Author: Naman Raina

SRI LANKA: The speaker of parliament in crisis-stricken Sri Lanka has accepted a resignation letter from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after verifying its legitimacy, he informed reporters on Thursday night. Thursday, protesters departed government facilities in Sri Lanka as the ailing president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, emailed his resignation, which activists had been demanding for months. The resignation occurred one day after President Gotabaya and his wife departed the country, first for the Maldives and then for Singapore. Even though Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had been serving as Acting President, had ordered curfews after demonstrators stormed his office for the last two…

NEW DELHI: ‘Jumlajeevi,’ ‘Baal buddhi,’ ‘Covid spreader,’ and ‘Snoopgate’ have joined common terms such as ‘ashamed,’ ‘abused,’ ‘betrayed,’ ‘corrupt,’ ‘drama,’ ‘hypocrisy,’ and ‘incompetent’ on a list of words considered unacceptable for parliament prior to the commencement of the new session. The Lok Sabha secretariat has produced a new handbook containing unparliamentary phrases for both chambers, prompting immediate concerns from opposition legislators who fear it would hinder their capacity to criticise the administration. The pamphlet, which is issued before the opening of the Monsoon session on Monday, states that the terms ‘anarchist,’ ‘Shakuni,’ ‘dictatorial,’ ‘Taanashah,’ ‘Taanashahi,’ ‘Jaichand,’ ‘Vinash Purush,’ ‘Khalistani,’ and…

NEW DELHI: The BJP criticised former vice-president Hamid Ansari on Wednesday over media reports citing “Pakistani journalist” Nusrat Mirza as alleging that Ansari invited him to India and that he shared the information he gathered during these visits with Pakistan’s ISI. The BJP sought responses from both Ansari and Congress, stating that they must disclose the specifics of these trips, which apparently occurred between 2005 and 2011. It is not the first time that Ansari has been targeted by the BJP, nor is it the first time that it has brought up his supposed Pakistani ties; the Modi government and…

Tata Steel, India’s largest steel producer, bought around 75,000 tonnes of coal from Russia in the second half of May, according to two trade sources and one government source, weeks after swearing to cease all economic relations with Russia. Tata Steel said in April that all of its production facilities in India, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands had found alternate sources of raw materials to remove their reliance on Russia and that the company had made “a deliberate choice to cease doing business with Russia.” Nonetheless, Tata Steel shipped approximately 75,000 tonnes of PCI coal, used in steel production,…

NEW DELHI: The Opposition’s hunt for a “Genuine Guardian of the Constitution” before the election for the next President has landed in choppy waters, as all three candidates offered thus far have declined. On Monday, former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi became the third projected face to deny the request of the unified Opposition, joining NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. Gandhi’s withdrawal from the race the day before Pawar’s second set of talks at Parliament Annexe harmed the leaders’ efforts. “After careful consideration, I’ve resolved that in addition to Opposition unity, the Opposition’s candidate should…

NEW DELHI: Some organisations have called for a statewide shutdown, or ‘Bharat Bandh,’ on Monday, following protests in more than 10 states over the government’s new ‘Agnipath’ military recruiting programme last week. This comes a day after military officials ruled out reversing the plan and disclosed recruitment timeframes.  A top military officer also warned the demonstrators. “The cornerstone of the Indian Army is discipline. No room exists for vandalism or arson. Each person will be forced to give evidence that they did not participate in protests or vandalism. “Police verification is required; without it, no one can join,” stated Lieutenant…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has halted the export and re-export of Indian-origin wheat and wheat flour. This will prohibit the use of Indian wheat for any purpose other than home consumption in Gulf nations. The four-month ban went into effect on May 13. The UAE’s Ministry of Economy has designated the limitation as a “moratorium,” citing “international events that have harmed commerce” as the reason for its implementation. How is UAE still getting Indian wheat after the ban? India restricted wheat exports on 14 May but exempted those backed by previously granted Letters of Credit (LIC) and food-insecure nations.…

In the video provided by MP Tharoor, Jothimani, a Congress representative from Karur in Tamil Nadu, alleges that Delhi police personnel tore her clothing and transported her and other women demonstrators in a bus like criminals

State media reported that Saudi officials are seizing rainbow-coloured toys and clothing from shops in the capital as part of a crackdown on homosexuality. Targeted items include rainbow-coloured bows, skirts, hats, and pencil cases, according to a report broadcast Tuesday evening on the state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel. The majority of these items were apparently manufactured for young children. An official from the commerce ministry, which is involved in the campaign, explains, “We are giving a tour of the items that contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colours by targeting the youth.” In April, the kingdom stated…

NEW DELHI: After addressing the Ministerial Meeting of G33, a coalition of developing nations of which India is a prominent member, in Geneva, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, stated on Sunday that India would not yield to pressure and is prepared to meet any challenge. Goyal delivered these remarks at a press briefing following the G33 Ministerial meeting, during which the Indian delegation he headed explained India’s position on a number of shared-interest themes while keeping in mind the fundamental principles of sustainable development goals (SDGs). No one can exert pressure on Aatmanirbhar Bharat now. “We…