Rahul Gandhi meets members of European Parliament in Brussels, Manipur situation among topics discussed

-

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held closed-door meetings with some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels on Thursday, marking the start of his three-nation European tour.

The human rights situation in Manipur was among the topics that were raised during his meetings in the Belgian capital. This comes against the backdrop of a resolution entitled ‘India, the situation in Manipur’ which had been adopted by the European Parliament in July.

The discussions in Brussels, which were not listed on the official parliamentary agenda of the day, were described as successful by Opposition party sources. India in the past has said that the Indian authorities at all levels, including the judiciary, are well aware of the situation in Manipur and are taking steps to maintain peace and harmony and law and order.

“The European Parliament would be well advised to utilise its time more productively on its internal issues,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in July when the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in India, with particular reference to the clashes in Manipur.

He added that “such interference in India’s internal affairs is unacceptable, and reflects a colonial mind-set”.

“Shri @Rahul Gandhi at a round table with MEPs in the European Parliament, co-hosted by MEP Alviina Almetsa (Shadow Rapporteur on EU-India Relationship) and MEP Pierre Larrouturou (portfolios within Parliamentary budget, climate & employment generation),” the Congress Party said in a tweet, confirming the meeting.

Later on Thursday, Gandhi attended an event organised by civil society organisations focussed on human rights issues within the European Union (EU). The day concluded with an interaction over dinner with the Belgium-based Indian diaspora.

The former Congress chief is expected to leave for Paris after a meeting with business leaders and a media interaction in Brussels on Friday. He is also tentatively scheduled to address the media in the French capital later on Friday.

On Saturday, he is expected to hold a meeting with French parliamentarians and interact with students at the Sciences Po University before leaving for the Netherlands on Sunday. There he will visit the 400-year-old Leiden University and interact with students.

On September 11, the Congress leader would head to Norway where he will meet the country’s parliamentarians in the capital Oslo. He would also meet non-resident Indians and attend a meeting at the University of Oslo.

The Indian Overseas Congress is organising the events for Gandhi, a senior party leader said. He is scheduled to return on September 12 night, a day after the conclusion of the G20 Summit. The G20 Leaders Summit will be held from September 9 to 10 in Delhi.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/mjYT2EP
FP Staff

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more