Beijing's position softens ahead of Modi visit
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Beijing later this year, China on Thursday softened its stand on India's demand for membership to the United Nations Security Council. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the country had no problem with India becoming a member of the Council, but expressed reservations about Japan being included. Relations between India and China have improved in recent years, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting India last year, and Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj visiting China early in February.
Ceasefire in Ukraine from Sunday
A ceasefire agreement for the conflict-ridden zone of Eastern Ukraine, due to begin on Sunday, was reached after peace talks between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. The agreement, which will also see heavy weapons being pulled back from the conflict zone, has come after a 10-month separatist rebellion that has seen over 5,000 people being killed. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on both Ukrainian and separatist forces to end bloodshed, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the agreement was cause for "great hope". The US, meanwhile, has called on Russia to end its support for the separatist rebels.
SIT set up to re-investigate 1984 anti-Sikh riots set up
The Central Government on Thursday set up a Special Investigation Team to re-investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases in Delhi and other states. The SIT, which is expected to submit its report to the Home Ministry in six months, was set up after the recommendation of a committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge GP Mathur. The riots, which took place after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saw 3,325 people killed, out of which Delhi alone accounted for 2,733 deaths.
Supreme Court stays Setalvad's arrest
Hours after their anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Gujarat High Court, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the arrest of Teesta Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and three other office bearers of the Gulberg Society Museum Trust. The five were accused of embezzling funds raised to build a museum to riot victims in Ahmedabad's Gulberg Society, where 69 people were killed during the Gujarat riots of 2002. Setalvad and her husband rejected the charges put forward by the Gujarat Police, saying that they had provided all documents to support their case. The court will make its final decision on their plea on Friday.
Shashi Tharoor questioned twice in one day
Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor was questioned twice on Thursday in connection with the alleged murder of his wife, Sunanda Pushkar. The first session of questioning lasted over four-and-a-half-hours, with the second round taking place for an hour-and-a-half, ending at midnight. According to reports, officials of the Economic Offences Wing were also present during the questioning, leading to speculation that the investigation was also looking into the Indian Premier League controversy involving the Kochi Tuskers team in which Pushkar had sweat equity. Twenty people have been questioned so far, including politician Amar Singh and Pushkar's son Shiv Menon. Pushkar was found dead in a hotel suite on January 17 last year.
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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Beijing later this year, China on Thursday softened its stand on India's demand for membership to the United Nations Security Council. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the country had no problem with India becoming a member of the Council, but expressed reservations about Japan being included. Relations between India and China have improved in recent years, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting India last year, and Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj visiting China early in February.
Ceasefire in Ukraine from Sunday
A ceasefire agreement for the conflict-ridden zone of Eastern Ukraine, due to begin on Sunday, was reached after peace talks between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. The agreement, which will also see heavy weapons being pulled back from the conflict zone, has come after a 10-month separatist rebellion that has seen over 5,000 people being killed. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on both Ukrainian and separatist forces to end bloodshed, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the agreement was cause for "great hope". The US, meanwhile, has called on Russia to end its support for the separatist rebels.
SIT set up to re-investigate 1984 anti-Sikh riots set up
The Central Government on Thursday set up a Special Investigation Team to re-investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases in Delhi and other states. The SIT, which is expected to submit its report to the Home Ministry in six months, was set up after the recommendation of a committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge GP Mathur. The riots, which took place after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saw 3,325 people killed, out of which Delhi alone accounted for 2,733 deaths.
Supreme Court stays Setalvad's arrest
Hours after their anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Gujarat High Court, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the arrest of Teesta Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and three other office bearers of the Gulberg Society Museum Trust. The five were accused of embezzling funds raised to build a museum to riot victims in Ahmedabad's Gulberg Society, where 69 people were killed during the Gujarat riots of 2002. Setalvad and her husband rejected the charges put forward by the Gujarat Police, saying that they had provided all documents to support their case. The court will make its final decision on their plea on Friday.
Shashi Tharoor questioned twice in one day
Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor was questioned twice on Thursday in connection with the alleged murder of his wife, Sunanda Pushkar. The first session of questioning lasted over four-and-a-half-hours, with the second round taking place for an hour-and-a-half, ending at midnight. According to reports, officials of the Economic Offences Wing were also present during the questioning, leading to speculation that the investigation was also looking into the Indian Premier League controversy involving the Kochi Tuskers team in which Pushkar had sweat equity. Twenty people have been questioned so far, including politician Amar Singh and Pushkar's son Shiv Menon. Pushkar was found dead in a hotel suite on January 17 last year.