June 30,2024: India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja announced his retirement from Twenty20 Internationals on Sunday (June 30). The 35-year-old became the third player to bid adieu to the format following India’s victorious campaign in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being the other two.
“With a heart full of gratitude, I bid farewell to T20 internationals,” Jadeja wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Like a steadfast horse galloping with pride, I’ve always given my best for my country and will continue to do so in other formats. Winning the T20 World Cup was a dream come true, a pinnacle of my T20 International career. Thank you for the memories, the cheers, and the unwavering support.”
Since making his T20I debut in February 2009 against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Jadeja went on to feature in 74 T20Is. In 41 innings with the bat, he scored 515 runs at a strike rate of 127.16 and picked up 54 wickets at an economy rate of 7.13. His best performance with the bat came against England in Birmingham, when he scored an unbeaten 29-ball 46 in 2022. Often playing the role of a finisher with the bat, he reserved his aggressive best for Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – striking at over 150 against each of the three teams.
With the ball, he often played the role of a container in the middle overs. His best bowling figures – 3/15 – came against Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup. A top fielder, manning the boundary or backward point, Jadeja also took 28 catches.
Doha/New Delhi, June 30,2024: Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson of the Taliban regime in Kabul, on Sunday said that he held talks with a senior Indian official on the sidelines of the third UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan in Doha and thanked India for its assistance to the Taliban-ruled nation.
In a post on X, Mujahid said he met with the “representative of India for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran”, who is JP Singh, Joint Secretary of the Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran Division at the Ministry of External Affairs, and has previously too held talks with the Taliban.
“Today at noon, there was a meeting with the representative of India for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran and there was a discussion and exchange of views on the development of relations between the two countries.
“India supported the position of the Islamic Emirate, and (we) thanked India for its assistance to Afghanistan,” he posted.
India has helped Afghanistan with wheat supplies, medicines etc, in addition to infra works.
Doha is hosting the third UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday evening.
Special representatives of countries for Afghanistan are attending the meeting.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid is leading a six-member delegation to the third Doha meeting in Qatar.
According to Afghan news sites, on the sidelines of the Doha meeting, Zabihullah Mujahid also held talks with the representatives of China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Russia.
June 30,2024: Iran has warned Israel against “full-scale military aggression” in Lebanon and said it would lead to an “obliterating war”, the Islamic republic’s United Nations mission said.
“All options, [including] the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table,” the mission wrote in a post on X late on Friday, referring to Iran-aligned armed groups across the region.
It called Israel’s threats to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon “psychological warfare” and “propaganda”.
The border between the two countries has witnessed daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah since the current conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7. Fears of a full-blown war grew this month after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was preparing for “a very tense operation” on the border with Lebanon.
Israeli forces conducted a series of attacks on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, an Israeli army spokesperson said early on Saturday.
“In the past few hours, warplanes attacked several Hezbollah targets, including a military site for the organisation in the Zabqin area, two operational infrastructure sites in the Khiam area, and a Hezbollah building in the al-Adissa [Odaisseh] area,” according to the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country does not want to fight a war against Hezbollah, but that the army is ready for it.
Kathmandu, June 29,2024: Three months after Indians were allowed to make payments in Nepal using their mobile phones, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) announced that Nepali citizens can now utilise a Quick Response (QR) code payment system in India, according to media reports.
In a circular released on Thursday, Nepal Rastra Bank permitted merchant payments in India and Bhutan using QR codes as well as other payment methods such as e-banking, interbank payments, and mobile banking, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Nepal Rastra Bank has set a daily transaction restriction for merchant payments of Rs 15,000 or Rs 100,000 per month. This refers to payments made by Nepali citizens to Indian merchants, specifically for goods and services.
Bhutan’s central bank has issued a circular allowing for such payments.
Following this regulation amendment, Nepalese payment system operators want to launch these services in India soon.
Moreover, the Nepal Rastra Bank has ordered that Nepali enterprises involved in digital cross-border payment systems seek prior approval from the central bank before entering into agreements or signing memoranda of understanding with overseas partners.
This regulatory framework is intended to regulate and facilitate secure cross-border transactions while guaranteeing compliance with national financial legislation.
“We were initially allowed to receive payments from Indian citizens using QR codes in Nepal. Now, with the new provision, banking and financial institutions associated with Fonepay can enable payments using QR codes through their mobile banking apps in India,” The Kathmandu Post quoted Paras Kunwar, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Fonepay as saying.
“We are on track to soon offer this service for Nepalis in India. Apart from some minor documentation, we are technically prepared,” Kunwar added.
Starting March 1, Indians were able to make payments in Nepal using their mobile phones, marking a big step forward in cross-border digital payments between Nepal and India.
This change is beneficial to students and individuals travelling to India for medical treatment. Fonepay Payment Service in Nepal has teamed with India’s NPCI International Payments to offer a cross-border payment service based on QR codes.
The collaboration intends to make transactions between the two countries more convenient and secure.
According to officials, Nepal’s central bank has introduced a retail payment switch to facilitate person-to-person transactions within the country. Nepal Clearing House, a public limited company, is authorised to operate through this retail payment switch.
Due to difficulties in establishing the National Payment Switch, the central bank has set up a retail switch exclusively for inter-country payments that uses a QR code method.
Laxmi Prasad Prasai, director of Nepal Rastra Bank’s payment department, acknowledged that the national payment switch may take longer to be fully operational. He emphasised that once completed, the national payment switch will integrate and streamline the routing and settlement of retail transactions, ensuring interoperability across various payment methods within Nepal.
The new guidelines now allow Nepali traders to take payments for the sale of products and services via QR codes and other digital payment methods that use Indian payment instruments, the report said.
Nairobi, June 29,2024: At least 30 people died during the ongoing violent protests across Kenya against a controversial tax hike bill, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday, adding that police shooting into fleeing protesters was unacceptable under the African country’s and international law.
On Friday, The Star newspaper reported that over 58 police officers were injured and nine police vehicles were damaged during the demonstrations. The Citizen Digital media outlet reported that 23 people died and over 300 were injured in the recent protests all over the country.
The police allegedly opened fire on protesters in Nairobi during a parliament meeting on June 25, the rights group said, citing witnesses.
“Shooting directly into crowds without justification, including as protesters try to flee, is completely unacceptable under Kenyan and international law… The Kenyan authorities need to make clear to their forces that they should be protecting peaceful protesters and that impunity for police violence can no longer be tolerated,” Otsieno Namwaya, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch, was quoted as saying.
Protests have continued across Kenya since last week, when authorities unveiled a bill imposing a 16% VAT on bread, sugar transportation, mobile and financial services, and foreign currency transactions, as well as a 2.5% excise on cars and vegetable oil. As protests ignited, President William Ruto refused to sign the bill and sent it back to parliament for reconsideration.
New Delhi, June 28,2024: The third India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) Sub-Working Group meeting was held in the national capital to further enhance defence cooperation and joint exercises between the two nations.
The two-day meeting was held on June 26-27, with the Indian Army and Russia’s Land Forces participating in it.
The meeting focused on defence cooperation, military training, military education and joint exercises between the two Armies.
“3rd #India #Russia Inter Governmental Commission (IRIGC) Sub Working Group (Land) Meeting between #IndianArmy & #LandForces, Russian Federation was held at #NewDelhi from 26-27 Jun 2024. The Talks focused on defence cooperation, military training, military education & joint exercises between the two Armies,” the Indian Army posted on X.
La Paz , June 27,2024: General Juan Jose Zuniga was arrested on Wednesday, just hours after his failed coup against President Luis Arce, according to local authorities.
The arrest was made in the city of La Paz in an operation coordinated and presided over by Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera.
At a press conference, Jose Luis Tarquino, the head of communication of the Attorney General’s Office (FGE), announced the beginning of a criminal investigation of Zuniga and others involved in the attempted coup.
“Given the latest events that occurred in the city of La Paz, the Attorney General ordered the initiation of all legal actions that correspond to the criminal investigation against Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga and all other participants in the events,” Tarquino said.
In addition, an immigration alert was issued against Zuniga to prevent his possible escape from the country, he said.
The Prosecutor’s Office for the Department of La Paz immediately formed a commission of prosecutors to thoroughly investigate the attempted coup.
Amid the tension and uncertainty, Arce and his cabinet reaffirmed their firm stance against any attempts at destabilization, and pledged to maintain peace and order in the country.
Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), June 24,2024: Pakistan delegation to discuss Indus Water Treaty arrived in Jammu.
The delegation which arrived in India on Sunday evening in connection with the 1960 Indus Water Treaty is scheduled to visit Kishtwar to see the Dam sites.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Pakistan President Ayub Khan in 1960 with the World Bank as a signatory to the pact.
The treaty warrants the two sides to meet once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan. However, the 2022 year’s meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi was cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last meeting was held in March 2023
It sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers, known as the Permanent Indus Commission which includes a commissioner from each of the two countries. It also sets out a process for resolving so-called “questions”, “differences” and “disputes” that may arise between the parties.
The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) is a bilateral commission of officials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage the goals of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, brokered by the World Bank.
It comprises the Indus Commissioners from both sides and discusses technical matters related to the implementation of the treaty.
India and Pakistan have engaged in a long outstanding water dispute over two hydroelectric projects.
Pakistan has objected to the building of the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric plants by India, saying that it violates the provisions of the treaty. India insists on its right to build these projects and holds that their design is fully in compliance with the guidelines of the treaty.
The World Bank had asked both countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements over the Indus Water Treaty Dispute in 1960.
In 2015, Pakistan requested the appointment of a Neutral Expert to examine its technical objections to India’s Kishenganga and Ratle Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs). In 2016, Pakistan unilaterally retracted this request and proposed that a Court of Arbitration adjudicate its objections.
Pakistan, despite repeated efforts by India to find a mutually agreeable way forward, has refused to discuss the issue during the five meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission from 2017 to 2022.