Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held a roadshow in Jaipur, Rajasthan, ahead of India’s 75th Republic Day. Macron, who is on a two-day official visit to India, will be the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations to be held in New Delhi tomorrow. In other news, India on Thursday (Jan 25) slammed claims made by a Pakistani official of India having a role in the recent deaths of Pakistani citizens in the country as “anti-India propaganda”.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held a roadshow in Jaipur, Rajasthan, ahead of India’s 75th Republic Day. During the roadshow, citizens in large numbers gathered on the streets of the pink city to welcome Macron and Modi.
Responding to media questions regarding the Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s remarks, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen media reports regarding certain remarks by Pakistan Foreign Secretary. It is Pakistan’s latest attempt at peddling false and malicious anti-India propaganda. As the world knows, Pakistan has long been the epicentre of terrorism, organised crime, and illegal transnational activities.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners” after all 65 Ukrainian inmates were killed in a deadly plane crash in western Russia. President Zelensky further called for an international inquiry into the crash which took place in the Belgorod region near Ukraine’s border.
A St. Petersburg court has pronounced a 27-year prison sentence for Daria Trepova, the 26-year-old woman found guilty of assassinating ultranationalist pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in April. The incident unfolded during an event at a St. Petersburg café where Tatarsky was speaking.
Prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin was on Thursday (Jan 25) convicted by a Moscow court for inciting extremism and jailed for four years. Girkin, who denied the charges, has strongly condemned President Vladimir Putin for not effectively pursuing the war against Ukraine.
A member of parliament from the ruling People Power Party in South Korea, Bae Hyun-jin, was ‘attacked’ on a street in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Reports indicated that she was struck in the head with an object by an unidentified assailant, resulting in her hospitalisation for injuries and bleeding. The attacker was swiftly arrested at the scene, media reports said.
India’s President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday (Jan 25) addressed the nation on the eve of the country’s 75th Republic Day and hailed the Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya on Monday (Jan 22). Calling the event “landmark” in India’s continued re-discovery of its civilisational heritage, she said, “The construction of the temple commenced after the due judicial process and the decision of the highest court of the land. Now it stands as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in the judicial process.”
The investigators, who were carrying out a search operation at the site where a Russian military transport plane crashed, have found the flight recorders of the plane, as per media reports. The flight recorders were found a day after Moscow held Kyiv guilty of shooting down the aircraft which was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international investigation.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the winners of the annual awards for 2023 as Australian skipper Pat Cummins received the top honour for Cricketer of the Year. Cummins, who led Australia to the ICC ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship (WTC) triumph, saw off challenges from close mates Travis Head and Virat Kohli. However, Virat’s consolation came in the form of ICC ODI Player of the Year where he had a special year, helping India to the runners-up crown in the World Cup held in his own backyard.
Padma Awards have been declared in India on the eve of Republic Day 2024. These are one of the highest civilian awards in India. Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award while the Padma Awards are second in the hierarchy of honours that are conferred on individuals for their exceptional work in various fields. There are three categories of Padma Awards: Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan (in ascending order).
