is not dependent on Tibetan people, His Holiness has followers in the Himalayan region, in the republics of Russia, in Mongolia, South East Asia, all over the world. When it comes to looking for the 15th Dalai Lama, then this purely a religious matter and I have always been saying if China is really interested in looking for reincarnation they should learn Buddhism first and His Holiness had also said in jest that if Chinese govt is really serious, they should look for Mao Zedong's reincarnation first, Deng Xiaoping second then maybe Dalai Lama's.&nbsp;

Now there is a paradox, an irony, when the journalist who went to Tibet, they found portraits of Xi Jinping everywhere, from monasteries to the office building. It sounds like Xi Jinping also wants to be recognized as a Lama, that is one Tibetan who was indoctrinated to say that has been saying, again sarcastically that Xi Jinping is our guru. But that does help, just a physical facade doesn't help, there should be a deeper understanding of what religion means for reincarnation. For reincarnation, one should believe in life after death. When you yourself don't believe in the concept of life after death, why you want to interfere in a person's rebirth. We all know, it is for political reasons, but that is not going to work. What has happened with their own selection of Panchen Lama has gained respect from the Tibetan people, leave alone the rest of the world. &nbsp;

Wion: On the issue of Chinese transparency when it comes to the Covid crisis, or the origin of Covid, your views? views on China vis-a-vis the Covid crisis?

Penpa Tsering: This is a common trait of the Communist party, whenever they make a statement based on lies, build lies upon lies, and say it 100 times and they believe lies will also become truth. Unfortunately, that is not how it works today. Maybe they can control the media and information flow within China, it is not possible to control media flow outside. So I am not a scientist, how it originated, how it spread, but there is definitely a general understand that China has not been transparent from the beginning, not just with the pandemic.&nbsp;

It is just not SARS or COVID-19 that was bungled in the beginning or initial stage, it applies to all levels from political or religious or financial. Nobody tends to believe China because they are not being truthful, without trust you cannot build a real friendship and China has to learn lessons from the past and make sure they become more accountable to the world community. Everyone expects China to change but they always come, from religion or market economy with Chinese characteristics. So far they got away with it, in long run it won't work.&nbsp;

The new president of the Tibetan government-in-exile or the Central Tibetan administration Penpa Tsering has welcomed the announcement of PM Modi's call to Dalai Lama on his birthday saying it sends a message to China.

The new president of the Tibetan government-in-exile or the Central Tibetan administration Penpa Tsering has welcomed the announcement of PM Modi's call to Dalai Lama on his birthday saying it sends a message to China. Speaking to WION's Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Tsering said,"we know that the Indian govt, particularly PM Modi has been wishing his Holiness Dalai Lama for many years. It is just not PM Modi, but his predecessors as well." Last week, a public announcement was made for the first time that Indian PM congratulated Dalai Lama on his birthday. This is a major departure from the past. Penpa Tsering also hit out at the Chinese govt, as it attempts to eradicate "Tibetan national identity", highlighting, "loyalty of Tibetan people inside Tibet lies with his holiness Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration rather than the Chinese government." On China keen on making an announcement on next Dalai Lama, he advised that "if China is really interested in looking for reincarnation they should learn Buddhism first" WION: What will be your key focus areas? Penpa Tsering: One of the main focus areas is to solve the Sino-Tibet conflict through the middle way that was proposed by His Holiness Dalai Lama and approved by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile. The second focus is to look after the welfare of the Tibetan diaspora. Within that, as soon as I took over, the first issue we needed to handle was Covid cases within the Tibetan community in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. So, in terms of specific programs there is quite a number, but in terms of a larger issue that we need to handle, resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict comes first. WION: Resolving the conflict, do you think China will be willing to resolve it, given the provocative behavior it has been engaging in? Penpa Tsering: I think, many governments, and many communities live in denial. The issue here is that the Chinese government lives in denial that there is no Tibet issue, there is no Tibet problem or Tibet conflict. Similar was the case how they used to view the Uyghur issue, Mongolian case, or the Hong Kong case. Now all those issues have become dominant in world politics and the Tibetan issue has taken a little bit of a back seat due to the emerging situations in other parts of China. But the reality is over the last 60 years, since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the aspiration of the Tibetan people have never been met. As long as the ruler, the people who don't understand the real aspiration of the people they rule, in terms of Tibet, it is to do with Tibetan national identity, Tibetan language which came from India, Tibetan religion which came from India or the larger issues of human rights in Tibet, in China as a whole and environmental issues that concerns not only Tibet but the whole region of south and southeast Asia. These are issues that cannot be ignored. Therefore we have a lot of hope and we remain positive that a sense of realization will happen in the mind of Chinese leadership that these issues, you just cannot wish away by hoping that His Holiness is now 86 and that he might die very soon, or the Tibetan issue will die because they can rule Tibetans inside with an iron hand. That wishful thinking is not going to work. I believe that Chinese leadership will have to understand the real situation inside Tibet, the policies and programs that they are implementing inside Tibet are all aimed at eradicating Tibetan national identity. It will be our job to point out to the Chinese leaders that these policies and programs are not helpful for Tibetan people and the Chinese govt in long run, in the short there might be some sense of satisfaction that they have been able to repress and put force on the Tibetans to refrain them from doing certain things they don't want Tibetans to do. But in the long run, this is sure is not going to work out, over the last 60 years they have realized that the loyalty of Tibetan people inside Tibet lies with his holiness Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration rather than the Chinese government. This is also the reason that China is the only country that perhaps spent more money on internal security than external security. But we remain hopeful, if there is no hope, then there is no struggle. WION: Indian PM called Dalai Lama and wished him over his birthday. This for the very first time made public. How do u see the development? Penpa Tsering: I have always been saying it will be too naive on my part to advise the Indian govt as to what they should be doing. But over the last 60 years, the humanitarian support, the political support that the Indian government has extended to the Central Tibetan Administration and its people and diaspora. Therefore we remain ever grateful, but in terms of political position, his Holiness Dalai Lama used to say India is over-cautious when it comes to Tibet. Now because of the certain emerging situation that has already developed over the last one or 2 years with Galwan and Doklam, there is a sense of urgency within the Indian leadership, as well as the media and the people. Lot of interest as to what is happening and how Tibet comes into play because there was no border ever before 1951 when the so-called 17 point agenda was enforced on the Tibetans through the threat of invasion by the Chinese people liberation army. But at the same time, we are very very grateful and we know that the Indian govt, particularly PM Modi has been wishing His Holiness Dalai Lama for many years. It is just not PM Modi, but his predecessors as well. This time, the defense was that also because of technology PM made it public and everyone got to know that, that also sends a signal to Chinese leadership as to where the relationship between the Indian govt, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan people are today. It is a development that sends a message. WION: Can we expect more communication. We know a hesitation had developed by the Indian side after Doklam, has that been dropped? Penpa Tsering: Engagement between the Tibetans and the Indian govt has gone on for many years, as I said before also. The visibility depends on the situation. Otherwise, engagement has been very very strong, it is not something new that is going on. Now because of the developing situation, it is becoming more visible. For the Indian govt decides on how they go about it..but in our heart of heart, the mind of the mind, we know India is always there for us. WION: India will be hosting an International Buddhist Conference, will Dalai lama will be keen to participate in it? Penpa Tsering: The issue of religion or spirituality is not related to politics. So His Holiness devolved his political and administrative responsibilities in 2011 and since then, even now he says, you do your job, my job will be to help humanity as much as I can. His Holiness is one of the most revered Buddhist leaders in the world, naturally, all Buddhists, have a lot of respect for him and it will be ideal for His Holiness to be invited or to address such gatherings that will be good for everybody including the organizers and attendees coming from different parts of the world. Wion: How do you see China, at the present time, when it has been indulging in provocative behavior. Do you think, the threat needs to be dealt with? Penpa Tsering: China doesn't respect weakness, China respects strength, I think, India and the rest of the world community understand how China views this. So India is also showing its strength by not succumbing to Chinese belligerence. What China is doing today is completely not in tune with what china has been saying. The Chinese leadership has been saying harmonious international relations, relations with its neighbors, within its people, but what they are saying and what they are doing are 2 different things. Unprovoked provocation through belligerent moves cannot sustain China's respectability. China has military power, China has political power, China has economic power, but the only thing they lack is moral power. The only way they can win moral power is by being friendly with its neighbors, India or the countries around the South China Sea or East Asia, Europe, or the US. You cannot be friends by being violent with them, the only way u can win friends and also trust is by having cordial relations, relations that benefit the country and the people of all the country. This is not happening right now. I have been saying China is not on the right track. WION: China is very keen to appoint the next Dalai Lama, take the leadership of Buddhism, your views? Penpa Tsering: Everybody knows what China does particularly when it comes to religion, is to control organised groups which they perceive as a guest. But religious matters are purely religious matters, spirituality is dependent on an Individual's choice, not the govt's choice. And Communist govt which does not belives in religion, cannot change the landscape of religion. So therefore whatever China does, everybody knows in the world, they will be doing it only for political gains, or for political purposes. The influence of His Holiness Dalai Lama has expanded over many years and decades around the world, and it is not dependent on Tibetan people, His Holiness has followers in the Himalayan region, in the republics of Russia, in Mongolia, South East Asia, all over the world. When it comes to looking for the 15th Dalai Lama, then this purely a religious matter and I have always been saying if China is really interested in looking for reincarnation they should learn Buddhism first and His Holiness had also said in jest that if Chinese govt is really serious, they should look for Mao Zedong's reincarnation first, Deng Xiaoping second then maybe Dalai Lama's. Now there is a paradox, an irony, when the journalist who went to Tibet, they found portraits of Xi Jinping everywhere, from monasteries to the office building. It sounds like Xi Jinping also wants to be recognized as a Lama, that is one Tibetan who was indoctrinated to say that has been saying, again sarcastically that Xi Jinping is our guru. But that does help, just a physical facade doesn't help, there should be a deeper understanding of what religion means for reincarnation. For reincarnation, one should believe in life after death. When you yourself don't believe in the concept of life after death, why you want to interfere in a person's rebirth. We all know, it is for political reasons, but that is not going to work. What has happened with their own selection of Panchen Lama has gained respect from the Tibetan people, leave alone the rest of the world. Wion: On the issue of Chinese transparency when it comes to the Covid crisis, or the origin of Covid, your views? views on China vis-a-vis the Covid crisis? Penpa Tsering: This is a common trait of the Communist party, whenever they make a statement based on lies, build lies upon lies, and say it 100 times and they believe lies will also become truth. Unfortunately, that is not how it works today. Maybe they can control the media and information flow within China, it is not possible to control media flow outside. So I am not a scientist, how it originated, how it spread, but there is definitely a general understand that China has not been transparent from the beginning, not just with the pandemic. It is just not SARS or COVID-19 that was bungled in the beginning or initial stage, it applies to all levels from political or religious or financial. Nobody tends to believe China because they are not being truthful, without trust you cannot build a real friendship and China has to learn lessons from the past and make sure they become more accountable to the world community. Everyone expects China to change but they always come, from religion or market economy with Chinese characteristics. So far they got away with it, in long run it won't work.

PM Modi's call to Dalai Lama sends a message to China, says Penpa Tsering, President of Tibetan govt-in-exile

Soumya Swaminathan, the top scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced on Friday that 15 European Union (EU) countries officially recognise Covishield, a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

"15 countries in the EU now recognise COVISHIELD for tourists," Swaminathan stated in a tweet.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
15 countries in EU now recognize <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVISHIELD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVISHIELD</a> for travelers <a href="https://t.co/fb56AEOvOt">https://t.co/fb56AEOvOt</a>
— Soumya Swaminathan (@doctorsoumya) <a href="https://twitter.com/doctorsoumya/status/1413482639009402880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Swaminathan's comments follow Belgium's acceptance of the Covishield vaccination on Friday.

Arnaud Lion, Charge d'affaires of the Belgian Embassy in India, said on Friday that his country's recognition of Covishield will benefit everyone obtaining the vaccine injection in India and overseas.&nbsp;

"Belgium recognises Covishield, the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India and distributed by COVAX. An important decision for India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh in the fight against vaccine inequality," the embassy’s official handle tweeted.

Switzerland, Iceland, Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden are among the 14 European countries that have approved the Covishield vaccination.

Meanwhile, Estonia has stated that the vaccine will only be recognised for Indian travellers.&nbsp; 
 
"On July 7, the inter-ministerial conference in Belgium decided to recognize the Covishield vaccination, which will have a positive impact I hope for everyone in India and outside India being vaccinated with Covishield," Lion said.

He said Covishield is one of the main vaccines, which is and will be used under the COVAX facility. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Soumya Swaminathan, the top scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced on Friday that 15 European Union (EU) countries officially recognise Covishield, a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Soumya Swaminathan, the top scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced on Friday that 15 European Union (EU) countries officially recognise Covishield, a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII). "15 countries in the EU now recognise COVISHIELD for tourists," Swaminathan stated in a tweet. 15 countries in EU now recognize #COVISHIELD for travelers https://t.co/fb56AEOvOt — Soumya Swaminathan (@doctorsoumya) July 9, 2021 × Swaminathan's comments follow Belgium's acceptance of the Covishield vaccination on Friday. Arnaud Lion, Charge d'affaires of the Belgian Embassy in India, said on Friday that his country's recognition of Covishield will benefit everyone obtaining the vaccine injection in India and overseas. "Belgium recognises Covishield, the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India and distributed by COVAX. An important decision for India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh in the fight against vaccine inequality," the embassy’s official handle tweeted. Switzerland, Iceland, Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden are among the 14 European countries that have approved the Covishield vaccination. Meanwhile, Estonia has stated that the vaccine will only be recognised for Indian travellers. "On July 7, the inter-ministerial conference in Belgium decided to recognize the Covishield vaccination, which will have a positive impact I hope for everyone in India and outside India being vaccinated with Covishield," Lion said. He said Covishield is one of the main vaccines, which is and will be used under the COVAX facility. (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19: 15 countries in European Union recognise India-made Covishield vaccine

Greece's Foreign minister&nbsp;Nikos Dendias has said that India, Greece, and UAE will soon establish a trilateral dialogue even as Athens is working to "develop a Strategic Partnership" with New Delhi.

Speaking exclusively to WION's&nbsp;principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal from Athens,&nbsp;Foreign minister&nbsp;Nikos said, "Greece as an EU Member-State has the capacity to act as a bridge between the European Union and India.".&nbsp;&nbsp;

India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam&nbsp;Jaishankar had recently visited Greece, becoming the first Indian external affairs minister&nbsp;to visit the country in 18 years. During that visit, Greece officially joined India led and headquartered the International solar alliance as well.&nbsp;

Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias also hit out at Turkey&nbsp;saying that the country is "increasingly playing the religious card in order to advance its geopolitical agenda" which is a "worrying trend."

He explained that "Turkey threatens Greece with war if Greece exercises her inherent sovereign rights" and does not "respect the basic principles of International Law, including fundamental provisions of the UN Charter."

WION: What was the key focus during your meeting with India's EAM? It is after 18 year an Indian EAM visited, Greece. What was the key outcome in terms of furthering India-Greece ties?

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;Precisely as you mentioned, this was the first visit of an Indian Minister of External Affairs to Athens in almost two decades. This visit was long overdue. And I look forward to visiting New Delhi in the near future.

At first glance, Greece and India may seem to have little in common. India is an emerging global power, with almost 1.4 billion population. Greece has close to 11 million inhabitants. Geographically we are far apart.

However, such an approach is superficial and does not take into account the many things that tie us together. Greece is the birthplace of democracy. India is the biggest democracy in the world.

Both countries share the same principles. Respect for International Law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, peaceful resolution of disputes, as well as non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.

During our discussions, we touched on the major international developments. But, we also addressed the need to enhance our bilateral ties. Through regular political dialogue, as well as people to people contacts including in the fields of trade and culture. Our aim is to develop a Strategic Partnership that will reflect the level of our bilateral relations.

We will work together in the coming months, in order to finalise a series of agreements that, unfortunately, have been pending for years. Let me also add another important dimension: Greece as an EU Member-State has the capacity to act as a bridge between the European Union and India. In this respect, we fully support the further enhancement of EU-India relations. Last but definitely not least, the visit of my counterpart Dr. Jaishankar was an occasion to unveil the statue in Athens of a towering figure of the 20th Century, Mahatma Gandhi.

WION: You have joined the International solar alliance. How do you see the alliance at a time when climate change has been the biggest worry?&nbsp;

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;This is a very important initiative undertaken by Indian Prime Minister Modi, along with then French President Hollande, that will help in addressing the biggest global challenge that our planet is facing, namely climate change. We commend this initiative and we are very happy that we joined it.

The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mitsotakis is taking a series of initiatives in order to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, as well as increase the use of renewable energy sources. Greece, being a country that is blessed by the sun, has the potential to take advantage of solar energy. In this regard, our participation in the solar Alliance will help us in achieving our goals.

WION: You both talked about UN reforms, Do you think it is a possibility given the resistance by some countries like China. Also, your neighbour Turkey, part of the coffee group (along with Pakistan) opposing India's bid.

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;Greece is in favour of UN reform, including the expansion of the UN Security Council, as well as other multilateral institutions, in order to make them more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and reflect today's geopolitical realities. Allow me to take this opportunity to commend India's participation in the Security Council, where she is seating since January this year and will be presiding it in a few weeks' time. Let me also stress that Greece has also presented its candidacy for a non-permanent seat for the period 2025-26. India's support in our bid will be of paramount importance.&nbsp;&nbsp;

WION: You discussed Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and Libya. Can you elaborate on what kind of discussion happened?&nbsp;

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;I took the opportunity to brief my counterpart on the developments in the region adjoining Greece. Geographically speaking this region may be far away from India. However, in a globalized world, in which India is increasingly playing a larger role, distances are shrinking.

Therefore, I underlined that what happens in this part of the world is having an effect in other parts of the world. I underlined that the pursuance of aggressive and revisionist policies by one particular state are destabilizing not just the immediate neighbourhood, but the wider region as well. I also stressed that the state in question is using religious affinities in its attempt to revive empire dreams. Or rather, ghosts of the past.

I also commended India's contribution to the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, as well as India's efforts, as a leader of the non-aligned movement in reaching a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue in line with the provisions of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. That is a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Moreover, opportunities for new schemes are emerging. And we want India to be actively engaged in them. We have developed a strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates. And we look forward to establish a trilateral dialogue [including India] in the near future.

WION: How much Turkey was discussed with India. What was India's response?

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;Let me start by your second question. I cannot speak on behalf of India. However, from my side, apart from outlining Turkey's [neo-Ottoman] ambitions in the region, as well as its [aggressive] behaviour against almost all its neighbours, there is a need to highlight two points, that should be of concern to India as well.

First, Turkey, is trying to establish a military permanent presence in many countries. This could be a destabilizing factor.

Second, Turkey is increasingly playing the religious card in order to advance its geopolitical agenda. We have seen examples of this in our immediate neighbourhood, in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, but increasingly also in other parts of the world. Especially in Africa, in particular East Africa. This is a worrying trend.

WION: How much do you think Turkey has been a worry for you in the region. And how much you think, India can be an ally in the cause that brings New Delhi and Athens together?

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;The biggest challenge that Turkey is posing, not just to Greece, but to the whole region, is that she does not respect the basic principles of International Law, including fundamental provisions of the UN Charter. She threatens Greece with war, if Greece exercises her inherent sovereign rights.

Furthermore, Turkey refuses to address the sole bilateral issue she has with Greece on the basis of International Law. The challenge is not Turkey as a country. It is the fact that Turkey refuses to abide by the rules defined and accepted by the International Community. In this regard, India, a country that upholds these rules, can play a major role internationally.

WION: How do you see the Indo Pacific vision? The joint press release mentioned the term.

Nikos Dendias:&nbsp;Greece is a maritime nation. And we uphold basic principles such as the freedom of navigation and respect for the International Law of the Sea. In this vein, we highly appreciate the fact that the Quad Leaders meeting that took place, virtually, a few months ago, underlined these principles, which in turn were specifically mentioned in the Communiqué.&nbsp;

Allow me to conclude by stressing one more point: India has reached agreements with almost all of its neighbours on the delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones on the basis of International Law. In one case, together with Bangladesh, India has referred the issue to the International Court of Justice. This reflects exactly Greece's position on the issue.

Only one of India's neighbours is still refusing to abide by these principles. Greece is facing a similar situation whereby only one neighbour is refusing to respect the same rules.

Greece's Foreign minister Nikos Dendias has said that India, Greece, and UAE will soon establish a trilateral dialogue even as Athens is working to "develop a Strategic Partnership" with New Delhi.

Greece's Foreign minister Nikos Dendias has said that India, Greece, and UAE will soon establish a trilateral dialogue even as Athens is working to "develop a Strategic Partnership" with New Delhi. Speaking exclusively to WION's principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal from Athens, Foreign minister Nikos said, "Greece as an EU Member-State has the capacity to act as a bridge between the European Union and India.". India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had recently visited Greece, becoming the first Indian external affairs minister to visit the country in 18 years. During that visit, Greece officially joined India led and headquartered the International solar alliance as well. Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias also hit out at Turkey saying that the country is "increasingly playing the religious card in order to advance its geopolitical agenda" which is a "worrying trend." He explained that "Turkey threatens Greece with war if Greece exercises her inherent sovereign rights" and does not "respect the basic principles of International Law, including fundamental provisions of the UN Charter." WION: What was the key focus during your meeting with India's EAM? It is after 18 year an Indian EAM visited, Greece. What was the key outcome in terms of furthering India-Greece ties? Nikos Dendias: Precisely as you mentioned, this was the first visit of an Indian Minister of External Affairs to Athens in almost two decades. This visit was long overdue. And I look forward to visiting New Delhi in the near future. At first glance, Greece and India may seem to have little in common. India is an emerging global power, with almost 1.4 billion population. Greece has close to 11 million inhabitants. Geographically we are far apart. However, such an approach is superficial and does not take into account the many things that tie us together. Greece is the birthplace of democracy. India is the biggest democracy in the world. Both countries share the same principles. Respect for International Law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, peaceful resolution of disputes, as well as non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. During our discussions, we touched on the major international developments. But, we also addressed the need to enhance our bilateral ties. Through regular political dialogue, as well as people to people contacts including in the fields of trade and culture. Our aim is to develop a Strategic Partnership that will reflect the level of our bilateral relations. We will work together in the coming months, in order to finalise a series of agreements that, unfortunately, have been pending for years. Let me also add another important dimension: Greece as an EU Member-State has the capacity to act as a bridge between the European Union and India. In this respect, we fully support the further enhancement of EU-India relations. Last but definitely not least, the visit of my counterpart Dr. Jaishankar was an occasion to unveil the statue in Athens of a towering figure of the 20th Century, Mahatma Gandhi. WION: You have joined the International solar alliance. How do you see the alliance at a time when climate change has been the biggest worry? Nikos Dendias: This is a very important initiative undertaken by Indian Prime Minister Modi, along with then French President Hollande, that will help in addressing the biggest global challenge that our planet is facing, namely climate change. We commend this initiative and we are very happy that we joined it. The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mitsotakis is taking a series of initiatives in order to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, as well as increase the use of renewable energy sources. Greece, being a country that is blessed by the sun, has the potential to take advantage of solar energy. In this regard, our participation in the solar Alliance will help us in achieving our goals. WION: You both talked about UN reforms, Do you think it is a possibility given the resistance by some countries like China. Also, your neighbour Turkey, part of the coffee group (along with Pakistan) opposing India's bid. Nikos Dendias: Greece is in favour of UN reform, including the expansion of the UN Security Council, as well as other multilateral institutions, in order to make them more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and reflect today's geopolitical realities. Allow me to take this opportunity to commend India's participation in the Security Council, where she is seating since January this year and will be presiding it in a few weeks' time. Let me also stress that Greece has also presented its candidacy for a non-permanent seat for the period 2025-26. India's support in our bid will be of paramount importance. WION: You discussed Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and Libya. Can you elaborate on what kind of discussion happened? Nikos Dendias: I took the opportunity to brief my counterpart on the developments in the region adjoining Greece. Geographically speaking this region may be far away from India. However, in a globalized world, in which India is increasingly playing a larger role, distances are shrinking. Therefore, I underlined that what happens in this part of the world is having an effect in other parts of the world. I underlined that the pursuance of aggressive and revisionist policies by one particular state are destabilizing not just the immediate neighbourhood, but the wider region as well. I also stressed that the state in question is using religious affinities in its attempt to revive empire dreams. Or rather, ghosts of the past. I also commended India's contribution to the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, as well as India's efforts, as a leader of the non-aligned movement in reaching a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue in line with the provisions of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. That is a bizonal, bicommunal federation. Moreover, opportunities for new schemes are emerging. And we want India to be actively engaged in them. We have developed a strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates. And we look forward to establish a trilateral dialogue [including India] in the near future. WION: How much Turkey was discussed with India. What was India's response? Nikos Dendias: Let me start by your second question. I cannot speak on behalf of India. However, from my side, apart from outlining Turkey's [neo-Ottoman] ambitions in the region, as well as its [aggressive] behaviour against almost all its neighbours, there is a need to highlight two points, that should be of concern to India as well. First, Turkey, is trying to establish a military permanent presence in many countries. This could be a destabilizing factor. Second, Turkey is increasingly playing the religious card in order to advance its geopolitical agenda. We have seen examples of this in our immediate neighbourhood, in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, but increasingly also in other parts of the world. Especially in Africa, in particular East Africa. This is a worrying trend. WION: How much do you think Turkey has been a worry for you in the region. And how much you think, India can be an ally in the cause that brings New Delhi and Athens together? Nikos Dendias: The biggest challenge that Turkey is posing, not just to Greece, but to the whole region, is that she does not respect the basic principles of International Law, including fundamental provisions of the UN Charter. She threatens Greece with war, if Greece exercises her inherent sovereign rights. Furthermore, Turkey refuses to address the sole bilateral issue she has with Greece on the basis of International Law. The challenge is not Turkey as a country. It is the fact that Turkey refuses to abide by the rules defined and accepted by the International Community. In this regard, India, a country that upholds these rules, can play a major role internationally. WION: How do you see the Indo Pacific vision? The joint press release mentioned the term. Nikos Dendias: Greece is a maritime nation. And we uphold basic principles such as the freedom of navigation and respect for the International Law of the Sea. In this vein, we highly appreciate the fact that the Quad Leaders meeting that took place, virtually, a few months ago, underlined these principles, which in turn were specifically mentioned in the Communiqué. Allow me to conclude by stressing one more point: India has reached agreements with almost all of its neighbours on the delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones on the basis of International Law. In one case, together with Bangladesh, India has referred the issue to the International Court of Justice. This reflects exactly Greece's position on the issue. Only one of India's neighbours is still refusing to abide by these principles. Greece is facing a similar situation whereby only one neighbour is refusing to respect the same rules.

Greek FM Nikos Dendias says India, Greece, UAE to establish trilateral dialogue; hits out Turkey

India's Hetero Labs said on Friday it sought an emergency use nod from the local regulator for Merck's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> drug&nbsp;molnupiravir, after interim data from a late-stage trial showed it helped reduce hospitalisations and speed up recovery in mild cases.

Molnupiravir&nbsp;is an antiviral drug being developed by Merck &amp; Co and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for the treatment of non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-procure-17-million-courses-of-molnupiravir-coronavirus-pills-390444">US to procure 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir coronavirus pills</a>

Merck tapped several Indian generic drugmakers between March and April, including Cipla and Dr Reddy's Laboratories, to expand the drug's production and conduct trials, hastening its availability in India to address the second wave of infections.

The partnerships gave these companies licence to make and supply&nbsp;molnupiravir&nbsp;to India and more than 100 low- and middle-income countries after approvals or emergency authorisations by local regulatory agencies, Merck said in late April.

Hetero said the late-stage trial of&nbsp;molnupiravir, conducted at COVID-19 dedicated hospital sites across India, looked at the drug's efficacy and safety in patients with mild COVID-19.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/molnupiravir-new-antiviral-oral-drug-shown-to-stop-covid-19-spread-in-24-hours-348580">Molnupiravir: New antiviral oral drug shown to stop COVID-19 spread in 24 hours</a>

The data showed the antiviral drug resulted in statistically significant fewer hospital admissions, faster recovery time and early negative SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR results.

Coronavirus cases in India have declined from a devastating peak in April and May. However, health experts have said the country should brace for a third wave by October.

Molnupiravir&nbsp;is currently being tested in a global late-stage study by Merck and partner Ridgeback, with the trial data expected in the fall of 2021.

India's Hetero Labs said on Friday it sought an emergency use nod from the local regulator for Merck's COVID-19 drug molnupiravir, after interim data from a late-stage trial showed it helped reduce hospitalisations and speed up recovery in mild cases.

India's Hetero Labs said on Friday it sought an emergency use nod from the local regulator for Merck's COVID-19 drug molnupiravir, after interim data from a late-stage trial showed it helped reduce hospitalisations and speed up recovery in mild cases. Molnupiravir is an antiviral drug being developed by Merck & Co and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for the treatment of non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Also read | US to procure 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir coronavirus pills Merck tapped several Indian generic drugmakers between March and April, including Cipla and Dr Reddy's Laboratories, to expand the drug's production and conduct trials, hastening its availability in India to address the second wave of infections. The partnerships gave these companies licence to make and supply molnupiravir to India and more than 100 low- and middle-income countries after approvals or emergency authorisations by local regulatory agencies, Merck said in late April. Hetero said the late-stage trial of molnupiravir, conducted at COVID-19 dedicated hospital sites across India, looked at the drug's efficacy and safety in patients with mild COVID-19. Also read | Molnupiravir: New antiviral oral drug shown to stop COVID-19 spread in 24 hours The data showed the antiviral drug resulted in statistically significant fewer hospital admissions, faster recovery time and early negative SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR results. Coronavirus cases in India have declined from a devastating peak in April and May. However, health experts have said the country should brace for a third wave by October. Molnupiravir is currently being tested in a global late-stage study by Merck and partner Ridgeback, with the trial data expected in the fall of 2021.

India's Hetero seeks emergency use nod for Merck's COVID-19 drug

In her first interview after taking charge as minister of state in the ministry of external affairs,&nbsp;Meenakshi Lekhi has highlighted India's policy of&nbsp;Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam&nbsp;calling for more cooperation amid the Covid&nbsp;pandemic and also hit out at China without taking names. Speaking to our&nbsp;Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Lekhi in her trademark style said, "Some people have the expertise of making the viruses and others have the expertise of making vaccines."

Amid the Covid pandemic, India has sent out vaccines and medicines like HCQ to the global community. Lekhi, along with&nbsp;Rajkumar Ranjan Singh took charge as MoS MEA on Thursday. India's foreign ministry has seen the biggest expansion in terms of ministers. It now has&nbsp;one cabinet minister - Dr S Jaishanker, who is heading the ministry, and three&nbsp;ministers of states which include V Muraleedharan.

WION: What will be your key focus at the MEA which of course deals with India's relationship with the world?

Meenakshi Lekhi: So far as our focus is concerned -&nbsp;our focus is the same. We believe in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and the world is one big family and to deal with global pandemic to help people around, to help India also in the same process.&nbsp;

We need to be with each other and this kind of interdependence will lead to the survival of human beings. Else we're all doomed, not just as a&nbsp;world but as a race.&nbsp;And some people have the expertise of making the viruses and others have the expertise of making vaccines -&nbsp;we believe in the second, we're the ones who rather work on making vaccines.

WION: You are MoS for culture, MoS for MEA, will we see a convergence?

Meenakshi Lekhi: There is a convergence&nbsp;that is why the two&nbsp;ministries have been assigned. The fact is that India's culture, India has given a lot to the world when it comes to science, technology, knowledge, philosophy, everything we have contributed a great deal and we have never been one that has been usurping other's&nbsp;knowledge.

On the contrary, we have been sharing knowledge. So that will be our principle, that will be our stake in the entire conversation around it. The second aspect is that the global pandemic has shown the world that cooperation is the only way for the human race to survive&nbsp;and cooperation in every field is what is needed and we look forward to&nbsp;work on it.&nbsp;

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is one hell of an idea which our ancestors gave us and PM Modi worked very well during his tenure and&nbsp;tried to build bridges where bridges are required to be built and in this entire process,&nbsp;we have not only benefited when India needed support but also got support.

Also when others needed support we gave them support. And that is the whole idea of&nbsp;Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and this is the principle - pray and work for world peace and we work for everyone's well being.&nbsp;

WION: You have been a lawyer and have&nbsp;strong views on social causes,&nbsp;will we see a&nbsp;reflection of that at the MEA?&nbsp;

Meenakshi Lekhi:&nbsp;Whatever is the job requirement, you will see that happening and I have people like Dr&nbsp;Jaishankar guiding our way through. We have PM Modi who is constantly supervising and monitoring the kind of work that is needed in external affairs&nbsp;also in culture. So the two&nbsp;inspirations we have, I am sure I will work well and it will be a huge learning experience.

In her first interview after taking charge as minister of state in the ministry of external affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi has highlighted India's policy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam calling for more cooperation amid the Covid pandemic and also hit out at China without taking names.

In her first interview after taking charge as minister of state in the ministry of external affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi has highlighted India's policy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam calling for more cooperation amid the Covid pandemic and also hit out at China without taking names. Speaking to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Lekhi in her trademark style said, "Some people have the expertise of making the viruses and others have the expertise of making vaccines." Amid the Covid pandemic, India has sent out vaccines and medicines like HCQ to the global community. Lekhi, along with Rajkumar Ranjan Singh took charge as MoS MEA on Thursday. India's foreign ministry has seen the biggest expansion in terms of ministers. It now has one cabinet minister - Dr S Jaishanker, who is heading the ministry, and three ministers of states which include V Muraleedharan. WION: What will be your key focus at the MEA which of course deals with India's relationship with the world? Meenakshi Lekhi: So far as our focus is concerned - our focus is the same. We believe in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and the world is one big family and to deal with global pandemic to help people around, to help India also in the same process. We need to be with each other and this kind of interdependence will lead to the survival of human beings. Else we're all doomed, not just as a world but as a race. And some people have the expertise of making the viruses and others have the expertise of making vaccines - we believe in the second, we're the ones who rather work on making vaccines. WION: You are MoS for culture, MoS for MEA, will we see a convergence? Meenakshi Lekhi: There is a convergence that is why the two ministries have been assigned. The fact is that India's culture, India has given a lot to the world when it comes to science, technology, knowledge, philosophy, everything we have contributed a great deal and we have never been one that has been usurping other's knowledge. On the contrary, we have been sharing knowledge. So that will be our principle, that will be our stake in the entire conversation around it. The second aspect is that the global pandemic has shown the world that cooperation is the only way for the human race to survive and cooperation in every field is what is needed and we look forward to work on it. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is one hell of an idea which our ancestors gave us and PM Modi worked very well during his tenure and tried to build bridges where bridges are required to be built and in this entire process, we have not only benefited when India needed support but also got support. Also when others needed support we gave them support. And that is the whole idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and this is the principle - pray and work for world peace and we work for everyone's well being. WION: You have been a lawyer and have strong views on social causes, will we see a reflection of that at the MEA? Meenakshi Lekhi: Whatever is the job requirement, you will see that happening and I have people like Dr Jaishankar guiding our way through. We have PM Modi who is constantly supervising and monitoring the kind of work that is needed in external affairs also in culture. So the two inspirations we have, I am sure I will work well and it will be a huge learning experience.

Some have expertise in making virus, some in making vaccines: MOS MEA Meenakshi Lekhi

PM Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the augmentation and availability of medical oxygen across the country.

PM Modi's chairs high-level meeting on oxygen before third wave of Coronavirus

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Greek FM Nikos Dendias says India, Greece, UAE to establish trilateral dialogue; hits out Turkey