Category: India

Gyanesh Kumar, a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1988 Kerala cadre, has been named the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He will take over from Rajiv Kumar, who stepped down on Monday. Currently serving as an Election Commissioner, Kumar is the most senior member of the three-person panel and is set to assume leadership of the Election Commission.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar once again took on the West over what he described as the “double standards” of global democracy at a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference. In front of the Western leaders, including a US Senator, Jaishankar said straight out of the talk that the West treated democracy as a “Western characteristic” and had been busy encouraging “non-democratic forces” in the Global South.

Apart from Jaishankar, the panel comprised Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Elissa Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk.

At least 15 persons were hurt in a stampede-like event at New Delhi Railway Station, causing havoc on platforms 14 and 15.

Passengers were waiting for their trains, including the Prayagraj Express, which was bound for Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh was being held. The train was at platform 14, when a sudden rush of passengers caused mayhem.

Rattled by a specific reference to Pakistan in the India-US Joint Statement issued following the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington, Islamabad expressed surprise at the development on Friday, citing previous counter-terrorism cooperation with the US.

“We consider the Pakistan-specific reference in the Indo-US joint statement of Feb 13 as one-sided, misleading and contrary to diplomatic norms.

At least 12 individuals lost their lives and nearly seven sustained injuries after being struck by a train in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra on Wednesday. Passengers aboard the Pushpak Express, alarmed by rumors of a potential fire, exited the train and were subsequently hit by the Karnataka Express, which was traveling in the opposite direction on an adjacent track.

The Pushpak Express, en route from Lucknow to Mumbai, was approaching Jalgaon when concerns regarding a fire in one of its coaches triggered panic among the passengers.

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan articulated significant apprehensions regarding the proposed tariff increases by newly elected US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Rajan characterized these tariff proposals as a considerable source of uncertainty that could jeopardize global economic stability.