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PM Modi and US president Joe Biden
Undernutrition in India a big concern, urgent attention needed, say experts
Biden and Modi to announce the deal on armed drones: White House
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will on Thursday announce a mega deal on the purchase of General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" armed drones by India, the White House has said, a move which would further bolster India's national security and surveillance capabilities not only in the Indian Ocean but also along the frontier with China.
The General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" can carry 500 per cent more payload and has nine times the horsepower in comparison to the earlier MQ-1 Predator. Moreover, MQ-9 UAV provides long-endurance, persistent surveillance, and strike capability for the warfighter.
The General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" has an endurance of over 27 hours, speeds of 240 KTAS, can operate up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850 pound (1,746 kilogrammes) payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds (1,361 kilogrammes) of external stores, according to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI).
PM Modi's visit will affirm deep, close partnership between India and US: White House
The Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US will strengthen the shared commitment to a prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region and affirm the deep and close partnership between the two largest democracies of the world, the White House said hours before the formal welcome ceremony for the Indian leader on the White House lawns.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will be greeting Prime Minister Modi for the Official Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn which includes a 21-gun salute. Modi is on an Official State Visit from June 21-23 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and the First Lady.
US intends to open consulates in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and India in Seattle: White House
The US will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad while India will establish a mission in Seattle to boost people-to-people relationships, a senior White House official said on Thursday.
The official said the US issued a record 125,000 visas to Indian students last year. Indian students are set to become the largest foreign student community in the United States with a 20 per cent increase last year alone, the senior administration official said.
The United States intends to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. India is likewise welcoming the 2023 opening of its consulate in Seattle and look forward to also announcing a new consulate in the United States, the official said.
Deputy Navy Chief on three days' visit to Kenya
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru is on a three-day official visit to Kenya from June 21-23, where he will oversee the Harbour Phase activities of the ongoing Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) between the two countries' navies, Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Vice Admiral Mahindru's visit coincides with Indian Naval Ship Sunayna making port call at Mombasa as part of the Ocean Ring of Yoga' initiative conceptualised to celebrate ninth International Day of Yoga.
The Deputy Navy Chief called on Aden Bare Duale, Cabinet Secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Defence, on Wednesday and discussed historical ties between the two maritime neighbours and stressed on strengthening defence relations between them.
Gujarat: Fire engulfs three-storey furniture showroom in Rajkot, more than 50 workers evacuated
At least 50 workers were evacuated after a major fire broke out in a three-storey furniture showroom in Rajkot city of Gujarat on Thursday morning, officials said.
Nobody was injured in the blaze that erupted in the showroom located in Mavdi area, they said.
"After being alerted, fire tenders were rushed to the spot from the Mavdi fire station. The blaze was so strong that flames rose up to the top floor of the three-storey building," Rajkot's chief fire officer I V Kher said.
New floodlights to be installed at Wankhede Stadium ahead of 2023 World Cup
The Wankhede Stadium will soon get a facelift with new set of LED floodlights set to be installed along with refurbished hospitality boxes ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup, scheduled in October-November this year.
Along with one India game, there is a semi-final also slated to be held at the iconic ground.
The Wankhede Stadium is among five venues shortlisted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that are earmarked to undergo renovation and upgrade work ahead of the World Cup, which is a little over three months away now.
2 soldiers injured in Manipur firing
Two soldiers were injured when unknown gunmen fired at them at North Boljang in Manipur's Imphal West district around 5am on Thursday, officials said.
Officials added that one INSAS light machine gun was recovered by the forces during initial search.
The situation has been brought under control and combing operations to ferret out the gunmen are on.
TMC calls Patna oppn meet 'good beginning' ahead of 2024 LS polls
The Trinamool Congress considers Friday's opposition meeting in Bihar's Patna as a "good beginning" ahead of the 2024 general elections and emphasised the significance of anti-BJP parties uniting against "undemocratic and authoritarian policies".
Leaders as diverse as Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin, Sharad Pawar, Mehbooba Mufti and Hemant Soren and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are expected to take part in the meeting convened by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, who dumped the BJP last year.
Banerjee will be accompanied by TMC national general secretary and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee for the opposition meeting.
Mehbooba Mufti reaches Patna to attend Friday's oppn meet
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti arrived here on Thursday to take part in the opposition meeting, a day ahead of the conclave.
Mufti, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, did not take questions from journalists at the airport here and went straight to the guest house where invitees are being put up.
The meeting on June 23 was convened by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar in a bid to forge an opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Ambitious Saudi plans to ramp up Hajj could face challenges from climate change
Saudi Arabia has ambitious plans to welcome millions more pilgrims to Islam's holiest sites. But as climate change heats up an already scorching region, the annual Hajj pilgrimage much of which takes place outdoors in the desert could prove even more daunting.
The increased number of pilgrims, with the associated surge in international air travel and infrastructure expansion, also raises sustainability concerns, even as the oil giant pursues the goal of getting half its energy from renewable resources by 2030.
Next week, Saudi Arabia hosts the first Hajj pilgrimage without the restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. Some 2.5 million people took part in the pilgrimage in 2019, and around 2 million are expected this year.
Home Minister Amit Shah on two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from June 23
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir on June 23 and 24 during which he will attend various development programmes in Jammu and Srinagar, sources said.
The home minister will begin his tour of the Union Territory by laying wreaths on the statue of BJP ideologue and Bhartiya Jana Sangha founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Jammu on Friday morning.
After that, Shah will lay the foundation stone of the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory at Samba. He will also inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various development schemes in the city, sources said.
The world praises PM Modi but Congress calls him a snake: Nadda
EU summons Kosovo and Serbia leaders for emergency talks amid fears of a return to open conflict
The European Union has summoned the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo for emergency talks on Thursday to try to bring an end to a series of violent clashes near their border that is fuelling fears of a return to open conflict.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that he would hold urgent meetings with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels.
It was unclear whether the two would meet face-to-face, or only hold separate talks with Borrell.
9 dead, 2 seriously injured after car falls into ditch in Uttarakhand
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First Published: Jun 22 2023 | 8:43 AM IST
