India votes in favour of raising Palestine flag at UN

In a move that is set to impart an added traction to the Palestinian cause, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing the Palestine and Vatican flag to be flown in the UN. India was among the 119 countries that voted in favour of the resolution. The issue of raising the flags of the non-member observer states who maintain permanent observer missions at the UN headquarters had been gaining momentum for a while. The US and Israel were among the eight countries that voted against the resolution, while 45 countries, including the UK and EU countries, abstained.

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High expectations from Modi’s UK visit: Focus on smart cities, investments

As the euphoria builds up around India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November trip to the United Kingdom, Britain’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Sajid Javid is in India to firm up the visit for the visit. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the UK in more than a decade. The last visit was by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2001.

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World Hindi Conference kicks off in Bhopal: Modi stresses on the importance of languages

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal on September 10. He spoke about the importance and significance of the language.
Speaking at the event India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the emphasis this time is more on the possibilities of propagating Hindi in various fields rather than on just literary aspects of the language. She said that this time conference is different from the previously held summits involving literature and litterateurs.

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West calling: Bengal’s Baul singers reach foreign shores

Bauls, the singing minstrels from India’s state of West Bengal, are now looking West. In a globalising world, it’s hard to say no to new opportunities, even for the tradition-bound Bauls.

Mimlu and Paban Das Baul, a couple living in France for the last three decades, write and make Baul music. “Paban is a big hit. His music is on local FM radio in France and people consider him a big star. In India this is his first album (Notun Sopon – The Sugar Mule Project) being produced,” says Mimlu.

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