PM Modi And US President Joe Biden To Hold A Virtual Meeting To Discuss The Entire Gamut Of The Relationship

HT Daily News Wrap

PM Modi & President Biden to hold a virtual meeting to discuss the entire gamut of the relationship, developments in the Indo-Pacific as well as the crisis in Ukraine, six injuries in a conflict over non-veg food in the JNU's hostel mess, Covid-19 not over, don’t lower guard says PM Modi and other top news in this bulletin.
Good morning! Here are the top stories in your morning news bulletin. Ahead of a crucial 2+2 meeting between India and the US on Monday, in a departure from the norm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden will hold a virtual meeting to discuss the entire gamut of the relationship, developments in the Indo-Pacific as well as the crisis in Ukraine, officials said on Sunday. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar landed in Washington on Sunday to participate in the 2+2 dialogue with their counterparts, secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin and secretary of state Antony J Blinken — this is the first dialogue under the format since the Biden administration took office and the fourth 2+2 dialogue since the inception of the format. At least six students suffered injuries at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi after two groups from different outfits clashed over a hostel mess serving non-vegetarian food on the occasion of Ram Navmi on Sunday, according to the police and accounts by students from the two sides who also shared photos on social media. Chicken is served at the mess on Sundays for non-vegetarian students and paneer is on the menu for vegetarians. The World Bank issued dire forecasts for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion impacts both the country and its neighbors, warning in a report released Sunday of an even bleaker economic outlook if the conflict drags on. Ukraine’s economy will collapse by 45.1 percent this year, the bank predicted, far worse than the 10 percent to 35 percent downturn the IMF projected last month. People must not let their guard down against Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged on Sunday, because the virus is constantly changing forms and may keep resurfacing if proper precautions are not taken. “Corona was a big crisis, and we are not saying that the crisis is over. It may have taken a pause, but we never know when it will resurface,” Modi said in a virtual address to mark the 14th foundation day of the Maa Umiya Dham, a temple, in Gujarat’s Junagadh district. Actor Amitabh Bachchan is in Delhi these days and decided to meet up with someone special. Amitabh, on Sunday, shared some hugs with his co-star from the 1998 film Major Saab, Nafisa Ali Sodhi. The two played a married couple in the movie, which also starred Ajay Devgn.  Sharing pictures with Amitabh, Nafisa captioned them, “My very handsome, amazing man, beautiful energy and adorable co-star Amitabh Bachchan of the film Uunchai directed by Sooraj Barjatya, presently is currently being shot in Delhi.” She shared a throwback picture of them from Major Saab too and wrote, “Major Saab was shot 24 years ago and was directed by Tinnu Anand … how time flies.” The ICC board on Sunday convinced its chairman Gregor Barclay to complete his term till end of October before the global body starts its nomination process to find a new chairman where the Indian cricket board could play a massive role. In another significant development, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja’s proposal for a four-nation tournament has been unanimously rejected by the board, putting an end to speculations of multiple India versus Pakistan matches on neural venues.