External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar shared a picture with Abdullah and outlined the meeting as a "productive day with a great meeting." Completed a productive day with a great meeting with DPM & FM @ABZayed in Abu Dhabi.Discussed opportunities for advancing our wide - ranging cooperation. Also exchanged views on global developments.🇮🇳 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/XqI7BrSt84 — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 14, 2024 The EAM said that they discussed opportunities for advancing wide-ranging cooperation between both the countries. "Completed a productive day with a great meeting with DPM & FM @ABZayed in Abu Dhabi. Discussed opportunities for advancing our wide-ranging cooperation. Also exchanged views on global developments," Jaishankar said in his post. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar visited the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. Received blessings at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi today.A true symbol of 🇮🇳 🇦🇪 friendship and of peace, harmony and goodwill around the world. @AbuDhabiMandir pic.twitter.com/I2Yi2EJBxr — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 14, 2024 Jaishankar said that the temple was a sign of friendship between India and UAE. In a post on X, he said, "Received blessings at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi today. A true symbol of India-UAE friendship and of peace, harmony and goodwill around the world." Jaishankar also visited the Bharat Mart site in Dubai earlier in the day. In a post on X, he said, "Visited Bharat Mart site in Jebel Ali, Dubai today along with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World. Once operationalised, this innovative logistics initiative will enhance India-UAE trade, deepen supply chains and bolster access for our MSMEs to global markets." The EAM also launched his book, 'Why Bharat Matters' at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Dubai. In a post on X, he said, "Participated in an interactive session at Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, Dubai for the book launch of Why Bharat Matters. Spoke about grasping the global transformation underway and understanding the rise of Bharat." Jaishankar arrived in the United Arab Emirates on November 14 for an official visit. India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972. While the UAE opened its Embassy in India in 1972, India opened its Embassy in the UAE in 1973. India and the UAE enjoy strong cooperation with the United Nations. Both countries are also part of several plurilateral platforms such as BRICS, I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA), and the UAE-France-India (UFI) Trilateral, among others. The UAE was invited as a guest country to the G20 Summit held under India's presidency. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 November,2024 09:53 AM IST | Abu Dhabi | ANIWelcome to Mid-Day's Top News at this hour! We bring you a curated selection of the most significant and compelling news from around the globe. Stay informed with the latest developments in the nation, Mumbai, entertainment, sports, and more. Let's dive into the headlines shaping our world today. Mid-Day Impact: State Human Rights Commission summons officers over Borivli hawkers’ menace Taking suo motu cognisance of a mid-day report highlighting how BEST bus routes had to be shifted owing to hawkers taking over a lane opposite Borivli railway station, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has issued summons to the Mumbai police commissioner, additional commissioner (transport department) and the BEST general manager. A division bench headed by Justice K K Tated, chairperson of the commission, and panel member M A Sayeed came down heavily on the civic administration for allowing the encroachment to go unchecked. Read more. Mumbai: Senior citizen seduces senior citizens in suburbs on morning walks The MHB Colony police have arrested a 64-year-old woman from Bhayandar who would steal jewellery from senior citizens whom she would befriend on the streets. On Wednesday, the accused, Geeta Patel, was busted by a Borivli resident while allegedly attempting to snatch a gold chain worth R1.5 lakh from an 80-year-old. Ten cases have been registered against Patel by victims aged 65 to 80 years and the accused has spent several months behind bars. In fact, the MHB Colony police, as reported by mid-day in 2015, had caught her for a similar offence. Read more. Maharashtra elections 2024: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says BJP not against Muslims, only opposes appeasement Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is leading the BJP’s third consecutive state Assembly elections campaign, is confident that the BJP-Mahayuti will form its third government. With just six days to go to poll day, the former CM said the alliance had an edge over the MVA that was focused more on appeasement politics rather than development agenda. He said the BJP’s pitch of ‘Batenge to Katenge’ and ‘Ek hai toh safe hai’ was a counter-narrative to the Congress-MVA’s narrative of dividing the society on the lines of caste and religion. Read more. "It was for SKY": Tilak Varma after match-winning century Tilak Varma did not want to become a source of chagrin for his skipper Suryakumar Yadav after requesting him for the No. 3 slot in the batting order in the third T20I against South Africa. And he didn’t. Varma had batted at No. 4 in Durban and Gqueberha, scoring 33 and 20. Surya, who himself batted at No. 3, after giving it a thought, obliged his young teammate. Read more. Shahid Kapoor starrer 'Ashwatthama: The Saga Continues' on hold due to budget constraints and logistical challenges In March, Amazon Prime Video had announced the mythological action film, Ashwatthama: The Saga Continues, with much fanfare at its event. The Shahid Kapoor-starrer, to be helmed by Kannada filmmaker Sachin B Ravi, was designed to be one of the streaming giant’s most ambitious productions from India. However, eight months on, we’ve heard that the project has been put on hold due to budget constraints and logistical challenges. Read more.
15 November,2024 09:43 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Naveen Subhash claimed that Jharkhand's tribal women have been targeted by infiltrators saying that the state has become a 'hub of terrorist activities." Speaking to ANI, Subash said on Thursday, "Jharkhand is a very fertile land. It's called the land of forests and many tribal people are living there almost 40 per cent of the population of almost 4.8 crores are below the poverty level and the women have been targeted by infiltrators, especially from Bangladesh, Rohingyas, and it has become a hub for the terrorist activities." "They (Bangladeshi infiltrators) are trapping the innocent women, tribal women especially because tribal happens to be very pretty, so they are trying to influence them by way of giving some cash and some incentives and then getting married. Not only that, they're taking the land from the tribals," he added. As per ANI, earlier this month, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that if the BJP came to power, they would eliminate the infiltrators from the state and put forth a law in order to return the encroached land to the tribals. Addressing an election campaign in Jharkhand, Amit Shah said, "Hemant Soren is not bothered by building industries in Jharkhand or creating electricity. There are mines of aluminium and iron ore but Hemant Soren is not bothered that they are manufactured here. He is only concerned about allowing the infiltrators to enter Jharkhand." "These infiltrators enter Jharkhand and marry innocent local girls for the second time, third time, and encroach on their lands. These infiltrators who have encroached on the lands of innocent tribal women would be thrown out of the state," he said, ANI cited. The Jharkhand assembly elections are being held in two phases. The first phase, covering 43 constituencies, took place on November 13. Elections for the remaining 38 seats will be held on November 20, and the votes will be counted on November 23. (With inputs from ANI)
15 November,2024 09:06 AM IST | Hyderabad | mid-day online correspondentIndependent MLA candidate Naresh Meena was arrested following high drama and violence on Thursday, a day after he slapped an SDM during polling in Rajasthan's Tonk district and set in motion differing protests from both his supporters and Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officials. The tension started Wednesday afternoon after Meena caught SDM Malpura Amit Chaudhary by the collar and slapped him in full view of camera crews, continued through the night and well into Thursday. Work across government offices in the state was hit in the morning with officials of the RAS Association and allied services going on a pen-down strike demanding that Meena be arrested. They said they would continue till a meeting with Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. Ranged against them were Meena's alleged supporters. About 60 two-wheelers and 18 four-wheelers, including police vehicles, were torched in the violence that erupted outside the polling booth in Samravta village in the Deoli-Uniara Assembly. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 November,2024 07:45 AM IST | Jaipur | AgenciesWholesale price inflation (WPI) rose to a four-month high of 2.36 per cent in October as prices of food items, especially vegetables, and manufactured goods turned dearer, showed the government data released on Thursday. The wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation was 1.84 per cent in September 2024. It was 0.26 per cent in October last year. As per the data, inflation in food items shot up to 13.54 per cent in October, as against 11.53 per cent in September. This was led by 63.04 per cent inflation in vegetables, as against 48.73 per cent in September. Inflation in potato and onion remained high at 78.73 per cent and 39.25 per cent, respectively, in October. Fuel and power category witnessed deflation of 5.79 per cent in October, against a deflation of 4.05 per cent in September. In manufactured items, inflation was 1.50 per cent in October, as against 1 per cent in the previous month. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 November,2024 07:41 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe Centre has reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Manipur’s six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam. An area or district is notified as “disturbed” under AFSPA to facilitate the operations of the armed forces. In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the decision was taken given the continuous volatile situation there due to the ongoing ethnic violence. The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur. The fresh order came after the Manipur government imposed AFSPA in the entire state on October 1, barring 19 police station areas that include these six. The ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by the clashes in Imphal Valley and the adjoining hills, witnessed violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year. On monday, eleven suspected militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Jiribam district. A day later, six civilians, including women and children were abducted by armed militants from the same district. There have been protests and demands for the complete withdrawal of AFSPA for its alleged “draconian” provisions. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 November,2024 07:30 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday by posing questions to him on Mumbai, asking why is the metropolis "made to lose" big-ticket projects to Gujarat and why is the BJP "sponsoring Adani's Dharavi land grab", reported the PTI. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed five questions which he said the people are asking the PM. He asked whether the BJP is scared of losing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. "The Mahayuti government's repeated delays in holding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections is a blatant attack on democracy and the rights of Mumbai's citizens. The government claims that the delays are due to issues like OBC reservations and ward delimitation but the reality is that the BJP was afraid of facing the electorate, fearing a loss that would undermine its image before the elections," Ramesh alleged in his post on X. The non-biological PM is in Mumbai today. Five questions the people are asking him – 1. Is the BJP scared of losing the BMC polls?The Mahayuti government's repeated delays in holding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections is a blatant attack on democracy and… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 14, 2024 "With the BMC under an un-elected administrator, the ruling coalition has been using the civic body's funds and resources to benefit its own MLAs and supporters," he alleged. Without elected representatives, Mumbai's citizens have also struggled to get their voices heard and grievances addressed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Ramesh said. "This is a clear attempt to consolidate power, and a blatant subversion of democratic principles. Why has the BJP betrayed the people of Mumbai? How much longer do the people have to wait to have their voices heard?" he said. Ramesh further asked why is the BJP "sponsoring Adani's Dharavi land-grab". "The Dharavi Redevelopment Project has turned into a BJP-sponsored land grab for the non-biological PM's best friend, the Adani Group. The latest tender, floated by the Mahayuti government in September 2022, was allegedly geared specifically towards the Adani Group, the eventual winner," he alleged, according to the PTI. The structure of the Adani-led Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established through this tender served to completely alienate Dharavi's seven lakh residents, he said. The share of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority was reduced to 20 per cent, the ability of residents to negotiate at the planning level was removed and the process of public debate and participation that had emerged from the start of the process was scrapped in its entirety, Ramesh said. "The new tender has also gifted the Adani group an inordinate amount of valuable Transferable Development Rights (TDR) -- the original tender only awarded 5 crore square feet of TDR to the developer, but the Adani remaster has gifted the group a whopping 10.5 crore square feet," he said, the news agency reported. While only 54,461 slum inhabitants and 9,522 residents living in chawls and buildings will receive homes within Dharavi according to the latest documents, Adani is anticipating astronomical profits and a profit margin that could be as high as 434 per cent, Ramesh claimed. "A November 2023 notification issued by the Maharashtra government provided numerous additional concessions to the Adani group, including higher valuations for Dharavi TDR and a rule that 40% of all TDR used in any construction project in the city must come from Dharavi," he said. Just before it is set to lose power in the elections on November 20 (the day voting takes place in Maharashtra), the Mahayuti went on overdrive to clear permissions for the project in Dharavi, he claimed. "This lucrative 'revdi' for the Adani Group comes at the expense of millions of Mumbaikars, not just the residents of Dharavi. Does the non-biological PM have any defence for the massive loot that he is orchestrating in full public gaze?" Ramesh said. He also asked why was Mumbai made to lose so many big-ticket projects to Gujarat. "Under BJP rule, many big-ticket projects that were best-suited to Mumbai's economy have been shifted to Gujarat," he alleged. (with PTI inputs)
14 November,2024 10:09 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 will decide if the state belongs to revered personalities such as Mahatma Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shahu or the troika of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-Home Minister Amit Shah-industrialist Gautam Adani, said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray while addressing a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday. According to news agency PTI, he also slammed Union Minister Amit Shah for claiming in a recent rally that the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) was aligned with those who had opposed the scrapping of Article 370, which had gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. "This poll will decide whether the state belongs to Phule, Ambedkar and Shahu or to people like Modi, Shah and Adani. This poll is between lovers of Maharashtra and looters of Maharashtra," he said. Attacking Modi, who held a rally ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar earlier in the day, Thackeray claimed that the PM made hollow promises. According to PTI, he also slammed the PM for referring to the Shiv Sena founder as just Balasaheb Thackeray without the honorific 'Hinduhrudaysamrat". "He is not a classmate of Modi. I passed the decision to rename this city after Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar when traitors [a reference to rebel legislators under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde] were in Surat to eat dhokla," Thackeray said. BJP's love for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar fake: Uddhav Thackeray He also questioned why the Election Commission did not change the name of the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies after the name of the district till now and why is the airport at Chikalthana still bearing the old name. Slamming Shah, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said, "The Union Home minister says we are standing with those who opposed scrapping of Article 370. We applauded you for the move. But tell me if any Kashmiri Pandit has been able to go back to his native Valley after the provision was scrapped," the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief questioned. Asserting that the BJP's love for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was fake, Thackeray asaid a medical devices park set to come up here, which would have employed one lakh people, was shifted to Gujarat. According to PTI, the former Chief Minister also said accused the poll officials were checking his bags amid the model code of conduct implemented ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024. In a sarcastic vein he added that he was told that the bags of the PM only contain hollow promises. Playing on the BJP's slogan of 'batenge toh katenge', Thackeray said the party is openly indulging in "lootenge aur doston mein batenge" in Maharashtra. "The MVA government will be in power in a few days," he said and urged farmers not to sell their soybean crop till then. "We will give you more MSP (minimum support price) than earlier. I take responsibility for this. We will also waive off farm loans," Thackeray said at the rally. Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve, and former Member of Parliament (MP) Chandrakant Khaire also slammed the ruling dispensation for "hollow promises" of eradicating water scarcity in Marathwada. The region has seen 7274 farmer suicides so far, Danve said. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 will be held on November 20, while results will be declared three days later. (With PTI inputs)
14 November,2024 09:54 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentAll India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday contested Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that his party intends to reinstate Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, and pointed out the contentious provision was repealed by Parliament. According to news agency PTI, Kharge accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of keeping the Article 370 issue alive merely to create divisions in society. Addressing a press conference in Pune, Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of abusing the Congress and its senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. "Amit Shah, in his poll rallies, accuses the Congress of spreading lies. [But] He [himself] is saying the Congress wants to bring back Article 370 [in J&K]. Tell me, who said that and when? You are raking up an issue. If it [resolution to repeal Article 370] had been already passed in Parliament, why are you raking it up again? It means you want to keep the issue alive to divide. If you want to say this, go to Kashmir and say it. Elections are over in Kashmir," Kharge slammed the BJP. Article 370 of the Constitution, which provided special status to Jammu & Kashmir, was nullified by the BJP-led central government in August 2019. The Congress is aligned with the National Conference, which heads the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution asking the Centre to hold talks with elected representatives for restoration of the erstwhile state's special status. 'Congress wants to keep country united, ready to make any sacrifice for it' Referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's statements, the Congress President said, "One of the BJP leaders is saying 'batenge toh katenge (we will perish if we are divided)'. Why [give such a slogan]? The country is united. The Congress worked to keep the country united. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for [preserving the country's unity]. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. The Congress did this [sacrifices], but you neither fought for the country's unity, nor its independence or the poor," Kharge hit out at the BJP. According to PTI, he also pointed out that it was the Congress which made provision for reservation in the Constitution as first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar worked to approve the quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs)/Scheduled Tribes (STs) in jobs and education. "But they [BJP] are still raking up the [reservation] issue," Kharge remarked, further claiming that the BJP is pitting the country's towering political figures such as Nehru, Ambedkar, Vallabhbhai Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose against each other. "They [BJP] now say Babasaheb wanted to do this, but Jawaharlal Nehru did this. Vallabhbahi Patel said this and Bose said that. When they were alive, you were against the Constitution. You did not even keep the Indian flag in your office. You were not ready to accept the Ashok Chakra and you wanted to have a Constitution on the basis of Manu, and now you remember the Constitution," said Kharge. The AICC president asserted that the Congress wants to keep the country united and was ready to make any sacrifice for it. He also claimed that only 5 per cent of people in the country hold 62 per cent wealth while 50 per cent of the population has only 3 per cent wealth. "Instead of reducing this disparity, Modiji is encouraging his friends by selling public sector units. The maximum drug supply is taking place at the port given to Adani. In October, 400 kg cocaine was seized. In February, 4,000 kg charas was seized. Illegal things are being brought in which are destroying (youths in) Pune, Bengaluru, Punjab," Kharge averred. Asked how the Congress and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will mobilise finances to fund populist schemes promised in their manifestos if they come to power in Maharashtra, he remarked, "Give us power, we will give you a budget. We work as per the budget. We do not believe in 'khoke (boxes of money),' but 'doke (brain)'. We have brains and they have khoke." Kharge also claimed that the Congress governments have successfully implemented pre-polls guarantees in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. (With PTI inputs)
14 November,2024 09:31 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentThe Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Mahesh Khichi was elected as the next mayor of Delhi on Thursday, marking a significant victory for the ruling party in the national capital ahead of the Assembly polls due early next year, news agency PTI reported. As Khichi took his seat, the jubilant AAP councillors shouted the slogans of "Jai Bhim" to celebrate the Dalit candidate's victory in a tough contest. According to PTI, of the total 256 votes cast in the Delhi Mayor Elections, Khichi secured 133, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kishan Lal by a wafer-thin margin of three votes. Two of the votes were declared invalid. Following its defeat in the mayoral poll contest, the BJP withdrew from the race for deputy mayor, clearing the way for the AAP's Ravinder Bharadwaj to secure the position unopposed. The saffron party had fielded Nita Bisht for the deputy mayor's post. "Many congratulations to Mahesh Kumar ji on being elected as the new Mayor of Delhi. Work diligently for the people, take forward the good work being done in MCD," AAP national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a post on X. Meanwhile, eight AAP councillors also cross-voted in the polls, helping the BJP increase its vote share in the Delhi Mayor Election, party officials said. Seven Congress councillors didn't take part, one resigned from party before voting The seven Congress councillors did not participate in the voting while one resigned from the party at the last moment, ANI reported. The AAP candidates emerged victorious after a closely-contested election in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), following months of tension between the Kejriwal-led party and BJP. The Delhi Mayor Election, initially scheduled for April, were postponed owing to procedural delays. The Congress boycotted the voting, calling for a full term for the mayor rather than the truncated tenure on offer. "We want the Dalit mayor to get a full tenure instead of just four months," a Congress councillor said. The day began with an uproar in the MCD House as the Congress councillors, led by the Leader of the Party Nazia Dhanish, raised slogans and stormed into the well. Dhanish accused the administration of denying a Dalit mayor a full term. The Congress members raised slogans accusing the AAP of being anti-Dalit, while the ruling party councillors responded with chants in support of Kejriwal. Moments later, in a dramatic twist, Congress councillor Sabila Begum resigned from the party just ahead of the voting. Her resignation letter, posted online by her husband, revealed her intent to support the AAP nominee. Key political figures, including AAP lawmakers Sanjay Singh and N D Gupta, along with all seven Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MP) of the BJP from Delhi, exercised their franchise. (With PTI inputs)
14 November,2024 08:47 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Kirti Kisan Union, a farmers organisation, on Thursday donated Rs 5 lakh for the war affected Palestinian people through its mission in New Delhi as a humanitarian aid, reported the PTI. The farmers group expressed solidarity with the people there facing difficult times due to the ongoing conflict. According to the PTI, a delegation of the union met Palestine ambassador to India Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer at the Palestinian embassy here and donated the money, a release from the organisation said. The union has raised its voice in favour of a permanent truce in West Asia and also demanded that the United Nations find a sustainable solution to the Palestine issue. The Kirti Kisan Union delegation included President Nirbhai Singh Dhudike, General Secretary Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala, Press Secretary Raminder Singh Patiala, Vice President Jatinder Singh Chhina and Treasurer Jaswinder Singh Jhabelwali, news agency reported. Addressing a press conference later, they alleged that the most "terrible genocide" in the history of human civilisation was being carried out by Israel under the "incitement" of major powers like the US in which thousands of people have lost their lives so far. The images of children, the elderly and women and the ruins tell a tale of heart-wrenching atrocities, they said, adding that people have been deprived of basic necessities like food, water, electricity and medicine. Saudi Arabia plays a key role in maintaining stability in West Asia: Jaishankar Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday emphasised that Saudi Arabia plays a key role in maintaining stability in West Asia, highlighting the ongoing situation in the region particularly in Gaza, the ANI reported. In his opening remarks at the second meeting of the Political, Security, Social and Cultural Committee of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, today Jaishankar reiterated India's long-standing position on the issue. The Union Minister emphasised India's commitment to condemning acts of terrorism and hostage-taking while expressing deep concern over the continuing deaths of civilians."Saudi Arabia, we recognise, is a very important factor of stability in the region. The situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern for us, particularly the conflict in Gaza. India's position in this regard has been principled and consistent. While we condemn acts of terrorism and hostage-taking, we are deeply pained by the continuing deaths of innocent civilians," Jaishankar said, the news agency reported. (with PTI and ANI inputs)
14 November,2024 06:12 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
