United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has named Shombi Sharp, a US international development expert, to lead UN operations in India. Sharp will follow Renata Lok-Dessallien as the UN's resident coordinator, according to Guterres' Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq.

"Resident Coordinators manage the work of our UN teams on the ground, including our ongoing support for national Covid-19 response plans, and plans to recover better for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," according to the spokesman, who also represents the Secretary-General. "Thrilled to come today at our new home of Delhi, India!" Shombi Sharp tweeted after arriving in New Delhi on Sunday. On my birthday, no less, I was delighted to hear that it is also the birthday anniv(ersary) of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, which is commemorated as Children's Day.

"To commemorate the occasion, Sarah and I took a sunset stroll in the lovely Lodhi Garden!" Sharp was the UN resident coordinator in Armenia before his appointment to India, having been promoted from the UN Development Programme's (UNDP) resident representative in that country. He began his career in international development in Zimbabwe, where he worked for CARE International, a non-governmental organisation established in the United States.

He served as deputy resident representative in Georgia, deputy country director in Lebanon, and assistant resident representative in Russia while at the UNDP. Lok-Dessallien, a Canadian, sparked outrage in India with her negative remarks, which were deemed "unwarranted" by External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Joe Biden signs bipartisan USD1 trillion infrastructure bill into law

California average gas prices cross new record for second consecutive day

Kandahar: Taliban conducts large-scale operations against ISIS-K