Category: India

In New Delhi, leaders from India and the European Union (EU) are meeting to further discussions on a significant free trade agreement (FTA). This meeting is crucial as it comes after US President Donald Trump suggested imposing high tariffs on EU goods.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in New Delhi with a group of EU officials to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers. This visit marks the first time the official EU group has come to India.

Von der Leyen emphasized the friendship and strategic partnership between India and Europe via a social media post. This meeting is particularly important given Trump’s threats, which hint he might charge a 25% tax on EU products, including cars.

In response, the EU has stated it will take strong action against what it views as unfair tariffs. During their meeting, Modi and Von der Leyen will focus on promoting trade and cooperation in key sectors like technology, defense, and climate change.

They will also discuss a second meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council, a group focused on collaboration in technology and trade. Plans include working together on 6G technology, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors.

Enhancing defense cooperation is another goal, including better coordination between the Indian Navy and European navies, particularly in areas like the Red Sea.

Von der Leyen began her trip by honoring Mahatma Gandhi. After their meeting, India’s external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, praised her commitment to strengthening ties between India and Europe.

While the EU will likely bring up the Russia-Ukraine conflict and sanctions against Russia, India is clear that solutions can only come from discussions between the two countries. Despite challenges, the trade relationship between India and the EU is strong, with substantial growth over the past decade.

In summary, this meeting aims to enhance economic ties, defense collaboration, and technological partnerships between India and the EU.

In Jaipur, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Morcha had a shocking fight during a meeting. A video showed two leaders, Javed Qureshi and Jackie, grabbing each other’s collars and hitting each other in front of everyone. People were surprised as they witnessed the fight.

The trouble started when Jackie tried to help BJP leader Madan Rathore get to the stage, but Javed Qureshi blocked him. They began arguing, and their words turned into a physical fight.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan state assembly is still stuck because of comments made by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Congress party members are refusing to attend the meetings and even held a mock session outside the assembly.

This situation got worse when Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra made comments that upset Speaker Vasudev Devnani. Congress members held signs and protested outside, asking for an apology from the minister. They also acted out a mock Question Hour, where one member pretended to be the chairperson while others asked about the actions of BJP leaders.

Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully stated that they tried to discuss the problems, but the minister wasn’t replying. He said they are ready to talk to the Chief Minister to solve the issues, but the government seems scared and doesn’t want to run the assembly properly.

The Delhi High Court is waiting to make a decision about a request from Delhi University (DU). DU wants to challenge a ruling made by the Central Information Commission (CIC). This ruling told DU to provide information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree. DU argued in court that it does not mind showing this information to the court itself.

DU’s lawyer, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, told the court that there is a Bachelor of Arts degree from 1978. Justice Sachin Datta listened to everyone’s arguments and said that the decision would come later.

During a past court meeting, DU said that it holds students’ information like a secret and that just being curious is not a good reason for someone to ask for this private information under the Right to Information (RTI) law. They said that the RTI Act has become a “joke” because people are asking for records about all students who passed their BA exams in 1978, including Modi.

The CIC had an earlier order that allowed a person named Neeraj to see details of students who took the DU bachelor’s exam in 1978, the same year Modi graduated. On December 21, 2016, the CIC told DU to let Neeraj look at the records of everyone who passed that year. The CIC rejected DU’s argument that this was private information, saying it was not legal or fair. They instructed DU to allow someone to inspect the records and to give a certified copy for free. However, the high court put a hold on this CIC order on January 23, 2017.

Three lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi want to change the names of some neighborhoods. They are asking to rename Najafgarh to Nahargarh, Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram, and Mustafabad to Shiv Vihar. This is part of a trend where BJP leaders have changed names in other areas to move away from names connected to Mughal rulers.

Anil Sharma, who represents the RK Puram area where Mohammadpur is located, said he will push for this name change in the assembly. He pointed out that there was a proposal from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to change the name before, but the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government didn’t do it. Now that the BJP is back in power after 27 years, Sharma believes the name change will finally happen.

Another lawmaker, Neelam Pehalwan, wants to rename Najafgarh to honor local hero Raja Nahar Singh. She said that the people of Najafgarh feel they have been treated unfairly and changing the name is important for them.

Parvesh Verma, a Delhi minister, supports this name change as he feels it is overdue. Mohan Singh Bisht, who will soon be the deputy assembly speaker, announced that Mustafabad would become Shiv Vihar. He mentioned that this was a promise made during the elections, although part of Mustafabad will keep its original name.

Neelam Shinde, a student from Satara, Maharashtra, is facing a serious health crisis after a car accident in California on February 14. She has been in a coma in the hospital ever since, suffering major injuries to her head, hand, and chest.

Her family wants to visit her urgently but needs a visa to enter the United States. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is helping them speed up the visa process. They are working with U.S. officials to get her family to her side as soon as possible.

Supriya Sule, a leader from the Nationalist Congress Party, highlighted Neelam’s situation in a post. She shared that Neelam’s father, Tanaji Shinde, is desperately trying to travel to the U.S. due to the medical emergency involving his daughter.

Tanaji said that they learned about the accident on February 16, just two days after it happened, and have been trying for a visa since then. Unfortunately, they have not received it yet. The last time they spoke with Neelam was on February 12, just before the accident occurred.

BJP MLA Anil Sharma plans to rename Mohammadpur village in his RK Puram area of Delhi to ‘Madhavpuram.’ He mentioned that a proposal to change the name had been approved by the local corporation long ago but had been stuck in the Assembly during the Aam Aadmi Party’s government.

Sharma said, “People want this village to be called Madhavpuram. Now that the BJP is in charge in Delhi, we will listen to what the people want.” He hopes to present this proposal to the Assembly soon.

Sharma isn’t alone in this effort. BJP MLA Neelam Pehelwan also wants to change the name of her area, Najafgarh, to ‘Nahargarh.’ She explained that the change is important due to the area’s history, saying, “During the 1857 revolt, local leader Raja Nahar Singh fought for our region. It’s important for our people to honor our history.”

Pehelwan has been trying to change the name for a while, believing that the new name represents the local struggles and significance of the area more accurately.

In a recent ruling, India’s Supreme Court has decided that trial runs for burning toxic waste from the Bhopal Gas Tragedy can go ahead. This decision comes despite worries about health risks to people living nearby and possible pollution of soil and water.

The Supreme Court looked at a report from a group of experts, including members from respected scientific organizations, who are supervising the safe transport and disposal of 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste. This waste comes from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, the site of a deadly gas leak in 1984 that claimed many lives.

Chinmay Mishra, a resident of Indore, was worried about this plan and asked the court to stop it. He believed the local people could be harmed by this operation. However, the court has approved the waste incineration, which will start with trial runs on February 27 and continue with two more on March 4 and March 10, burning 10 metric tonnes at a time.

The judges expressed confidence that the expert committee, which includes the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and others, knows what they are doing. They even pointed out that the Madhya Pradesh government had assured them all necessary safety measures are being followed.

Some residents of Pithampur and local organizations argued against the incineration, claiming that not all locals agreed to it. They even stated that the state misled the court regarding the community’s support.

During the discussions, the judges noted that the opposers seemed to want the waste stored far from their homes, but not in their neighborhoods. A lawyer speaking for an NGO suggested that there might be better ways than burning to handle this toxic waste.

The waste, which has been stored at the old factory site for 40 years, poses risks to the surrounding villages. One village is located just 250 meters away, and concerns were raised about the drinking water supply from the nearby Gambhir River, which serves a large part of Indore.

This controversial incineration plan continues to raise questions about safety and community concerns as the trials move forward.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced a new plan called the ‘gold card’ that will help Indian students studying in America. This plan allows American companies to hire these graduates easily. Right now, many top students from places like India, China, and Japan graduate from famous schools like Harvard and Yale but face uncertainty about getting jobs because their visas can be tricky.

To solve this problem, Trump said that companies can buy a ‘gold card’ for $5 million that will let them hire talented foreign students who studied in the US. This ensures those students can stay and work here. Trump believes these gold cards will be popular among companies looking for smart, hardworking people.

During a meeting, Trump mentioned that having a gold card will help companies recruit the best talent without worrying about immigration issues. He also said that the money from these cards could help pay off national debt.

Trump wants to encourage businesses to hire people and believes this plan will be a win-win: companies get the workers they need, and America can benefit from their talents.

He joked about the idea, saying, “I hope you liked it!” and talked about how the current immigration system hasn’t worked well for companies wanting to hire skilled workers from abroad.

Additionally, Trump mentioned that businesses operating inside the US will not have to pay any extra fees called tariffs, while those outside the country will. He thinks this will motivate companies to invest and create jobs, which will help reduce national debt

Firefighters are working hard to put out a big fire at the Shiv Shakti textile market in Surat, which started on Wednesday morning. The fire has burned down almost half of the shops. Because the building is weak, firefighters can only spray water from outside using special hydraulic platforms.

Officials have closed off the area to keep people safe and have asked everyone to leave. Police are there to manage traffic and security. Chief Fire Officer Basant Kumar Parikh explained that it is very hot inside the building because it stored a lot of materials. They received the first fire alarm around 8 AM. “We’re unsure if the building will hold up. We’re fighting the fire from the outside,” he said, noting that half of the shops in the market are damaged.

Teams are still working to control the flames. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bhagirath Gadhavi reported that the area has been completely sealed off and many police officers are on duty. “Firefighters are busy putting out the fire in the cloth market. We’ve evacuated everyone and closed all shops, even in nearby areas,” DCP Gadhavi stated. The Shiv Shakti market has around 800 shops, and they are all shut down for safety.

A 15-year-old girl has accused her tuition teacher of raping her several times in South Delhi. On Wednesday, the girl and her father went to the police station to report what happened. The police official, Ankit Chauhan, said that the girl claimed the teacher had been giving her classes since 2022 and had hurt her multiple times at the tuition center. She also said that the teacher threatened and blackmailed her to keep quiet. The police have started an investigation and filed a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other laws.