Modi's fans brave Bengaluru rain for a fleeting glimpse of PM
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
NDA state chiefs meet in Gaya ahead of PM visit
Gaya: The ruling NDA is making all efforts to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Gaya visit on Aug 22 a grand success. In view of this, the state chiefs of all NDA constituents — BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, his JD(U) counterpart Umesh Singh Kushwaha, LJP(Ram Vilas)'s Raju Tiwari, HAM's Anil Kumar and RLM's Madan Chaudhary — met in Gaya on Wednesday. The PM will address a public meeting on the sprawling Magadh University campus, less than 2km to the west of Gautam Buddha's seat of enlightenment. Keeping in mind the security requirements, some trees inside the university campus have either been felled or pruned. At the NDA meeting, the BJP state chief, in particular, referred to the initiative taken by the Union govt at PM Modi's behest to conserve and promote Buddhist heritage sites and develop the religious circuit under the public-private-partnership mode. During his Gaya visit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to announce a religious corridor in Magadh region on the pattern of Kashi Vishvanath and Mahakal temples, besides redevelopment of Gaya international airport, for which Rs 300 crore have been earmarked, according to the ruling NDA. Extension of the runway from the existing 2,200 metres by another 600 metres is pending for long. Once the runway is expanded, wide-body aircraft of international airlines can land and take off from the Gaya airport. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo Senior officials of the state govt, including chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena and DGP Vinay Kumar, are also expected to visit Gaya to review the arrangements. According to political observers, the PM's visit is specially significant for HAM leader and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, as besides Gaya being his home turf, the show will reflect on the party's seat sharing claims. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Indian firm ships diesel to China & Beijing removes urea export curbs, as political thaw continues
According to reports, the EM Zenith, an oil tanker carrying diesel from Nayara's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat left for South East Asia on 18 July. However, the Vadinar refinery was specifically targeted in the 18th package of sanctions by the European Union (EU), as it is partly owned by Rosneft, the Russian oil and gas company. Nayara is also partly owned by Rosneft. The shipment of diesel to China was reported by Bloomberg, hours after media organisations reported Beijing's move to relax curbs on the export of urea to India. The moves by China come as Trump continues to redraw the global trading regime. New Delhi: In a rare move, Nayara Energy has shipped diesel to China—a first since 2021, as ties continue to thaw between New Delhi and Beijing. The move comes amidst a churn in ties between India and the US over President Donald Trump's tariffs, and a couple of weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to China. The latest EU sanctions were announced hours after the cargo ship left the port. The ship was intended to travel to Malaysia, reported Bloomberg. According to MarineTraffic, a maritime analytics provider, the ship is now headed towards the Chinese port of Zhoushan and is expected to arrive on 20 August. According to Bloomberg, Beijing has also relaxed the curbs on the export of urea to India. India is one of the largest importers of the crop nutrient, used by millions of farmers across the country. In the financial year 2023-2024, India imported roughly $774 million worth of urea (HS Code: 3102.10) from China. However, in June 2024, Beijing announced export curbs to urea, due to its own domestic requirement, according to reports. In that year, China was the top exporter of the crop nutrient to India. In the last financial year (2024-2025), India's urea imports from China fell to $42.8 million following Beijing's export curbs. In June this year, China lifted export restrictions on urea, but maintained the limitations for exports to India. However, according to Bloomberg, that has now been lifted. These moves come ahead of Modi's visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin for the Heads of States' summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The summit is scheduled to be held on 31 August and 1 September. It will be Modi's first visit to the East Asian nation since 2018, when China last hosted the SCO summit in the city of Qingdao. The growing thaw between India and China comes after years of diplomatic chill. In the summer months of 2020, the two militaries clashed at Galwan in Eastern Ladakh. The political relationship cratered following the clashes. For over four years, ties between the two countries were on pause, until an agreement was reached over disengagement at the friction points of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last October. The agreement set the stage for a bilateral meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan on the margins of the BRICS leaders' summit on 23 October 2024. The political thaw between New Delhi and Beijing comes as US President Trump takes aim at India in particular. The American President most recently last week imposed an additional tariff of 25 percent on imports from India, increasing the total levies on Indian imports to 50 percent. Trump has taken aim at India's continued purchase of Russian oil as a reason to impose the additional tariffs. Since Trump's first term, the American President has also taken aim at China's exports to the US, with the two countries locked in a trade war since 2018. India and China have instituted a number of confidence building measures since December 2024, including Beijing resuming the Kailash Mansarovar yatra in this summer. On 24 July, India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals, and the two governments are expected to announce the resumption of direct air services soon. Most recently, Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong travelled to India for consultations with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. In the last two months, India's National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar have all travelled to China for meetings on different mechanisms of the SCO. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Chinese chatter says Trump tariffs will make India turn to China and Russia
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Gallantry medals for Operation Sindoor to be announced on Independence Day
Gallantry awards will be announced for defence personnel honoured for their exceptional courage during Operation Sindoor on Independence Day, a senior Defence official said. Operation Sindoor's success will be celebrated at the Independence Day celebrations this year, including its logo on the view cutter at Gyanpath, and themed floral decorations. Defence personnel selected for the awards will be seated at the Red Fort rampart, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his address to the nation. The PM's address to the nation is expected to highlight the success of Operation Sindoor and the contributions of defence personnel. The celebrations will commemorate 'the continuing rise of a prosperous, secure and bold 'Naya Bharat'', the theme of this year's festivities, 'as the nation is making giant strides towards realising the government's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047', the MoD stated, adding the celebration will 'provide renewed power to surge further ahead on the path to progress'.. The Indian Air Force will stage a special flypast over the Red Fort, with three helicopters flying in formation carrying the National Flag as well as the Operation Sindoor flag. As in previous years, the aircraft will shower flower petals over the public. Invitations to the event also feature Operation Sindoor on the top right corner, with a sketch of the Chenab railway bridge in the middle replacing the image of the Central Vista previously embossed on the cards. Recently inaugurated by Mr. Modi, the bridge connects the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country by rail for the first time.
