UN postal agency issues special Diwali stamp
United Nations, Nov 7: India on Wednesday thanked the UN Postal Administration for issuing special postal stamps to commemorate Diwali, the Indian festival of lights.
The United Nations Postal Administration issued a special event sheet on October 19 to commemorate the festival of Diwali.
"The struggle between Good & Evil happens everyday @UN. Thank you @UNStamps for portraying our common quest for the triumph of Good over Evil in your 1st set of Diwali stamps on the occasion of the auspicious Festival of Lights," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.
The sheet in the denomination of USD 1.15 contains ten stamps and tabs featuring festive lights and the symbolic lamps known as diyas.
The background of the sheet features the United Nations Headquarters building illuminated with the message of "Happy Diwali" to celebrate the spirit of the festival.
"Diwali, also known as Deepawali is the joyous and popular festival of lights, which is celebrated in India and by followers of many faiths across the world," the UN agency had said in its description accompanying information about the stamps.
During the celebration clay lamps known as diyas are lit to signify the victory of good over evil. The festival also symbolises the start of a New year for many communities, it said.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) had in October 2016 launched a commemorative stamp in honour of the festival of Diwali.
The USPS Diwali stamp became a reality after seven-years long efforts and advocacy by the Indian-American community and several Congressional resolutions by influential American lawmakers such as Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.
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Middle East latest: Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon begins
Jerusalem (AP): A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah began early Wednesday morning, after Beirut residents endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began.
Many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold. Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement, which was announced Tuesday.
At least 42 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens in the country's north.
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire marks the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after Hamas' attack. The fighting in Lebanon escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across the country and an Israeli ground invasion of the south.
In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 1,04,000 wounded in the nearly 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
