Rajiv Kumar has stepped down from the post of vice-chairperson (V-C) of central government think-tank Niti Aayog after a tenure of close to five years. The government has announced that it has accepted Dr Rajiv Kumar’s resignation and will relieve him from the post of the Vice-Chairperson, NITI Aayog from 30 April 2022.

Kumar has been replaced, in the interim, by Suman Bery. Kumar took over the vice-chairmanship in September 2017 after the resignation of Arvind Panagariya. Kumar is an economist with stints in various government and non-government institutions.

He had held the post of principal economist of the Asian Development Bank; economic advisor in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance; chief economist, Confederation of India Industries; Senior Fellow, Centre of Policy Research, Delhi, among others. He has also served on the board of several companies as an independent director. Bery will take over as vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog from May 1  until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as were applicable to the previous V-Cs.

India has suspended tourist visas issued to Chinese nationals, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a circular for its members.

It further reads that the nationals of Bhutan, India, Maldives and Nepal, passengers with a residence permit issued by India, passengers with visas or e-visa issued by India are allowed to enter India.

According to the circular, passengers with an overseas citizen of India card or booklet like those who have a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card and those with a diplomatic passport are also allowed to enter India.

The IATA also said that tourist visas with a validity of 10 years are no longer valid.

The IATA is a global airlines body with around 290 members that comprise more than 80 per cent of global air traffic.

India has been raising with China the problems of Indian students studying in China who have not been allowed to return to that country citing COVID-19 restrictions.

After talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hoped that China will take a non-discriminatory approach to the issue since it involves the future of many young people.

These students had to leave their studies in China and come to India when the Covid-19 pandemic began at the beginning of 2020. 

Visiting Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on April 22 met with Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Varanasi  and discussed investment and business opportunities in the state.

The aspect of connecting Bhojpuri-speaking people of Mauritius to the tourist centres of Uttar Pradesh and also expanding the export of GI-tagged (geographical indication) and other products here was also discussed in the meeting.

Adityanath felicitated Jugnauth with an 'angavastram' prepared by Kashi artisans.

A grand wooden model of the Ram temple was also gifted to him before Jugnauth left for the airport, concluding his visit to Varanasi.

The Mauritian prime minister, along with his wife Kobita Jugnauth, visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple on April 21 evening.

During the visit, they took a round of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

Pravind Jugnauth's ancestors were from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh.

On April 22 morning, he had immersed the ashes of his father, former Mauritius prime minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth, in the Ganges amid the chanting of Vedic mantras.

In the backdrop of the rapid geopolitical turmoil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on April 22  agreed on a new and expanded India-UK defence partnership and vowed to seal an ambitious free trade agreement by the end of the year.

After his wide-ranging talks with Modi on the second and final day of his India visit, Johnson said the UK is creating an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) for India to "reduce bureaucracy and slashing delivery times" for defence procurement.

The British prime minister said both sides agreed to work together to meet new threats across land, sea, air space and cyber domains and that the UK will partner with India on new fighter jet technology as well as in the maritime sphere to detect and respond to threats in the oceans.

Referring to the free trade agreement (FTA), Johnson said he wanted negotiators from both sides to close the deal before Diwali in October.

On the Ukraine crisis, Modi stressed on an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the problem through dialogue and diplomacy.

Talking about the Indo-Pacific, Modi emphasised on maintaining a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the region and noted that India welcomed the UK's decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

Johnson described the talks as wonderful and said the partnership between the UK and India is one of the "defining friendships of our time".

Noting that "threats of autocratic coercion" are growing, the British prime minister said it is vital that both India and the UK further deepen their cooperation.

In the talks, the two prime ministers also discussed new cooperation on clean and renewable energy.

Johnson said it was aimed at supporting India's energy transition from imported oil and increasing its resilience through secure and sustainable energy.

The two sides also launched a virtual Hydrogen Science and Innovation hub to accelerate affordable green hydrogen and unveiled plans in sync with the Green Grids Initiative announced at COP26.

Johnson visited Gujarat before arriving in New Delhi.

The British prime minister said he received an amazing reception in Gujarat and felt like he was Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar.

The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Modi and Johnson in May last year.

At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year-roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections among others.

AP Abdullahkutty has been elected as the chairperson of the Haj Committee of India, while for the first time, two women have been chosen as its vice chairpersons, the government said on April 22

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi congratulated the new office-bearers and expressed happiness about the election of two women - Munnawari Begum and Mafuja Khatun - as vice chairpersons.

Abdullahkutty in the national vice president of the BJP and a former Member of Parliament.

While Munnawari Begum is a member of the Central Waqf Council, Mafuja Khatun is the vice president of the Bengal unit of the BJP.

Former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has died at the age of 90.

Kibaki's death was announced  on April 22 by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said his passing was a sad day for the country and praised his predecessor as a great Kenyan.

Kibaki served two terms as president of the East African country, ruling from 2002 to 2013. His reelection to a second term in 2007 put a dent in his long career as his victory was disputed by his opponent, Raila Odinga.

Thousands of people were killed in months of tribal violence before an agreement was reached with the help of outsiders.

French prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for disgraced auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan in 2019 for Lebanon in a gripping escape.

Nanterre prosecutors' office in France said on April 22  that the arrest warrant for the former head of Nissan and Renault is among five issued by them.

The Ghosn warrant is based on an investigation opened in 2019 into money laundering and abuse of company assets reportedly over millions in alleged suspect payments made between the Renault-Nissan alliance and Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA), a vehicle distributor company in Oman owned by billionaire Suhail Bahwan.

The Nanterre prosecutors' office described this as the next step in a two-year investigation, one of two separate cases involving Ghosn in France focusing on payments made to SBA.

The former head of the Nissan-Renault alliance fled to Lebanon in late 2019, while out on bail facing financial misconduct charges in Japan. In an interview last year with The Associated Press, Ghosn was confident, energised and determined to fight to restore his reputation.

Ghosn has citizenship in Lebanon, France and Brazil.

In an "unstinted and multi-faceted support" to Sri Lanka which is grappling with its worst-ever economic crisis, India has extended the duration of the USD 400 million currency swap facility which had been concluded with the island nation in January.

This was the first extension of an international debt instrument to Sri Lanka after the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on April 12 temporarily suspended debt servicing.

The embattled government had announced an orderly default until the country came to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a possible bailout package.

However, the debt service suspension was not applicable to currency swap arrangements with other central banks.

The debt default came as the island nation was grappling with its worst-ever economic crisis compounded by forex shortages and a balance of payments crisis. Sri Lanka had also drawn on Indian credit lines worth USD 1 billion for essential imports and separate ones for the importation of fuel.

The island nation's central bank started borrowing from other central banks and the market through swaps as reserves were lost due to money printed to keep rates down.

Sri Lanka's economists have printed money under various pretexts, the delayed market rate rises through various monetary instruments, and triggered currency crises for 72 years and blamed them on budget deficits and imports.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed the currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework 2019-22.

Under the agreement, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka can make withdrawals of US Dollar, Euro or Indian Rupee in multiple tranches up to a maximum of USD 400 million or its equivalent.

Sri Lanka's economic crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices. The country is witnessing large-scale protests against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy - the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history.

Protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government has intensified as shortages continued and prices soared.

Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.