Ankara, July 6 (IANS) As leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) prepare to meet in Ankara this week, the alliance is seeking to project unity at a time when disagreements over strategic priorities, defence spending, and its long-term purpose have become increasingly difficult to conceal.The summit, set for Tuesday and Wednesday, comes against a backdrop of diverging approaches to the recent US military operation against Iran, continued debate over ambitious defense spending tar…
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Rome, July 5 (IANS) The fire emergency in the France-Spain border region continued on Sunday, as in the Eastern Pyrenees, the vast blaze that broke out in the Trevillach area regained strength, fueled by wind and heat, devastating approximately 1,500 hectares of vegetation, reports said. Over 700 firefighters are engaged in extinguishing operations, while dozens of people have been evacuated. Meanwhile, in Catalonia, the large fire on the Costa Brava, which destroyed over 2,200 hectares, has bee…
New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme has emerged as a key pillar of India’s energy transition and biofuel strategy, which has saved the country’s foreign exchange by reducing crude oil imports, lowered greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthened farmers’ incomes through new market opportunities, according to a government factsheet issued on Sunday.From 2014-15 up to May 2026, the ethanol blending programme has resulted in a saving of over Rs 1.90 lakh crore in forei…
New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Five semiconductor plants are expected to be operational across the country by the end of 2026, according to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.Of the 12 semiconductor projects approved by the central government, three are now in commercial production, with two more set to be inaugurated in the coming months, he said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier launched the country’s first and second semiconductor plants on February 28 and March 31, 2026, respectively.With the …
New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has revised the domestic Indian Athletics Series calendar to provide promising athletes with additional competition opportunities ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.Announcing the revised schedule on Saturday, AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo said the changes were made keeping in mind athletes who narrowly missed qualification for the two major international events.”The Indian Athletics Series…
New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Air India on Friday dismissed reports claiming that 11 of its 26 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft are grounded, describing the assertions as “factually inaccurate” and clarifying that aircraft undergoing scheduled maintenance or upgrades should not be classified as grounded.In a post on X, the Tata Group-owned airline said three Boeing 787-8 aircraft are currently undergoing cabin retrofits as part of its fleet modernisation programme, while four are in scheduled heavy m…
New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Noida-headquartered IT services provider HCL Technologies (HCLTech) on Friday announced that it has signed a deal with a Europe-based Fortune Global 50 company to establish an AI-driven operating model for transforming and managing the client’s global digital workplace and enterprise networks.The agreement — which runs from July to December 2031 with an option to extend it for another five years — has an estimated value of $1.14 billion during the initial term, the IT …
Lisbon, July 2 (IANS) The Portuguese government said on Thursday that a nationwide state of alert will take effect from Friday as extreme heat are expected to last till next Monday. Exceptional emergency measures will also be taken to reduce wildfire risks.Portugal’s Interior Minister Luis Neves made the announcement following a meeting of the Integrated Prevention and Operations Command (CIPO) at the Leiria Fire Brigade, warning of a “very significant deterioration in weather conditions.””For m…
New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Drawing on his experiences with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and South Africa’s SA20, former South Africa cricketer and Rotterdam Dockers co-owner Jonty Rhodes believes the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) can play a transformative role in developing cricket across the continent. Rhodes said the league’s long-term objective should be to expand Europe’s talent pool and strengthen grassroots cricket, rather than merely producing a champion team. He made the remarks af…
New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s tenure has been extended by a year beyond its scheduled end in mid-July, it was announced on Wednesday. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of service for the 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer for a period of one year beyond his original tenure ending on July 14, 2026 — that is, up to July 14, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.The order, issued by the Department of Personne…