Kiev, Nov 30,2023: The NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) held its first meeting at the foreign ministers level on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.
At the meeting, foreign ministers of Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) endorsed the substructure of the NUC and its work program for 2024, the NUC said in a statement published on the ministry’s website.
According to it, NATO and Ukraine are already working on a broad range of issues, including interoperability, energy security, innovation, cyber defense, and resilience.
Besides, NATO continues to provide Ukraine with urgently needed non-lethal assistance, the statement said.
The NATO allies remain steadfast in their commitment to stepping up political and practical support to Ukraine, it said.
NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package(CAP) for Ukraine will be transformed into a multi-year program to help rebuild the Ukrainian security and defense sector and to support the country’s defense in the long term, the NUC said.
The NUC was set up at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
Nov 29,2023: The Centre has decided to extend the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY) to provide food grains free of cost to over 800 million Indians for five more years, Union minister Anurag Thakur announced on Wednesday.
At a cabinet briefing, Thakur said the extension will cost the exchequer Rs 11.8 trillion. The extension will be applicable from January 1, 2024. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the food ministry announced the extension of the PMGKAY scheme for one year starting January 1, 2023.
In December last year, the Centre decided to subsume the PMGKAY, launched in 2020 to provide additional food grains free of cost, with the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Under the NFSA, up to 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban populations are covered under two categories — Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households.
While AAY households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month, priority households get 5 kg per person per month.
“The Central Government fully bears the food subsidy for procuring, allocating, transporting and delivering the foodgrains to the designated depot in the States with the help of the two food subsidy schemes, namely, Food Subsidy to FCI and Food Subsidy to Decentralized Procurement (DCP) States,” the ministry had then said.
These two food subsidy schemes have been subsumed as PMGKAY for effective and uniform implementation of the NFSA and to strengthen the country’s food security network.
“Under this scheme, free foodgrains are being distributed through Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) from January 1 2023. The additional cost of making food grains free of cost to the NFSA beneficiaries is being borne by the Government of India,” the statement said.
Shillong, Nov 24,2023: Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home, Prestone Tynsong, has reiterated that the top leaders of the outlawed Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) should take part in the next round of peace negotiations, even as he promised a safe passage to the two leaders who are in Bangladesh.
“This time we really wanted to reach the conclusion. Therefore, we requested (top HNLC leadership) to come, and we assure you that if you want to come, safe passage will be given,” Tyngsong said.
“If you (HNLC) feel that it is not safe within Meghalaya, we are ready to talk anywhere else, be it Kolkata or any other place. Both the central and state governments are open-minded and serious about the peace talks going forward,” he assured.
“My request to the top leaders of the HNLC is very clear – the door is still open, and we would request them to kindly come back for talks and we are ready to talk across the table,” Tynsong said.
In a joint statement, HNLC chairman Bobby Marwein and general secretary-cum-publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw set conditions for the next round of negotiations.
“We have clearly stated that unless all pending cases against us are withdrawn or a framework agreement for a ceasefire is signed, the HNLC chairman or general secretary cannot participate in the discussions,” Marwein and Nongtraw had said.
However, Tyngsong reiterated that Marwein and Nongtraw need to come forward and participate in the next round of talks.
“I have seen the statement made by the HNLC recently, but my request again to the HNLC is like this, please come back for talks because until and unless we talk face-to-face about what you really want, we will not reach anywhere. We have been sincere enough, not less than three-four months; we have taken care of their cadres; we have taken care of them be it safety, and there was no such arrest also, why are you having that apprehension?” Tynsong asked.
Jerusalem/Gaza, Nov 22,2023: Israel and Hamas on Wednesday confirmed their agreement on a Qatar-mediated proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In exchange for Hamas to release hostages, the Israeli side agreed to release Palestinian prisoners and allow more humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave, said the Israeli government in a statement.
Under the deal, at least 50 hostages, mainly children and women, would be freed for the release of about 150 female and teen Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, said the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The hostages will be released in smaller groups over a span of four days, during which “there will be a full ceasefire in the fighting,” it said.
Israel is pressing for freeing more children. The ceasefire would be extended for an extra day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas, it said.
Hamas confirmed the four-day ceasefire agreement with Israel on Wednesday under a Qatari-Egyptian mediation after 46 days of bloody conflict in the besieged coastal enclave.
Bengaluru, Nov 12,2023: Scintillating centuries by Shreyas Iyer (128* off 94) and KL Rahul (102 off 64) helped India to register their 9th consecutive victory by defeating Netherlands by 160 runs in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.
Batting first, India posted a massive 410/4 and in reply Netherlands could manage 250 all out in 47.5 overs, with Teja Nidamanuru top-scoring with 54 off 39 balls with one boundary and 6 sixes.
Among the wicket-takers for India were Virat Kohli, who struck with his medium pace in the 25th over, and Rohit Sharma, who dismissed Nidamanuru, scalped his first wicket in 11 years.
Other wicket-takers were Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, who bagged two wickets each.
The fans had flocked to the iconic stadium to witness Kohli (51 off 56) to get to the record-breaking 50th ODI century at his IPL home, but managed to get a well-crafted half-century instead.
New Delhi, Nov 9,2023: The Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha on Thursday recommended the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Motira from the house over the cash for query scandal, a source said.
The Lok Sabha ethics panel also adopted the report, on ‘cash-for-query’ allegations levelled against her by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
The committee also recommended an “intense, legal, institutional inquiry” by the government in a time-bound manner in view of the “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct” by her.
After the meeting, the Chairman of the panel Vinod Kumar Sonkar said that the six members of the ethics committee supported the report, while 4 opposed it.
‘Six MPs supported the report and four people have submitted their dissent notes. There was voting. We will send a detailed report along with the recommendations to the Lok Sabha Speaker. Whatever action is to be taken now will be taken by Om Birla” he said.
Mahua Moitra faced the allegations of asking questions in the Lok Sabha to target Gautam Adani at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
The TMC MP has denied charges of taking bribes but admitted to sharing her parliamentary log-in details with Hiranandani.
The opposition members had boycotted the first meeting of the panel accusing the Chairperson of asking indecent and unethical questions to the Trinamool MP.
Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra has written a letter to Speaker Om Birla alleging “total breakdown of all due process and rules of the Lok Sabha” over the media having access to the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha’s draft report.
There is clearly a total breakdown of all due process and rules of the Lok Sabha. Your inaction and lack of response to my previous complaints is also unfortunate,” she wrote in a letter.
erusalem, Nov 9 (UNI) Israel is “willing” to temporarily pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip if Hamas shows “a genuine commitment” to releasing the hostages, a government source told Xinhua on Thursday.
The source confirmed that Israel was considering a proposal by Egypt and Qatar for a humanitarian pause in the military actions against the Palestinian enclave in exchange for the release of hostages.
BEIJING, Nov 6,2023: Myanmar should cooperate with China to maintain stability on their common border, a Chinese official said on Monday, after a surge of fighting in Myanmar between junta forces and insurgents rocked the region.
Last week, Myanmar’s ruling military said it was trying to restore order near the border after an alliance of ethnic minority armies battling for self-determination launched a series of coordinated attacks on junta targets.
“Myanmar is called on to cooperate with China to maintain stability along the China-Myanmar border, earnestly ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese border residents, and take effective measures to strengthen the security of Chinese personnel,” said Nong Rong, assistant Chinese foreign minister.
A spokesperson for Myanmar’s ruling military was not immediately available for comment.
The Asia Times news site reported that one Chinese citizen was killed and several were wounded on Saturday when a shell fired by the Myanmar military over-shot its target and struck on the Chinese side of the border.
Nong, who visited Myanmar on Nov. 3-5, said China hoped Myanmar would restore stability, and it supported all parties to properly handle differences and achieve reconciliation through dialogue as soon as possible.
Thailand is trying to bring home 162 of its nationals trapped by the fighting in Myanmar.
Myanmar has been in chaos since a military coup in February 2021 unseated a democratically elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Pro-democracy insurgent groups have in some areas teamed up with ethnic minority guerrillas who have been campaigning for decades for greater autonomy to battle junta forces.
While Western governments have condemned the Myanmar military and imposed sanctions on it, China, along with Russia, have been supportive of the generals. China says it supports Myanmar in finding its own path and has urged the international community to respect its sovereignty.
China’s foreign ministry said last week it was closely following the conflict in Myanmar.
“We urge parties to immediately stop the fighting, settle differences peacefully through dialogue and consultation, and avoid escalation,” spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing.
Nong, during his visit, urged Myanmar to strengthen the security of Chinese institutions and projects there.
He also visited a 793-km natural gas pipeline, part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure and energy network, linking Ramree Island on the Myanmar west coast with the Chinese border city Ruili in Yunnan Province.