Trump Admin Deports Nearly 100 ‘Illegal Aliens' From Alligator Alcatraz In First 3 Flights
During a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped in to ease a Hindi translator's struggle while translating Starmer's remarks. Modi calmly told the translator, 'Use English words in between… don't worry,' and reassured him with a warm 'No problem' when he apologised. The light-hearted moment occurred after India and the UK signed a long-awaited Free Trade Agreement aimed at enhancing bilateral trade and investment. PM Modi also used a cricket analogy, saying the India-UK partnership is like a game played with a straight bat—solid, passionate, and always aiming for high scores.#modiukvisit #indiaukfta #tradedeal #modi #starmer #modistarmer #cricketdiplomacy #bilateralrelations #freetrade #economiccooperation #diplomacy #globalpartnerships #viral #trending #viralnews #toi #toibharat
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The Hindu
5 minutes ago
- The Hindu
MEA ‘nearly lost the plot' on Indus Treaty negotiations, says former Finance Secretary Subhash Garg
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) nearly 'lost the plot' over the Indus Water Treaty talks with Pakistan in 2016, as senior MEA officials entered into a tussle with the World Bank, before the issue was retrieved — the claim is made by former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, India-appointed Executive Director at the World Bank (2014-2017), in his latest book, which recounts for the first time the tensions between the Modi government and World Bank President Jim Kim over the Kishenganga hydropower project. The point of contention was whether the World Bank, which has a limited role in guiding any disputes or differences between India and Pakistan, would decide to appoint the 'court of arbitration' Pakistan had asked for, or a 'neutral expert', as India wanted. After his controversial first book about his unceremonious exit from the Union Finance Ministry, Mr. Garg has now taken aim at the MEA in his new book, No, Minister: Navigating Power, Politics and Bureaucracy with a Steely Resolve, where he says he was sidelined during the initial stages of the Indus Water Treaty negotiations in 2016. He also claims that he was told to 'keep off the matter', and only attend meetings to be led by India's Deputy Chief of Mission Taranjit Sandhu (later the Ambassador to the U.S. before he retired and joined politics). '[However], by the middle of November, the MEA team was getting nervous. It was not able to nudge the World Bank team in the direction it wanted, i.e., to appoint a neutral expert and began to sense that the Bank was tilting towards Pakistan,' Mr. Garg wrote, in the chapter titled 'Bringing Indus Waters Arbitration Back From the Brink'. At this point, the book claims that Mr. Jaishankar made a visit to Washington and asked Mr. Garg to take charge of matters. Mr. Garg accepted the request, but insisted that no MEA official join the discussions, and even turned back then MEA Joint Secretary Gopal Baglay (now India's High Commissioner to Australia) from the meeting with Mr. Kim, although he had travelled non-stop for 20 hours to reach Washington. According to Mr. Garg, it was his own intervention, in a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Kim, that eventually helped ensure a neutral expert, Ian Solomon, was appointed, after the World Bank accepted Pakistan's demand for a court of arbitration at The Hague. The MEA did not respond to a request for comments on Mr. Garg's claims. The Hindu also reached out to Mr. Sandhu and Mr. Baglay for a comment, and they did not respond to or deny the claims. In Washington, World Bank officials privy to the negotiations confirmed the tussle between the World Bank and the Indian government, but said they could not comment on whether it was Mr. Garg's meeting with the World Bank chief or other interventions that eventually changed the course of events. The World Bank first ruled that having a neutral expert and court together could lead to 'contradictory outcomes'. However, subsequently, it facilitated the setting up of both an expert as well as a Chairperson to the Court of Arbitration. India has refused to attend the proceedings in the Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Pakistan has maintained that it is working within the terms of the treaty, whereas India says the treaty does not allow such parallel dispute mechanisms. When asked by The Hindu, Mr. Garg said this should not have been an 'institutional turf battle', and that he did not want India's case to be 'compromised' even as the World Bank, the U.S. and the U.K. had gone ahead with appointing experts to take the Pakistan application for arbitration forward. Allowing Pakistan's diplomats to continue the process unchallenged would have an impact on other negotiations, he added. After the Pahalgam terror attacks in April this year, India has decided to 'suspend' the Indus Water Treaty, but some of the book's revelations are significant for future decisions on similar issues. The book recounts Pakistan's campaign against the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Jammu-Kashmir; India's objections to the International Monetary Fund/World Bank funding of the Gulpur hydropower project in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir; and China's objections in 2010 to multilateral funding for a hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh, leading Mr. Garg to conclude that the government and the World Bank needed better communication between themselves. Mr. Garg also pointed out that Mr. Kim and Mr. Modi had a good relationship, and Mr. Kim's plan to fund schemes for 'stunted' or malnourished children had not gone down well with Mr. Modi. In Parliament this week, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development said that about 37% of children under five years registered on their tracker were found to be stunted. 'I believe India's approach of not fine-tuning its stance in line with World Bank policies has harmed its own interests more than serving it,' Mr. Garg, who moved to India as Economic Affairs Secretary after his tenure at the World Bank ended, said. Differences with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman led to his transfer as Secretary in the Union Ministry of Power in August 2019. He applied for voluntary retirement that same day, and retired after serving the mandatory notice period on October 31, 2019. (With inputs from Jacob Koshy and T.C.A. Sharad Raghavan in New Delhi.)
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Monsoon session: Parliament to debate Operation Sindoor; after washout week, top guns to face off
Lok Sabha NEW DELHI: After a week of disruptions, Parliament's Monsoon session is poised to shift gears on Monday with an intense debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor , as the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition prepare to go head-to-head over national security and foreign policy issues. Top ministers from the government and senior leaders from the opposition are expected to participate in what is being billed as a marathon 16-hour debate in both Houses, starting with the Lok Sabha on Monday, followed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. These discussions, sources told the news agency PTI, may extend well beyond the allotted time, given the political stakes involved. Home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar are expected to lead the government's charge during the debate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly may intervene to highlight what the government views as its 'robust' record on national security. On the opposition side, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are likely to lead the charge, alongside Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav and other senior leaders from the INDIA bloc. Their criticism has focused on alleged intelligence failures preceding the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, and on US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of mediating between India and Pakistan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Baking Soda Tricks Everyone Should Know About Beach Raider Undo Rahul Gandhi has targeted the government's foreign policy, arguing that India failed to garner international backing during Operation Sindoor. He has also cited Trump's mediation remarks as evidence of the government's diplomatic setbacks. PM Modi, however, has hailed Operation Sindoor, India's cross-border strike on terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as a resounding success that showcased the effectiveness of the country's indigenous defence capabilities. 'India has drawn a 'new normal' in its response to Pakistan-linked terrorism, and it will not differentiate between terrorists and their sponsors,' PM Modi asserted, defending the government's firm approach in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. India caused serious damage to several Pakistani air bases in the four-day conflict. Meanwhile, the NDA plans to field a wide range of speakers, including ministers and MPs from the seven multi-party delegations that travelled to over 30 global capitals to explain India's position post-Operation Sindoor. These include Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Sanjay Jha (JDU), and Harish Balayogi (TDP), among others. A key point of interest remains whether Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who led one of the delegations to the US, will be allowed to speak during the debate. His public praise for the government's handling of the operation has reportedly created friction within his party. However, sources suggest that a way may be found for him to participate, given the significance of his role. While the focus is shifting to national security, one unresolved issue continues to hang over the session -- the opposition's demand for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The opposition claims the Election Commission's exercise could benefit the BJP in the upcoming Bihar polls, an allegation the EC has denied, stating the revision is aimed solely at ensuring only eligible voters are on the rolls. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, speaking on July 25 after the session's first week ended in a washout, confirmed that the opposition had agreed to begin discussions on the twin issues of Pahalgam and Sindoor. However, on the SIR issue, Rijiju reiterated the government's position: 'Every issue cannot be taken up for discussion in Parliament at once,' adding that the government will consider the demand for a separate debate in due course, as per the rules.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
KRT IPO: Sattva-Blackstone backed REIT gets Sebi nod for Rs 4,800 crore raise; public issue likely to hit markets early August
Knowledge Realty Trust (KRT), a REIT sponsored by Sattva Group and Blackstone, has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to go ahead with its Rs 4,800-crore initial public offering . The public issue is expected to hit the market in the first week of August, according to PTI citing sources. Ahead of the IPO, KRT has already mobilised Rs 1,400 crore from institutional investors. The company had filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) in March this year, as part of its plan to monetise 30 premium office assets spread across key Indian cities, ANI reported. The REIT owns over 46 million sq ft of rent-yielding office properties across 29 locations in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Notable assets include One BKC and One World Center in Mumbai, Knowledge City and Knowledge Park in Hyderabad, and Cessna Business Park and Sattva Softzone in Bengaluru. Sources said the roadshow will begin this week, and the price band announcement is expected by August 30. Post listing, KRT is poised to become India's largest REIT by gross asset value, pegged at around Rs 62,000 crore. Its net operating income stood at Rs 3,432 crore in FY24. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do You Speak English? You May Be Able To Work a USA Job From Home in Bangladesh US Jobs | Search ads Undo Following the IPO, sponsors Sattva Group and Blackstone will retain around 80% ownership in the trust. While Sattva declined to comment, sources said the trust will continue to adopt a brand-neutral approach, focusing on inorganic growth through third-party acquisitions. There are currently four REITs listed in India — Brookfield India Real Estate Trust, Embassy Office Parks REIT, Mindspace Business Parks REIT, and Nexus Select Trust. Except for Nexus, which is focused on retail spaces, the others are anchored in office real estate. Together, these four REITs manage over 126 million sq ft of Grade A office and retail space and have distributed over Rs 21,000 crore to unitholders since inception. Sattva Developers, headquartered in Bengaluru, has completed over 74 million sq ft of projects across seven cities, spanning commercial, residential, co-living, co-working, hospitality, and data centres. Another 75 million sq ft is currently in various stages of development. Global investment firm Blackstone continues to hold a substantial portfolio in India's commercial real estate sector. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
