Ramallah:  The Palestinian Presidency on Wednesday welcomed the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Palestine on February 10, the first ever prime ministerial visit from India here.

"The Palestinian Presidency welcomes the historic and important visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the city of Ramallah on Saturday, the first of an Indian prime minister to Palestine," Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

"The visit is considered historical, because it will be the first for an Indian Prime Minister to visit Palestine," the report said.

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas will welcome PM Modi at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, where the two will discuss issues of mutual interest and the latest political developments in the region.


"The Presidency said the visit will be a unique chance to express appreciation for India's ongoing support and positions that support peace and Palestinians' right to freedom and independence," the report said.

India has been continuously supporting the Palestinian cause at various international fora. New Delhi voted in the UN General Assembly in December last year against US President Donald Trump's unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"The meeting will also discuss the regional and international situations of common concern, stressing that the visit will also be an opportunity to thank India for its continued support and support for peace and the right of our people to freedom and independence," the report said.

The visit will witness the signing of a number of bilateral agreements between the two countries "aimed at strengthening the bonds of friendship between the Palestinian and Indian peoples and enhancing cooperation in a number of important fields".

PM Modi will visit Ramallah on Saturday on the first leg of his three-nation tour that will also take him to the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

This will be the fourth meeting between PM Modi and President Abbas after their meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in 2015 and in the Paris climate summit later that year and the Palestinian President's visit to India last year.



 

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Mumbai (PTI): Bhavesh Bhinde, an advertising firm’s director, whose company had put up the giant hoarding that collapsed in Mumbai killing 16 people, was brought to the city early on Friday, a police official said.

Bhinde, director of M/s Ego Media Pvt. Ltd., the advertising agency which recently installed the billboard that crashed in suburban Ghatkopar on Monday evening, was apprehended from Udaipur in Rajasthan on Thursday, he said.

Bhinde was then taken to Ahmedabad and from there he was brought to Mumbai by flight, the official said.

The police team along with Bhinde arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport around 5 am and he was taken to a crime branch office, he said.

He will be produced before the court later in the day, he said.

After trailing Bhinde for three days, the city police nabbed him on Thursday from Udaipur, he said.

The 120 feet x 120 feet hoarding collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump in the Chhedanagar area in Ghatkopar during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others.

After the tragedy, a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the IPC was registered at the Pant Nagar Police Station against Bhinde, all directors of the advertising agency Ego Media, its officials and employees, officials had said earlier.