Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took charge of the office for a third term in a row on Monday, gave ministerial portfolios to his council, with several of his party members retaining important ministries in his first coalition government.
There had been speculation that Mr Modi's Bharitya Janata Party may lose such portfolios in the coalition government after it failed to achieve a clear majority at the polls, but the party has retained the most important ministries.
Amit Shah has retained the Ministry of Home Affairs, while Rajnath Singh will remain at the Defence Ministry for a second time as part of the new government.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman will continue as Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Finance respectively.
Nitin Gadkari retained the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Dharmendra Pradhan will continue as Minister of Education, and Bhupendra Yadav remains in charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India.
BJP party president Jagat Prakash Nadda has been assigned to the Ministry of Health, replacing Mansukh Mandaviya, who becomes Minister of Labour and Employment in the cabinet.
Mr Modi, 73, was sworn in as the Prime Minister on Sunday for a third consecutive term after his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won the recently held parliamentary elections to Lok Sabha, the lower house, with 293 seats of the 543 seats.
He first gained power in 2014, when the BJP swept the board. It won with a bigger mandate in 2019. This term begins with him at the head of a coalition government.
On Sunday, he led the swearing-in of 71 members of his council, including seven ministers, but no Muslims. India is home to 210 million Muslims – its largest religious minority.
While the BJP did not win an absolute majority this year, Mr Modi formed the government with regional allies within the NDA, mainly the Telugu Desam Party from southern Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (United) from the eastern state of Bihar.
The TDP won 16 seats, while the JD(U) won 12. The parties, touted as kingmakers, had asked for prominent positions for their leaders in the cabinet.
They have also demanded the position of the Lok Sabha speaker and are still talking to the BJP.
The speaker is a constitutional and ceremonial head of the lower house of the Parliament and the post usually goes to the ruling alliance, while the deputy speaker’s post is by convention held by a member of the opposition.
Mr Modi has appointed Ram Nath Thakur of JD(U) as the junior agriculture and farmers welfare minister, while the TDP's Ram Mohan Naidu has been appointed as Civil Aviation Minister.
The Prime Minister began his third term by signing into law a farmer’s welfare scheme that provides a tranche of a cash payments to 93 million farmers.
Two-thirds of India's 1.4 billion people draw their livelihood from agriculture, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the country's gross domestic product.
Rahul Gandhi, Mr Modi's chief rival, was nominated on Saturday to lead India's opposition in parliament, after he defied pre-election forecasts to help the Congress party nearly double its seats.
No date has been set for the opening of parliament, but Indian media have reported the new session is expected to begin next week, when the speaker will be elected.
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
