Category: Leaders, on the World Stage – All others

** Proud to contribute to 1 bn vaccinations: Bharat Biotech

Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech on Thursday said it was proud to contribute to India reaching the one billion-mark of Covid vaccinations.

The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said that reaching the one billion-mark in just nine-months is a remarkable achievement for India.

“Bharat Biotech is proud to have contributed to this historic landmark. This is a unified effort of the Government, vaccine manufacturers, healthcare workers and all the vaccinated citizens of India, making it a true success story of Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Asaid Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.

** Large Sri Lankan contingent to attend Kushinagar airport opening

Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, nephew of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, will travel to Uttar Pradesh, along with ministerial colleagues and a group of 100 Buddhist monks to attend the event, according to officials in Colombo.

The airport is expected to provide seamless connectivity to tourists from Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, etc.

Kushinagar is the centre of the Buddhist circuit, which consists of pilgrimage sites at Lumbini, Sarnath and Gaya. Buddhist pilgrims consider Kushinagar a sacred site where, they believe, Gautama Buddha delivered his last sermon and attained ‘Mahaparinirvana’ or salvation.

Uttar Pradesh

** India reiterates demand for finding origin of COVID-19

India’s Raman Gangakhedkar, a renowned epidemiologist and Dr. C.G. Pandit National Chair at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is among 26 members of the Scientific Advisory Group for determining the origins of the virus, according to the WHO.

** How a UK-India project attempts to dramatically improve mental health in a suicide-prone Kerala

A team of scholars and theatre artistes led by UK-based professor of mental health, Dr Raghu Raghavan of the De Montfort University in Leicester, has been trying to spread mental health literacy in Kerala for the past three years.

** Bengaluru-based lawyer is chairman of NYC Bar’s rights panel

Bengaluru-based lawyer Ramya Jawahar Kudekallu has been appointed as the chairperson of the New York City Bar’s International Human Rights Committee.

Ramya’s granduncle was Attorney General of India, while her father Jawahar Kudekallu and her uncle are also advocates

** Indian organisation shares Alternative Nobel with 3 others

Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE), an organisation working to protect the environment in India through the creative use of law and legal processes, was among the winners.

** 49 Canadians of Indian origin in election fray : September 2021

In the last elections in 2019, 20 Indo-Canadians, including 19 Punjabis, were elected as MPs.

Among the 49 Indo-Canadian candidates this time, 16 are from the Conservative Party, 15 from Trudeau’s Liberal Party, 12 from Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and six from the far right-wing People’s Party of Canada.

Three Cabinet ministers Harjit Sajjan, Bardish Chagger and Anita Anand are among the Indo-Canadian candidates.

** American Centre Chennai has special corner dedicated to city historian Muthiah

This comes after the US Consulate General launched its Madras Week celebrations with a virtual tour titled ‘America in Chennai — Sites, Streets, Structures’.

According to Prof. Suresh Sethuraman: “Chennai boasts of several sites, streets, and structures that have strong ‘America’ connections – the St. Mary’s church within Fort St. George where Elihu Yale of Yale University fame got married in 1680, the Ice House on Kamarajar Salai where ice from Massachusetts was stored in the 19th century, the YMCA building opposite the Madras High Court built with financial aid from the US in 1900, to name only a few.

** India assumes UNSC presidency; focus on maritime security, peacekeeping, counterterrorism

India took over the presidency from France. Ambassador of India to United Nations, TS Tirumurti thanked France Permanent Representative to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, for steering the UN Security Council for the month of July.

“Thank you Ambassador @NDeRiviere, PR of France for steering the UN #SecurityCouncil for the month of July. India takes over the Presidency for August,” Tirumurti tweeted.