** MEA’s first directory of diplomats a record of Nehruvian era

Volume is rare to come across and is found only in limited number of libraries and in personal collections

In 1958, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to publish a ‘Statement of Services of Officers of Branches A and B of the Indian Foreign Service’. The responsibility of editing the volume, which contained the biodata of all the diplomats who joined the ministry in the 1940s and the 1950s, fell on KPS Menon Jr. Finally, what emerged was a slim volume of 95 pages containing the details of careers and interesting developments involving many young officials who would shape India’s diplomacy in the subsequent decades. It also shows how Mr. Nehru planned diplomats to be a mix of diverse backgrounds and skills.

** India and EU relaunch FTA talks, sign connectivity partnership

India and EU also launched comprehensive connectivity partnership.

India and the European Union agreed on Saturday to relaunch free trade negotiations by resuming talks that were suspended in 2013 for the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), as Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted virtually from Delhi with EU chiefs Ursula Von der Leyen and Charles Michel along with 27 European leaders gathered in Porto, Portugal on Saturday.  

Leo Vardarkar – Ireland’s Youngest Prime Minister : 2017

Leo Eric Varadkar (aka) Leo de Varad, Irish Politician and Physician became head of the Irish Government and at 38 years of age, youngest Prime Minister to hold office.

  • Served as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister)
  • Leader of the political party ‘Fine Gael’
  • Minister of Defence (2017-2020)
  • Minister of Transport, Tourism & Sport (2011-2014)
  • Minister for Health (2014-2016)
  • Minister for Social Protection (2016-2017)
  • Teachta Dala, Dublin West (2000)
  • Deputy Mayor – Fingal County Council
  • Member – Fingal County Council
  • First Taoiseach of Indian Heritage.
  • First Irish government leader of Indian origin

Education:

  • Graduate – Medicine : School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin

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Irish / Indian-Irish

India elected non-permanent Member of UN Security Council : June 18th, 2020

India was elected with 184 votes out of 193 votes of the General Assembly.

India won unopposed. Other members elected alongside India are Mexico, Ireland, and Norway. One seat still open.

The 2 year tenure starts on January 01st.