Author: Agamya Verma

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India stated on Sunday, October 22, 2023, that the reason for the Ministry of External Affairs ( MEA ) to invoke and call for parity in regards to Canadian diplomatic presence in India was due to concerns of “continuous interference” in national affairs by Canadian officials.  “A difficult phase” : Referring to the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar claimed that it was a “difficult phase” for the relationship between the two nations. Earlier, the Canadian government had announced that Ottawa had called back 41 diplomats and…

Responding to Canada’s accusation in regards to breaching the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Ministry of External Affairs ( MEA ) has stated that India has not violated any diplomatic or international norm. Official Statement by the MEA : After the accusations by Canada that India is violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Indian MEA responded by insisting that its actions against Canadian diplomats is entirely in conformity with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The MEA emphasised that its actions abide by and are in conformity with Article 11.1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic…

A resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the Israel – Hamas conflict issued by the United Nations Security Council ( UNSC ) was vetoed by the United States on Wednesday, October 18,2023. The resolution by the Security Council : The resolution by the Security Council called for humanitarian pauses in the Israel – Hamas conflict in order to allow and provide humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip. Notably, in the last couple of days, the draft was delayed twice as the United States tried to arrange and broker aid access to Gaza. The Security Council consists of fifteen…

On Tuesday, October 17,2023, the intelligence chiefs of the Five Eyes Alliance came together to issue a rare joint statement in order to accuse China of intellectual property theft and of using artificial intelligence (A.I.) for the purpose of spying and hacking against the nations. The statement by the Five Eyes’ officials : The Five Eyes is an intelligence sharing network, which consists of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Reportedly, the officials from the Five Eyes – the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia and New Zealand – held meetings with private enterprises and companies…

The United Nations Security Council on Monday, October 16, 2023, rejected a resolution by Russia calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas as the motion draft did not get the minimum number of votes to be passed. The delegates also refused to back the motion as it did not single out Hamas for its unprecedented attack on Israel. The resolution by Russia : A resolution had been proposed by Russia which called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The draft led by Russia received five votes in its favor. The countries supporting the draft included…

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates concluded talks for a bilateral trade deal on Saturday, October 14,2023. The bilateral trade deal, known as a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement ( CEPA ), was finalised on Saturday, as per the information provided by both countries. The CEPA between South Korea and UAE : According to a statement, investment and trade links between the Gulf state of United Arab Emirates and South Korea have been improving regularly. The bilateral non – oil commerce of both countries reached $3 billion in the first six months of the year 2023, – which is actually…

Nadio Calvino, the Chair of the IMF’s steering committee and the Economy Minister of Spain, stated that by the end of this year, there will be a “meaningful increase” in regards to lending resources.  The members of the International Monetary Fund pledged on Saturday, October 14, 2023, that they will complete a review of the funding of quotas by December 15, 2023. The statement issued by the Chair of the IMF’s steering committee : According to a statement issued by the chair of the IMF’s steering committee, Nadio Calvino, the members called for proposals to make differences and changes in…

On Friday, October 13, 2023, Union Minister Anurag Thakur announced that this year,  the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award would be granted to Michael Douglas, an acclaimed Hollywood Actor and Producer. The Union Minister stated that the Hollywood actor will be honored with the prestigious award at the International Film Festival of India in Goa.  The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award : The prestigious honor of the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted at the 30th International Film Festival of India ( IFFI ) in the year 1999. The award is laurelled to individuals who have made significant contributions…

The Indian-born British-American novelist, Salman Rushdie, announced that he will be publishing a memoir of the 2022 stabbing attack on him in New York. The announcement was made by Penguin Random House on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, that the title for Rushdie’s new memoir will be ‘‘Knife : Meditations After an Attempted Murder’’, and that the memoir will be published next year on April 16, 2024. The 2022 stabbing attack on Salman Rushdie :  The renowned novelist, Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in New York last year. He was scheduled to deliver a speech at…

On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake once again rattled the Western Afghanistan province of Herat. This is the second high magnitude tremor in the region of Herat in just a few days. On Saturday, October 7,2023, another 6.3 magnitude quake had struck the area, which reportedly also caused a death toll of over 2,400. Saturday’s tremors : On Saturday, October 7, 2023, a deadly earthquake struck Herat, Afghanistan and its surrounding regions with a magnitude of 6.3. Later, it was stated by the Taliban Administration that the number of casualties had risen to over 2,400 and that…