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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Matemala Cyril Ramaphosa discussed bilateral cooperation including in BRICS during a telephone conversation on Saturday. The two leaders reviewed bilateral, regional and global issues, including cooperation in BRICS. The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation, which is anchored in historic and strong people-to-people ties, the Prime Minister’s office said in an official release today. The foreign ministers from the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) recently met in Cape Town to attend the meeting from June 1-2. The bloc’s current chair, South Africa hosted the BRICS foreign ministers conference in the South African capital. During the conversation, Prime Minister Modi thanked the South African President for the relocation of 12 Cheetahs to India earlier this year. They also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperatio

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s first-ever National Training Conclave in New Delhi tomorrow. The National Training Conclave is located at the International Exhibition and Convention Centre Pragati Maidan. According to a release by the prime minister’s office, Modi will also address the gathering on the occasion. “Prime Minister has been a proponent of improving the governance process and policy implementation in the country through capacity building of civil service. Guided by this vision, the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) – ‘Mission Karmayogi’ was launched to prepare a future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge. This Conclave is yet another step in this direction,” it read. The National Training Conclave, hosted by the Capacity Building Commission, has been established to foster different institutes of civil services training and strengthen the training infrastructure for civil servants across th

In a controversial statement, Bihar BJP president Samrat Choudhary slammed Rahul Gandhi by comparing the Congress leader to terrorist Osama bin Laden. Speaking at an event in Bihar’s Araria, Choudhary said, “Rahul Gandhi grows beard like Osama bin Laden and thinks that he will become like Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” #WATCH | Araria, Bihar: Rahul Gandhi grows beard like Osama bin Laden & thinks that he will become like Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Bihar BJP State President Samrat Chaudhary (09.06) pic.twitter.com/F4QfEg2UQd — ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2023 Attacking the BJP leader, RJD’s Manoj Jha said, “Crores of people in this country keep a beard. Are they all Osama Bin Laden?” VIDEO | "Crores of people in this country keep a beard. Are they all Osama Bin Laden?" says RJD leader Manoj Jha on Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary likening Rahul Gandhi to the slain terrorist. pic.twitter.com/8DVX6AKZe8 — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 10, 2023 On Friday, J

The Indian Navy undertook carrier battle group (CBG) operations with more than 35 aircraft in the Arabian Sea. It demonstrated the formidable capability in ensuring sustained air ops across the vast maritime expanse and underscoring our commitment to safeguarding India’s national interests, read a statement. SKY IS THE LIMIT #IndianNavy undertakes twin-carrier CBG ops with more than 35 aircraft in #ArabianSea , demonstrating its formidable capability in ensuring sustained air ops across the vast maritime expanse & underscoring our commitment to safeguarding India’s national interests. pic.twitter.com/yOsvHFvQqM — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 10, 2023 The seamless operational integration of the two aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant as well as fleet ships and submarines is a powerful testament to the pivotal role of sea based air power and India’s role as the preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean and beyond, the Navy said. Last month, the Na

A wagon of a stationary goods train caught fire at the Rupsa Railway Station in Odisha’s Balasore on Saturday. #WATCH | Odisha: Fire broke out in a compartment of goods train at Rupsa railway station in Balasore district. Cause of the fire is yet to be known. The fire was brought under control by the fire brigade pic.twitter.com/36lss3vbCn — ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2023 The fire was brought under control by the fire brigade, while the cause is yet to be known. This comes a week after the tragic train tragedy that claimed over 270 lives near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/1kUgpne FP Staff

Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande on Saturday asked IMA graduates to keep updating their skills to deal with the challenges of rapidly changing dynamics of combat. “The dynamics of combat are rapidly changing with fast paced development of technology and the battle space has become more complex,” Gen Pande said while addressing the Passing Out Parade at the conclusion of the IMA’s spring term course. He said that in such a scenario, technical prowess, mental agility, critical thinking, and quick response will be the key to success. Further he asked the newly commissioned officers to continuously enhance their competency. “Your journey does not end with your commissioning into the army. On the contrary, it is just the beginning of a life of commitment towards self-improvement,” the Army Chief said. The profession of “soldiering” is the noblest of all professions as it gives one an opportunity to don the uniform and serve one’s motherland with “selfless devotion,” Gen Pande said.

The ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm Biparjoy is expected to intensify further in the next 24 hours and move north-northeastwards, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday. According to reports, a low-pressure area has formed over the northeast Bay of Bengal, due to which light to heavy rainfall is expected in several parts of east, northeast and south India. #WATCH | Gujarat: High waves are seen at Tithal beach of Valsad ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy. Tithal Beach was closed for tourists as a precautionary measure by the Valsad administration following the cyclone Biparjoy warning (9/06) pic.twitter.com/TSvQfaiezv — ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2023 Some drizzle is expected in the national capital on Saturday, however, Delhiiites and not expected to get any respite from soaring temperatures as mercury is expected to cross 40 degrees Celsius, IMD stated. In the national capital, The temperature will hover around 40 degrees Celsius for the next two-three days, while the avai

Sara Storey, the deputy high commissioner of Australia to India, stated on Friday that her nation is pleased that India opted to sign a free trade deal with them and that this will undoubtedly help the ‘Make in India’ or ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative of the Indian government. “We are proud that the government of India chose to do free trade agreement with Australia. Now 96 per cent of Indian goods enter Australia tariff-free and 86 per cent of Australian goods enter India tariff-free. This will support the ‘Make in India’ Program for competitive Indian goods. We all believe in this relationship and there is so much more that we can do,” Storey told ANI. Sara Storey went on to say that the connection between the two countries has evolved into a strategic and all-encompassing alliance. The World Test Championship (WTC) final, which is currently taking place at the Oval in London, was screened live in special fashion on Friday at the Australian High Commission in the nation’s capital

During his visit to India, Sam Altman revealed that he is pleasantly surprised in the way India has adopted AI, and believes that the country is at the centre of innovation when it comes to AI. As a result, the OpenAI CEO and the inventor of ChatGPT plans on investing in several startups in India, that are working on AI, and on technology in education. Speaking about OpenAI’s venture capital arm investing in Indian startups, the OpenAI CEO said, “We had some discussions yesterday (about investing in Indian startups) and we would love to invest in Indian startups.” Surprised by India’s startup ecosystem Altman also revealed that he and his team were amazed by the way startups function in India. “We were always amazed by the quality of Indian startups. The energy we are seeing in Indian startups, we are looking to fund them,” he said. Altman also expressed that India has one of the largest startup ecosystems globally. Having previously served as the president of Y Combinator, an ear

An explosion inside a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Thursday killed at least 11 people during the funeral of the Taliban’s provincial deputy governor, who died in an attack earlier this week, officials said. A former Taliban police official was among those killed and more than 30 others were wounded in the explosion near Nabawi Mosque on Thursday, according to Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the interior ministry. Takor said there were concerns that the number of casualties could rise further. The attack in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, also killed the deputy governor’s driver and wounded 10 other people. A car bombing on Tuesday claimed the life of Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, and the explosion took place during his memorial service. The deputy governor’s chauffeur was also killed in the attack in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, and ten other people were injured. Safiullah Samim, a former Afghan police chief in Baghl

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday slammed Pakistan for pushing drugs into India and pitched for conducting “one or two surgical strikes” against the neighbouring country to teach it a lesson. The governor, who was on a two-day visit to the border districts of the state, also had a word of praise for the Punjab government over the issue of drug seizure and tackling drones being used to send narcotics from across the border. To ensure the next generation don’t become drug addicts, Purohit said it was imperative to conduct “one or two surgical strikes” against Pakistan to stop its nefarious objectives. Purohit expressed satisfaction over the coordination among central agencies, such as the Border Security Force (BSF), Army and Intelligence Bureau, and the Punjab Police. Addressing the media, the governor came down heavily on Pakistan for launching a “hidden war” against India, saying it is doing so as it could not engage in a direct fight against the country. He also exp

India and New Zealand held their first Round Table Joint Meeting on Thursday with industries from both nations present in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by the additional secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, Rajesh Agarwal and the High Commissioner of New Zealand in India, David Pine. During the meeting, both sides acknowledged the current level of bilateral commerce and emphasised on the enormous potential of the India-New Zealand alliance and the need for further economic cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The discussions also focused on the extension of the objectives set by the Joint Trade Committee (JTC), formed under the Bilateral Trade Agreement of 1986, the official statement said. In a brief statement, the New Zealand High Commissioner emphasized the importance of joint efforts while keeping in mind the principles of mutual benefit, proportionality, enabling trade, and collaboration with private sectors. Pine put forth the areas that can be

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday summed up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nine years of governance by saying that India has a “bigger footprint” on the global platform under his leadership. He said, “A large part of the world sees us as a development partner, not just as a development partner but a development partner who lives up to what PM enunciated…Today, the second image of India is that of an economic collaborator.” Noting the major breakthroughs India has witnessed in the last nine years, Jaishankar said that India has become a self-assured country with not one but many achievements. “I think, in a way, a more self-assured country with a lot of changes happening, which is contributing more, which is caring more for its own people, people at home and people abroad, and which is communicating all of this very effectively with the rest of the world. So it isn’t a single account and a single achievement. In a way, I think there’s been really very broad progress

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently was on a three-city tour in the US, is said to have visited the White House. According to a report by The Economic Times, the ex-president of the Congress party met senior US officials, including Don Lu, assistant secretary of state for South Asia in the State Department, apart from academics, tech experts and think tankers during his visit. “He reportedly also went to the White House. The meetings were kept under wraps for some strange reason. But the Joe Biden administration clearly didn’t shut the door on an opposition leader. Why should it?” read the report. Earlier this week, the BJP took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said that it is “ironical” that while he “shamelessly” continues to criticise India’s democracy during his US visit, the White House says India is a vibrant democracy. It is a tight slap on the “yuvraj” of the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said. The White House said Monday that India is a vibrant dem

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to initiate an enquiry against online gaming platform – Fornite, and instant messaging social platform – Discord for their alleged role in religious conversion of a minor Jain boy and two other Hindu boys in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. The commission has requested for an action-taken report submitted to them within 10 days. In a letter to the Secretary of MeitY, Alkesh Kumar Sharma, NCPCR’s Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo wrote that it had come across a news article, wherein it was informed that two men, including a caretaker of a mosque in Ghaziabad and a man from Mumbai man, were involved in religious conversion of a minor boy through Fortnite. The commission further said that the minor boy was lured into conversation through the gaming platform – Fortnite and then brainwashed into religious conversion over Discord. “The need to incorporate an effect

Air India’s ‘ferry flight’ carrying all the 232 passengers and crew took off from Russia’s Magadan for San Francisco on Thursday after an Air India flight was forced to make an emergency landing in the remote Russian town of Magadan due to a technical glitch. UPDATE: AIR INDIA FLIGHT AI173D TAKES OFF FOR SAN FRANCISCO FROM MAGADAN Flight AI173D from Magadan, Russia (GDX) is now airborne for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew. The flight departed GDX at 1027 Hours on 08 June 2023 (local time) and is expected to… — Air India (@airindia) June 7, 2023 “Flight AI173D from Magadan, Russia (GDX) is now airborne for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew. The flight departed GDX at 1027 Hours on 08 June 2023 (local time) and is expected to arrive at SFO at 0015 Hours on 08 June 2023 (local time),” Air India said in a statement. “Air India has mobilised additional on-ground support at SFO to carry out the clearance formalities for all passengers upon a

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday that India will not be able to achieve the target of reducing road accidents by 50 per cent before 2024 due to many shortcomings on the part of the government and other people, who compromise with road safety standards, Pointing out that more people die in road accidents than in street fights, riots or terrorist attacks, Gadkari said “We had said that we will reduce the number of road accidents by 50 per cent before 2024. But we could not do (reduce) much. We could not do it because we have certain shortcomings and there are other people who are not doing their bit,”. Addressing a public function here, Gadkari said “People who prepare Detailed Project Report (DPR) are not doing their job properly. Their mindset is that there should be saving (reduce) on the cost”. They compromise with road safety standards while preparing DPR to reduce the cost of construction and deliberately don’t provide for the construction of flyovers, under bridge

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said that Damoh hijab controversy is a serious matter and the government will file an FIR in the case as soon as the report is submitted. The state Education Department had last week suspended the recognition of Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School following a controversy over a poster showing girls, including Hindu students, wearing headscarves that looked like hijab as part of the uniform. A couple of students of the school alleged that Hindu students were being forced to wear hijabs and offer namaz in the school. Addressing the media on Wednesday, Chouhan said, “Religious conversion is going on at a few locations in the state. We won’t let them succeed. We have given orders for investigation, especially for educational institutions – if education is being imparted there in a wrongful manner, we will check that.” #WATCH | Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, “Religious conversion is going on at a few locations in the

Maruti Suzuki on Wednesday launched the highly anticipated Jimny. The vehicle will be offered in six different variants, with the base model starting at an ex-showroom price of Rs 12.74 lakh. The range-topping variant, the Jimny Alpha AT (Dual Tone), will be priced at Rs 15.05 lakh (ex-showroom). The company aims to not only achieve significant sales with this new offering, but also establish itself as a dominant player in the rapidly growing sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment, where it aspires to secure the top position. Maruti Suzuki anticipates that the Jimny will contribute to securing the leading position in the SUV segment. Equipped with a 1.5-litre petrol engine, the Jimny also provides customers with the option of a subscription plan, with an all-inclusive monthly fee starting from Rs 33,550. The following are the available trims of the Jimny according to the price list: Zeta MT (Rs 12.74 lakh), Zeta AT (Rs 13.94 lakh), Alpha MT (Rs 13.69 lakh), Alpha AT (Rs 14.89 lakh), a

Five days after the disastrous Odisha train accident, the agony continues for the families of the victims. Hundreds of bodies are piling up in hospitals in and around Balasore as kin find it difficult to identify them. The triple collision led to corpses being badly damaged, making it nearly impossible for kin to identify them. Already heartbroken, families are struggling to find missing relatives and claim bodies. So far more than 280 people have died and around 177 bodies have been identified. More than 100 others need to be handed over. The fight over bodies Chaos and confusion prevail with several families squabbling over bodies. Two families, one from Howrah and another from north Dinajpur, clashed over a dead victim. Jahangir Midday (42) and Anjarul Haque (41) both have been declared dead in the Odisha train tragedy . Both were wearing identical clothes, according to the police. Midday’s body, which had multiple injuries and was decomposed, was handed over to his brother aft

The Bhubaneswar municipal corporation has said that it will send 30 DNA samples collected from visitors to AIIMS New Delhi as relatives continue to search for their loved ones among the bodies of the victims of the Odisha train tragedy. “All 30 collected DNA samples will be sent to AIIMS Delhi and it will take 7 to 8 days to get a detailed report,” ANI quoted Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas, Municipal Corporation Additional Commissioner, as saying on Tuesday. The Additional Commissioner said over 80 bodies had piled up in different hospitals awaiting identification and many relatives were unable to identify the bodies kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar and five other centres. “They returned home after giving their DNA samples and these collected samples will be sent to AIIMS Delhi,” said the Additional Commissioner. “It will take 7 to 8 days to get report. So all 30 relatives will have to wait for another one week to get custody of the bodies. Many relatives left Bhubaneswar after giving their sam

The Delhi government has decided to employ helium leak detection technology to find out any leakage in the water pipeline easily. Water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said this modern technology will eliminate the need for road excavation and ground digging to identify leaks in the underground pipeline network, bringing relief to the residents of the national capital. He visited Shahpur Jat on Tuesday to inspect the state-of-the-art equipment designed to detect leakage and contaminated water in the pipeline. माननीय मुख्यमंत्री @ArvindKejriwal के निर्देशों का पालन करते हुए शाहपुर जाट में पाइपलाइन में लीकेज व दूषित पानी का पता लगाने वाले आधुनिक उपकरण का निरीक्षण किया। जगह-जगह सड़कें खोदे बिना आधुनिक तकनीक से पाइपलाइन में लीकेज की मिलेगी जानकारी। pic.twitter.com/UIq0lEtgx9 — Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) June 6, 2023 Bharadwaj personally tested the helium leakage detection technology to evaluate its success in identifying pipeline leaks, according to a statement. The technolo

The Centre on Tuesday decided to allow 2,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to open Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMBJAK) across the country by December end, this year– a move to increase the income of PACS and create employment opportunities as well as medicines available at affordable prices to people. The decision which is expected to not only increase the income of PACS and create employment opportunities but also make medicines available at affordable prices to the people, especially those living in rural areas, was taken in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah with Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh S. Mandaviya in New Delhi. At least 2000 PACS across the country will be identified to open PMBJAK. 1000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras will be opened by August and 1000 by December this year, the Ministry of Cooperation said in a statement. More than 9400 PMBJAK have been opened acros

Have plans to fly within India? Book your air tickets asap. Airfares have been soaring over the past month, especially spot purchases – tickets booked on the spot or 24 hours before taking the flight. Spot airfares for five out of six of the busiest routes have seen a big rise – three times in the past month. A 24-hour advance purchase on domestic fares flying out of Delhi and Mumbai is exorbitant. On India’s busiest air route, from Delhi to Mumbai, the average spot airfare on 1 June was Rs 18,654, Business Standard reports quoting data provided by the online travel portal Ixigo. On 1 May, the average spot airfare on this route was Rs 6125. While last-moment tickets are always expensive, what is surprising is the big jump. The cheapest flight from Mumbai to Kochi was Rs 20,000 for 1 June. The spot airfare ticket from Delhi to Kolkata has seen a rise of 73 per cent in the past month and from Delhi to Pune has jumped by 214 per cent. A ticket on this route cost Rs 5,469 on 1 May and