26-Nov-2018: Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president
Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election, becoming the first woman to hold the office. With nearly all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had 59% of the vote with rival Grigol Vashadze on 40%.
Ms. Zurabishvili was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, while Mr. Vashadze was a united opposition candidate.
A new constitution is due to come into force, making the role of president largely ceremonial.
Ms. Zurabishvili, 66, was born in Paris after her parents fled Georgia in 1921 following its annexation by Soviet forces. She took up a career in the French foreign service and was posted to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, as ambassador in 2003. She later gave up her post and the then-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, appointed her foreign minister.
It is the last direct election of a Georgian president, as the country is switching to a parliamentary system, following constitutional reforms adopted last year.
Georgia is seeking European Union and Nato membership. But both ambitions are obstructed by Russia's troop presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia - breakaway regions of Georgia.
18-Dec-2018: Issue of commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla at New Delhi.
In drawing the attention of Mahatma Gandhi to the plight of peasants suffering under an oppressive system established by European indigo planters in Champaran, Bihar, Rajkumar Shukla made a seminal contribution culminating in the launch of the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 by Mahatma Gandhi ji.
Department of Posts has been paying a tribute to eminent personalities who have made a significant contribution to public life especially freedom fighters. With this stamp, the Department has released 43 issues in the current calendar year.
22-Nov-2018: President Kovind unveils statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Sydney
On the second day of his three-day visit to Australia, President Ramnath Kovind unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Jubilee Park in the town of Parramatta, which is a bustling suburb of Sydney.
The bronze statue designed by Indian sculptors Ram and Anil Sutar was presented to the Indian President by Andrew Wilson, the Mayor of Parramatta. Also present at the event was Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The unveiling of the statue is part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Father of the Nation, which is being observed in different parts of the world. The life-size statue, which is a gift from the Indian government, is identical to the one presented to the city of Brisbane in Australia in 2014.
President Kovind presented a book titled 'Hind Swaraj' to Australian Prime Minister Morrison and Parramatta's Mayor Wilson. The book was penned by Gandhiji in 1909. In this opus, Gandhiji inscribed his nationalistic views on independence, modern civilisation and mechanisation, among other topics.
Several members of the Indian community also participated, even though the ceremony was in the middle of a working day. As per current estimates, Indians top even the Chinese as the largest number of immigrants to Australia. Parramatta, where the Gandhi statue was unveiled on Thursday, is among the more popular suburbs where Indians choose to live in Sydney, the other being Harris Park, which is often described as Little India.