The Evening Wrap: PM Modi conferred Egypt's 'Order of the Nile' award

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on June 25, conferred the country’s highest state honour “Order of the Nile” award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Instituted in 1915, the ‘Order of the Nile’ is conferred upon Heads of states, Crown Princes, and Vice-Presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services. The ‘Order of the Nile’ is a pure gold collar consisting of three-square gold units comprising Pharaonic symbols. Modi also held talks with President El-Sisi on the day and discussed ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries with a focus on improving trade and investments, energy ties and people-to-people connections. The two countries elevated their relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. Earlier in the day, Modi visited Egypt’s historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. He also visited the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cairo and paid homage to over 4,300 valiant Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Egypt and Aden during World War I. He also took a tour of pyramids at Giza. On June 24, Modi met with the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, and discussed issues related to promoting social harmony and countering extremism and radicalisation. The Prime Minister left for India after concluding his state visits to the U.S. and Egypt. MoD rejects ‘speculative reports’ on pricing, terms of MQ-9B drone deal with U.S. Rejecting “speculative reports” on social media with regard to the price and other terms of purchase of the 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from the U.S., the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on June 25 said the estimated cost provided by the U.S. Government is $3.072 billion but the price and other terms and conditions of the purchase are “yet to be finalised”. The MoD will “compare the acquisition cost with the best price offered” by General Atomics to other countries, it said. The Defence Acquisition Council accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) on June 15 for the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B — 16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian — UAVs for the three services through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route. The AoN included the number of UAVs to be procured along with associated equipment. Detailing the process to be followed, the Ministry said that under the FMS route, a Letter of Request (LOR) would be sent to the U.S. Government where tri-services requirements, details of equipment and terms of the procurement would be included. In this regard, referring to the “speculative reports” on social media with respect to the price and other terms of purchase, the Ministry said these are “uncalled for, have ulterior motives and aimed at derailing the due acquisition process”. Manipur CM Biren Singh meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 25. “Under Amit Shah Ji’s close supervision, the State and Central Govt have been able to control the violence to a great extent in the past week. It may be noted that there has been no report of casualties due to the violence since the 13th of June,” Singh tweeted after the meeting. The meeting followed an all party meeting on June 24 where members of the Opposition party demanded Singh’s removal. At least 131 people have been killed in the ethnic violence that erupted in the State on May 3. On June 24, Amit Shah told the all-party delegation that imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur was not an option and the situation was soon returning to normal, several members who attended the meeting told The Hindu. Shah also had said 1,800 looted weapons had been returned and 36,000 Central forces personnel deployed in the State. Gauhati High Court stays Wrestling Federation of India elections The Gauhati High Court on June 25 stayed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections, scheduled for July 11, on a petition filed by the Assam Wrestling Association. Assam Wrestling Association, in its petition filed against the WFI, IOA ad-hoc body and the Sports Ministry, said that though it was entitled to be an affiliated member of the WFI, it was not granted one despite recommendation made by the then WFI Executive Committee at WFI’s General Council in Gonda, on November 15, 2014. The ad-hoc panel has fixed June 25 as the last date for receiving the names for the electoral college while the while the elections to elect the new governing body would be held on July 11. The petitioner contended that unless their body is affiliated with the WFI, and they can nominate their representative to the electoral college, the election process should be stalled. The court directed the respondents, WFI ad-hoc body and the Sports Ministry, that till the next date is fixed for hearing they should not proceed with the elections of the Executive Committee of the WFI. The court fixed July 17 as the next date for hearing. One dead, over 35 injured after ammonia gas leaked in dairy factory in Bihar’s Hajipur One person died and more than 35 people were injured after an ammonia gas cylinder leaked at a dairy factory in Bihar’s Hajipur of Vaishali district. The incident happened on June 24 night and a stampede-like situation occurred due to which many people were injured and hospitalised. The person who died was identified as a labourer of the Raj Fresh Dairy where the incident occured. However, the cause of gas leak has not been determined yet. Priliminary investigation suggested that the incident happened due to negligence from the factory side. According to an eye witness, the ammonia gas leaked from the milk factory dissolved in the air and spread for about four kilometers due to which people started having difficulty in breathing. The gas had spread from Rajput Colony to Paswan Chowk and Nagar police station as well. The district administration claimed that the leak was controlled within 15 to 20 minutes. A team of fire brigade had also reached the spot along with the Quick Response Team from Patna. Civil surgeon Dr. Shyam Nandan Prasad said that a team of doctors were deployed at Sadar Hospital and all the people admitted in the hospital were treated; however, one died. Pakistan court acquits former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 37-year-old ‘bribe’ case A Pakistani accountability court has acquitted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a 37-year-old case alleging that he transferred a “precious state land” here in the capital of Punjab province to one of the country’s leading media barons as a “bribe”. The ruling came days after the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, made crucial amendments to laws to lift the life-long ban on politicians. The 73-year-old three-time former Prime Minister’s acquittal may allow him to contest and lead PML-N in the next general election scheduled later this year. Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court. In 2018, he became ineligible to hold public office for life after a Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case. The former Prime Minister’s lawyer contended that the National Accountability Bureau, the country’s anti-graft body, had malicious intentions while filing the case against his client, who had no involvement in plot allotment. The PML-N says its supreme leader will return to Pakistan once the date of the general elections is announced. Elections in the country are due in October as the tenure of the incumbent government ends on August 13. In brief In a major collision, eight wagons of a goods train overturned after it derailed and collided with a maintenance train at Ondagram railway station in Bankura district of West Bengal on June 25. Around 4 a.m. on June 25, a goods train overshot the red signal and hit a stationary maintenance train. While the train lines remained closed for nearly four hours after the accident, the services were restored by 7.45 a.m. A locopilot, assistant locopilot and two chief loco inspectors have been suspended, a spokesperson of Southeastern Railways said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 25 June 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Egyptian President El-Sisi confers PM Narendra Modi with ‘Order of the Nile’ award [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on June 25, conferred the country’s highest state honour “Order of the Nile” award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi](. Instituted in 1915, the ‘Order of the Nile’ is conferred upon Heads of states, Crown Princes, and Vice-Presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services. The ‘Order of the Nile’ is a pure gold collar consisting of three-square gold units comprising Pharaonic symbols. Modi also held talks with President El-Sisi on the day and discussed ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries with a focus on improving trade and investments, energy ties and people-to-people connections. The two countries elevated their relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. Earlier in the day, Modi visited Egypt’s historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. He also visited the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cairo and paid homage to over 4,300 valiant Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Egypt and Aden during World War I. He also took a tour of pyramids at Giza. [On June 24, Modi met with the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam]( and discussed issues related to promoting social harmony and countering extremism and radicalisation. [The Prime Minister left for India after concluding his state visits to the U.S. and Egypt.]( MoD rejects ‘speculative reports’ on pricing, terms of MQ-9B drone deal with U.S. Rejecting “speculative reports” on social media with regard to the price and other terms of purchase of the 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from the U.S., the [Ministry of Defence (MoD) on June 25 said the estimated cost provided by the U.S. Government is $3.072 billion but the price and other terms and conditions of the purchase are “yet to be finalised”](. The MoD will “compare the acquisition cost with the best price offered” by General Atomics to other countries, it said. The Defence Acquisition Council accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) on June 15 for the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B — 16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian — UAVs for the three services through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route. The AoN included the number of UAVs to be procured along with associated equipment. Detailing the process to be followed, the Ministry said that under the FMS route, a Letter of Request (LOR) would be sent to the U.S. Government where tri-services requirements, details of equipment and terms of the procurement would be included. In this regard, referring to the “speculative reports” on social media with respect to the price and other terms of purchase, the Ministry said these are “uncalled for, have ulterior motives and aimed at derailing the due acquisition process”. Manipur CM Biren Singh meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah [Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah]( in New Delhi on June 25. “Under Amit Shah Ji’s close supervision, the State and Central Govt have been able to control the violence to a great extent in the past week. It may be noted that there has been no report of casualties due to the violence since the 13th of June,” Singh tweeted after the meeting. The meeting followed an all party meeting on June 24 where members of the Opposition party demanded Singh’s removal. At least 131 people have been killed in the ethnic violence that erupted in the State on May 3. On June 24, Amit Shah told the all-party delegation that imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur was not an option and the situation was soon returning to normal, several members who attended the meeting told The Hindu. Shah also had said 1,800 looted weapons had been returned and 36,000 Central forces personnel deployed in the State. Gauhati High Court stays Wrestling Federation of India elections [The Gauhati High Court on June 25 stayed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections, scheduled for July 11, on a petition filed by the Assam Wrestling Association](. Assam Wrestling Association, in its petition filed against the WFI, IOA ad-hoc body and the Sports Ministry, said that though it was entitled to be an affiliated member of the WFI, it was not granted one despite recommendation made by the then WFI Executive Committee at WFI’s General Council in Gonda, on November 15, 2014. The ad-hoc panel has fixed June 25 as the last date for receiving the names for the electoral college while the while the elections to elect the new governing body would be held on July 11. The petitioner contended that unless their body is affiliated with the WFI, and they can nominate their representative to the electoral college, the election process should be stalled. The court directed the respondents, WFI ad-hoc body and the Sports Ministry, that till the next date is fixed for hearing they should not proceed with the elections of the Executive Committee of the WFI. The court fixed July 17 as the next date for hearing. One dead, over 35 injured after ammonia gas leaked in dairy factory in Bihar’s Hajipur [One person died and more than 35 people were injured after an ammonia gas cylinder leaked at a dairy factory in Bihar’s Hajipur of Vaishali district](. The incident happened on June 24 night and a stampede-like situation occurred due to which many people were injured and hospitalised. The person who died was identified as a labourer of the Raj Fresh Dairy where the incident occured. However, the cause of gas leak has not been determined yet. Priliminary investigation suggested that the incident happened due to negligence from the factory side. According to an eye witness, the ammonia gas leaked from the milk factory dissolved in the air and spread for about four kilometers due to which people started having difficulty in breathing. The gas had spread from Rajput Colony to Paswan Chowk and Nagar police station as well. The district administration claimed that the leak was controlled within 15 to 20 minutes. A team of fire brigade had also reached the spot along with the Quick Response Team from Patna. Civil surgeon Dr. Shyam Nandan Prasad said that a team of doctors were deployed at Sadar Hospital and all the people admitted in the hospital were treated; however, one died. Pakistan court acquits former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 37-year-old ‘bribe’ case [A Pakistani accountability court has acquitted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a 37-year-old case]( alleging that he transferred a “precious state land” here in the capital of Punjab province to one of the country’s leading media barons as a “bribe”. The ruling came days after the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, made crucial amendments to laws to lift the life-long ban on politicians. The 73-year-old three-time former Prime Minister’s acquittal may allow him to contest and lead PML-N in the next general election scheduled later this year. Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court. In 2018, he became ineligible to hold public office for life after a Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case. The former Prime Minister’s lawyer contended that the National Accountability Bureau, the country’s anti-graft body, had malicious intentions while filing the case against his client, who had no involvement in plot allotment. The PML-N says its supreme leader will return to Pakistan once the date of the general elections is announced. Elections in the country are due in October as the tenure of the incumbent government ends on August 13. In brief [In a major collision, eight wagons of a goods train overturned after it derailed and collided with a maintenance train at Ondagram railway station in Bankura district of West Bengal on June 25](. Around 4 a.m. on June 25, a goods train overshot the red signal and hit a stationary maintenance train. While the train lines remained closed for nearly four hours after the accident, the services were restored by 7.45 a.m. A locopilot, assistant locopilot and two chief loco inspectors have been suspended, a spokesperson of Southeastern Railways said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[Sister Cyril, pioneer in school education, passes away] Sister Cyril, pioneer in school education, passes away]( [[Foreign medical graduates urge Health Ministry for action on permanent work or further studies registration] Foreign medical graduates urge Health Ministry for action on permanent work or further studies registration]( [[Talking Politics with Nistula Hebbar | Open Market Sales Scheme | Now, Centre vs. State on foodgrains] Talking Politics with Nistula Hebbar | Open Market Sales Scheme | Now, Centre vs. State on foodgrains]( [[Wagner group mutiny exposes chinks in Putin’s armoured regime] Wagner group mutiny exposes chinks in Putin’s armoured regime]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](