June 21, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Nepal Bomb Blast
The first batch of Mirage-2000, the multi role French fighter aircraft that has been acquired by the Indian Air Force, will be flown to India by IAF pilots who have completed flying training in France. India has purchased 40 of these versatile fighter jets under a contract signed in 1983 but the exact number of planes that will constitute the first batch is not known. Some reports have indicated that the batch would consist of five to 10 planes.
Shiite Muslim leader Nabih Bern said that he accepted an offer from Switzerland to use its territory to hold any exchange of US hostages seized aboard a hijacked plane for Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. Bern's remarks came after his office said Pope John Paul II had joined diplomatic efforts to resolve the ordeal of 40 American hostages seized aboard the plane.
The UN Security Council has issued a 'strong warning' to South Africa that failure to co-operate in speeding up the independence of Namibia could force the world body to adopt punitive measures under the UN charter, including mandatory sanctions. Only Britain and the United States abstained as the council voted 13 to nil for a non-aligned resolution which, among other things, condemned the racist regime in Pretoria for its installation of a so-called interim government in Namibia.
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United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Trinidad and Tobago gripped by Modi mania, thousands attired in Indian wear celebrate his visit
Port of Spain, July 4 (UNI) Trinidad and Tobago was gripped by Modi-mania on Thursday which included Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar delivering a heartfelt speech celebrating the ancestral and cultural ties between Trinidad and Tobago and India. From the moment Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's feet touched the ground at the old Piarco airport just after 4 p.m., he received a warm Trinbago welcome. And as he was arriving at the airport, thousands of people were making their way to the National Cycling Centre in Couva for a Community Diaspora Event in honour of the Indian Prime Minister, the Trinidad Express reported. In an address that resonated with emotion, Persad-Bissessar welcomed Modi, to the cheers of 4,000 specially invited guests who filled the centre. The Prime Minister emphasised both the importance and sentiment behind Modi's visit, saying: 'We are graced by the presence of someone near and dear to us. We are graced by a leader whose visit is not just a matter of protocol, but a profound honour. 'Prime Minister Modi, your presence is a source of great inspiration to all of us, particularly to the Indo-Trinidadian community, whose roots are planted in the same blessed Indian soil from which you emerged.' The evening formed part of Prime Minister Modi's official two-day visit, which includes a formal address to a joint sitting of Parliament and the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding between the two countries today. At the centre, Modi received more of Trinidad and Tobago's hospitality as thousands, dressed in Indian wear, celebrated his visit to T&T. Persad-Bissessar spoke of the familial bonds between both nations.'Tonight, we honour the revered cultural and familial bonds between our people. These bonds transcend time and distance, uniting us in a shared history and a shared future,' she told the audience. The Prime Minister paid tribute to Modi's leadership, hailing him as 'a transformational force who has redefined governance in India and positioned your country as a prominent and dominant global power'. She emphasised that it was not just his governance that brought the people of Trinidad and Tobago together with India—it was his enduring reverence for culture and heritage. She reminded the crowd that Modi's first visit to Trinidad and Tobago was not as a prime minister, but in 2002 as a cultural ambassador attending the World Hindu Conference. 'Today, you return as the head of government of more than 1.4 billion people, a distinguished and celebrated leader whose influence transcends borders,' Persad-Bissessar stated. The Prime Minister recalled the journey of Indian indentured labourers, who arrived in Trinidad in 1845 aboard the Fatel Razack, carrying only their language, culture and faith. 'They crossed the Kala Pani, the 'dark waters' once believed to sever the soul from the sacred. But today, we have re-imagined that journey,' Prime Minister Bissessar said. She introduced the poetic phrase Pani Bandhan (Waters of Unity) and Samudra Bandhan (Ocean of Unity), reframing the sea not as a divider, but as a sacred link that binds two nations.'We here are the grandchildren of Mother India, separated by oceans but reunited by enduring love and respect,' she said. In a poignant moment, Persad-Bissessar read from one of Modi's own poems, 'Journey', which speaks of memory, struggle, and shared suffering: 'In the recesses of my mind, I travel far into the past And each face I see, unfolds a memory. My recall comes with ease. Each visage easily recognised, Nothing stays hidden. For this is the truth, plain to see That our companions, with whom we suffered Never forgotten Together endured Those sufferings They become the journey in the end.' As she spoke, Modi smiled and listened. Turning to the sacrifices of Indian migrants to Trinidad, Persad-Bissessar said: 'Yes, Shri Modi. Our people have suffered. But they endured.' She continued: 'And their endurance became the foundation of our nations.' Prime Minister Bissessar suggested that the ancestors themselves were rejoicing. 'Somewhere, in the distant echoes of time, somewhere, in the annals of history, our ancestors are rejoicing at your visit—whispering through the winds of memory, their spirits stirred by this sacred reunion of their scattered children.' Persad-Bissessar called for continued partnership between T&T and India. 'We are all threads in the same human fabric, bound not by circumstance, but by compassion, resilience, and the timeless truths of our shared heritage.' 'So, Prime Minister, let us continue this journey together as partners, as brother and sister, and as proud children of a most enduring heritage in history,' she said. UNI RN
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
France and Britain hope migrant 'taxi boat' plan will slow record Channel crossings
Migrant crossings from France to Britain are surging, prompting new proposed measures allowing French police to intercept boats closer to shore. However, police and activists express skepticism about the plan's feasibility and potential dangers. Despite increased patrols and proposed interventions, migrants remain determined, driven by conflict and the desire for a better life in the UK, undeterred by the risks. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Early one morning this week, a dinghy motored along a vast beach in northern France , stopping every few hundred metres to pick up migrants bound for Britain. Four French police gave chase, but failed to reach the migrants before they reached water's with 70-odd people onboard, the dinghy began chugging across the sea, adding to a record-breaking number of migrants crossing the Channel this year. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's right-wing opponents have seized on the data, reminding him he had pledged to "smash" the trafficking and Britain hope to unveil measures at their summit next week that will reportedly allow French police to intercept such 'taxi boats' - a new phenomenon - up to 300 metres (yards) from shore rather than only if lives are at risk as activists and migrants interviewed by Reuters were sceptical such a plan would work."I just don't see how this could ever be implemented," said Julien Soir, a police union representative in the northern city of Lille. "Getting it up and running is simply impossible."He said police were already stretched covering 180 km (112 miles) of coastline and lack the equipment and training needed for seaborne operations. Police also fear drowning if they fall in the water with heavy equipment, or personal legal liability if migrants die or are injured during an Vettorello, a coordinator at the Utopia 56 charity in Calais, said numbers were rising despite more French police patrolling beaches, including with British-sponsored said the proposed measures would only make a dangerous crossing - last year 73 migrants died navigating what is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes - more implemented, it would "lead to even more deaths ... more distress," she influx of migrants has helped Nigel Farage's Reform UK overtake Starmer's Labour Party in polls. Farage, a right-wing populist and longtime immigration hard-liner, has proposed using the Navy to intercept migrant vessels and take them back to France. Lawyers say this could only be done if France 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain via small boats so far this year, a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2024. French and British authorities blame the spike on unusually good Walsh, from Oxford University's Migration Observatory, said maritime interception may stop more migrants but would not affect long-term trends behind the migrant surge, including multiple conflicts and the allure of English-speaking also wants to negotiate a returns agreement with France, which it had before it left the European a filthy migrant camp near Dunkirk, Reuters spoke with several migrants who were unaware of the new proposal. They said it wouldn't stop them from trying to Lodin, 26, left Afghanistan in 2021 after his family's work with the U.S. army irked the Taliban. He had failed to cross three times; twice he was stopped by police and once his boat had problems. Lodin dreamed of working in a UK fulfilment warehouse. Nothing would stop him from getting there."We are not afraid to die," he said. "I have to reach my destination."Nisarahmad Afghan, 23, had been a migrant almost all his adult life, having left his home region of Nangarhar four years ago. He had made two failed attempts to cross, both foiled by police."Until I succeed, I will keep trying," he said. "I've passed through many dangerous roads. I will pass this one too."
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
French President Macron announces ‘historic' Airbus/Malaysia Airlines deal
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday there had been an historic deal between Airbus and Malaysia, as Macron hosted Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Paris. Macron said such deals highlighted the importance of trade between France and Asia, as Europe faces up to likely tariffs from US President Donald Trump. 'I am thinking of the projects signed in the key minerals sector, in the rare earths sector with the company Carester which has just opened up a factory in the region of Lacq, the transport sector with this historic co-operation between Malaysia Airlines and Airbus, and in the energy transition sector,' said Macron. Industry sources told Reuters this week that Airbus was close to winning an order from Malaysia Aviation Group for more A330neo long-haul jets. 'Airbus has been our focus. Malaysian Airlines 20, and AirAsia another 50,' added Ibrahim.
