Sushma Swaraj's Syria visit postponed
New Delhi, Sep 8: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Syria, scheduled for next week, has been postponed, a senior official said on Saturday.
"EAM's visit to Syria has been deferred due to the prevailing situation in that country," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to a query.
"Fresh dates will be decided in mutual consultation with the Syrian side," Kumar said.
This would have been the first high-level visit from India to Syria since civil war broke out in that West Asia nation in 2011.
Sushma Swaraj was supposed to lead a delegation to hold a joint commission meeting with the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moualem.
Media reports earlier quoted Syrian Ambassador to India Riad Abbas as saying that the visit would have taken place around September 14.
India has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against the Islamic State terrorist organisation.
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Himachal: Three killed, two injured as speeding car dashes against parked truck
Mandi (HP) (PTI): Three people were killed and two others sustained grievous injuries after a speeding car dashed against a stationary truck at Dadour near Nerchowk in Mandi district on Monday late at night, police said on Tuesday.
There were five people in the car when the tragedy struck. Three were declared dead in the hospital while two have been referred to AIIMS Bilaspur.
The deceased were identified as Anil Kumar (28), Rohit Kumar (26) and Subash Kumar (23), all residents of Mandi district, while the injured are Harish and Pankaj.
A case has been registered under relevant sections and investigations are underway, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Mandi Vinod Kumar.
He added that the bodies have been handed over to the family members of the deceased.
In a statement, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the loss of three lives in a road accident. He directed the district administration to ensure best possible treatment for the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
