Latest news with #ParvathaneniHarish
The Print
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
25 July, 2025: India-UK sign landmark trade deal & other news of the day
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, addressing an open debate in the UN Security Council on Wednesday, said a ceasefire must be put in place in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. He emphasised that 'intermittent pauses in hostilities' are 'not enough' to address the scale of challenges faced by Palestinians, and asserted that a ceasefire must be implemented. Billed as the UK's most economically significant bilateral trade deal since leaving the European Union, the FTA was signed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) will significantly improve market access and boost bilateral trade by around USD 34 billion annually, the British government said on Thursday. Ajmer Dargah admin draws flak Several Muslim organisations have criticised a notice issued by the Nazim or chief executive officer of Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan, disowning liability for any accidents caused by ageing structures within the shrine's premises. The July 21 notice, signed by Nazim Mohammad Belal Khan, warned pilgrims about 'structural risks' within the dargah but said the administration would not be responsible for accidents. Eight militants arrested in Manipur Security forces have arrested eight militants belonging to different proscribed outfits from Imphal West, Bishnupur, Tengnoupal and Chandel districts of Manipur, police said on Thursday. Two of them were from the banned Kangleipak Communist Party. Meghalaya government raises minimum wages The Meghalaya government has raised the minimum wages of unskilled labourers to Rs 541 per day, according to a notification issued by the Labour department. Semi-skilled workers will now be entitled to Rs 583 per day, skilled workers to Rs 624, and highly-skilled workers to Rs 665, it said. India selected to host international space leaders The Karman Project, a non-profit, has announced that its flagship event, 'Karman Week 2025', will take place in Bangalore, hosted by SatSure, a leading applied earth intelligence company. Karman Project and SatSure share a long-standing relationship, with SatSure's founder and CEO, Prateep Basu, selected as a Karman Fellow in 2020. Opposition to protest against Bihar SIR in Parliament Opposition parties protested in Parliament for the third consecutive day on Thursday against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) held by the Election Commission of India. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, along with MP Manoj Jha, have spoken about the possibility of a boycott. Three new judges take oath in Delhi HC Three new judges took oath of office on Thursday, taking the strength of the Delhi High Court to 43 against the sanctioned strength of 60. Justices Vinod Kumar, Shail Jain and Madhu Jain took the oath in Hindi, administered by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya. The swearing-in ceremony was held within the high court premises. Ex-Punjab Police officer sentenced to 10 years for fake encounter A CBI court in Mohali has sentenced a former Punjab Police officer to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a 1993 fake encounter case involving two police constables. The court acquitted three other accused—then inspector Dharam Singh, 77, then assistant sub-inspector Kashmir Singh, 69, and then ASI Darbara Singh,71—in the case. UP govt suspends two officials for lax supervision Following a protest by women constable recruits over alleged poor living conditions in their barracks and privacy concerns, two senior officials, including the Commandant of the 26th Battalion of Provincial Armed Constabulary, have been suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government. Saksham Thakur is an intern with ThePrint (Edited by Shashank Kishan) Also read: ED raids Anil Ambani group companies in Yes Bank loan diversion case, 35 premises searched
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
'Walking corpses': Over 100 dead of starvation, says UNRWA; India backs aid push in Gaza
The aid crisis in war-torn Gaza worsened with UNRWA saying that "more than 100 people, the vast majority of them children, have reportedly died of hunger." Describing the situation as people in Gaza resemble "walking corpses", the agency said that it has "the equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food & medical supplies in Jordan and Egypt. " "'People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses': a colleague in Gaza told me this morning," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X. "Meanwhile, according to @UNRWA latest findings: one in every five children is malnourished in Gaza City as cases increase every day. When child malnutrition surges, coping mechanisms fail, access to food & care disappears, famine silently begins to unfold. Most children our teams are seeing are emaciated, weak & at high risk of dying if they don't get the treatment they urgently need. More than 100 people, the vast majority of them children, have reportedly died of hunger," he added. "Allow humanitarian partners to bring unrestricted & uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza. We, at UNRWA, have the equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food & medical supplies in Jordan and Egypt," he said. Moreover, India has urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, along with the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages, as part of efforts to address the escalating crisis in the region. "Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education," ANI quoted permanent representative of India to the United Nations ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said. "WHO estimates that around 95 per cent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that more than 6,50,000 children have had no schooling for over 20 months," he added. Israel halted all goods from entering Gaza in March, later permitting limited aid deliveries beginning in May, most of which have been routed through the controversial, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
India calls for ceasefire in Gaza, says temporary pauses in hostilities not enough
India on Wednesday called for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that 'intermittent pauses in hostilities' amid Israel's war on the Palestinian territory were inadequate to address the scale of challenges faced by its residents. Highlighting the 'persisting humanitarian crisis' in Gaza at a United Nations Security Council debate, Parvathaneni Harish, India's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that residents of the country are grappling daily with 'acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education'. There is a need to deliver humanitarian assistance in a safe, sustained and timely manner, Harish said during the Security Council debate on the 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'. 'There is no substitute to peace,' the diplomat said. 'A ceasefire must be put in place. All hostages must be released. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable paths to achieving these objectives. There are no other fixes or solutions.' Israel's military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after Palestinian militant group Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, leaving more than 61,000 persons dead. Tel Aviv has also enforced a severe blockade on humanitarian aid, which UN officials say has brought the population to the verge of famine. On Wednesday, Harish also told the Security Council that the health and education situation in Gaza was 'particularly troubling', citing World Health Organization estimates that around 95% of hospitals in the region had been damaged or destroyed. He said that more than 6.5 lakh children have had no schooling for over 20 months as per reports by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. #IndiaAtUN PR @AmbHarishP delivered 🇮🇳's statement at the @UN Security Council Quarterly Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy — India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) July 23, 2025 Harish added that India's commitment towards the Palestinian cause is 'unwavering' and expressed hope that an upcoming UN conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict would lead to 'concrete steps' towards achieving a two-state solution. The conference on the matter is scheduled from July 28 to July 30. India's longstanding position has been to support a two-state solution for establishing a sovereign, viable and independent state of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace. The diplomat's remarks on Wednesday came more than a month after India on June 12, along with 19 other countries, abstained from voting on a resolution that the UN General Assembly adopted demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Hundred and forty-nine countries voted in favour of the non-binding resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Israel's war on the besieged Palestinian territory. Israel and the United States were among the 12 countries that voted against it. The resolution reiterated demands for the unconditional release of remaining hostages held by Hamas and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza. It also condemned the use of starvation and the denial of aid as tactics of war and demanded that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza and open all border crossings for aid deliveries. In December 2023, India was among 153 nations that voted in favour of a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly to demand a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. New Delhi had in July 2024, reiterated its call at the UN for an immediate and complete ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar. Earlier efforts to reinstate a brief ceasefire that took effect in January had stalled due to major disagreements between Hamas and Israel.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
India calls for ceasefire in Gaza, says intermittent pauses ‘not enough'
Voicing concern over the persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, India asserted that a ceasefire must be put in place, emphasising that 'intermittent pauses in hostilities' are "not enough" to address the scale of challenges facing the region's people. 'Today's meeting takes place against the backdrop of a persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said India's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, addressing an open debate in the UN Security Council on Wednesday (July 23, 2025). "Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education,' said at the open debate on the 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'. Underlining that the way ahead is clear, and highlighting India's consistent position in this regard, Mr. Harish said the ongoing human suffering must not be allowed to continue. 'Humanitarian assistance needs to be facilitated in a safe, sustained and timely manner. There is no substitute to peace. A ceasefire must be put in place. All hostages must be released. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable paths to achieving these objectives. There are no other fixes or solutions,' he said. He also expressed hope that an upcoming UN conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict would pave the way for 'concrete steps" towards achieving a two-State solution. Mr. Harish told the Council debate, held under Pakistan's presidency of the Security Council for the month of July, that India shares historic and strong ties with its Palestinian brothers and sisters. 'We have always stood by them and our commitment towards the Palestinian cause is unwavering,' he said, noting that India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the State of Palestine. Describing the health and education situation in Gaza as 'particularly troubling', Harish said the World Health Organisation estimates that around 95 per cent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that more than 650,000 children have had no schooling for over 20 months, he said. Mr. Harish said that India takes note of the High-Level International Conference on the implementation of a two-State solution scheduled for July 28-30. 'While engaging in a forward-leaning and constructive manner, it is our hope that this conference would pave the way for concrete steps towards achieving a two-State solution,' Mr. Harish said. He said India underscores its readiness to contribute to efforts aimed at shaping a political horizon that restores hope for the Palestinians and achieving sustained peace in the Middle East. The high-level conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, was scheduled to take place from June 17-20 but was postponed due to escalating tensions in the region. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has stressed that it is essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective 'with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank. 'And for those that doubt about the two-state solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-state solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled or the Palestinians will be forced to live in their land without rights? That would be totally unacceptable. I firmly believe that it is the duty of the international community to keep the two-State solution alive and then to materialise the conditions to make it happen,' he had said. President of the General Assembly Philemon Yang has described the international conference as a crucial opportunity that 'we must seize to chart an irreversible path towards the implementation of the two-State solution. It is imperative that this conference succeeds.' India reiterated that the pathway to enduring peace is rooted in a two-State solution — one that establishes a sovereign, viable and independent State of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace. India's endeavour is to make a 'tangible impact' on the daily lives of the Palestinians by implementing projects in diverse sectors, and the country is currently implementing projects valued at more than $40 million, Harish said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Human Suffering Must Not Be...': India at UNSC Calls for Ceasefire, Humanitarian Relief in Gaza
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, voiced deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza during the UN Security Council's Quarterly Open Debate on the Middle East. Highlighting the urgent need for unimpeded humanitarian aid, Ambassador Harish called for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a return to dialogue and diplomacy. Reaffirming India's consistent stance, he emphasized the two-state solution as the cornerstone for lasting peace and coexistence in the region.#indiaatun #gazacrisis #humanitarianaid #twostatesolution #unscdebate #pmmodiforeignpolicy #indiapalestine #ceasefirenow #diplomacyfirst #middleeastpeace
