Category: Politics

India’s digital public Infrastructure is secure, scaleable and provides inclusive solutions to challenges globally, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while virtually addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meet held in Bengaluru on August 18.

In his speech, the Prime Minister said that the government has created a digital goods depository, India Stack, on a global platform to overcome the digital divide. He emphasised the way India has leveraged technology to transform governance, making it more efficient, inclusive, faster and transparent than before. The PM underlined the fact that over 850 million Indians are internet users and enjoy some of the cheapest data costs in the world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the event participants to develop a path facilitating a cross-country comparison of digital skills and work in the direction to raise a virtual centre of excellence on digital skilling.

In addition to sharing with the world its digital public infrastructure, India is in the process of building ‘Bhashini,’ an AI-powered language translation platform to support digital inclusion in all the diverse Indian languages. Talking about the future tech possibilities the PM pinned hope that India is likely to build an entire tech-based ecosystem addressing technological solutions and solving the challenges faced currently.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a ‘Ram Katha’ by spiritual preacher Morari Bapu at Cambridge University campus on August 15. The nine-day Ram Katha at Cambridge University ran until August 20.

The leader said that he was at the event not as a Prime Minister, but as a Hindu.  He said that for him, faith was very personal, and it guides him in every aspect of his life and gives him “courage, strength, and resilience” to do the best he can as leader of the country.

He said that he was proud to be British and Hindu, before recalling his childhood in South Hampton where he visited his neighbourhood temple with his siblings. The first Indian-origin prime minister said in his concluding remark that Lord Ram would always be an inspirational figure for him.

The 43-year-old leader shared the special moment when he first lit Diwali diyas outside No. 11 Downing Street as the first British Indian Chancellor in 2020.

Rishi Sunak also participated in an aarti on stage. Morari Bapu presented him with a consecrated Shivlinga from the Somnath temple as a sacred offering from the Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra.

Greeting India on its 77th Independence Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that India has achieved universally acknowledged success in economic, scientific and technical, social and other fields.

In a message of greetings to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Putin said he is confident that the two nations will continue to boost fruitful bilateral cooperation in all areas through joint efforts, as well as constructive partnership in resolving pressing issues on the regional and global agenda.

The Russian leader was joined by other eminent world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ and Bhutanese PM Lotay Tsherin for their greetings, who underlined their special, privileged and strategic partnership with New Delhi as they wished India.

In his message posted on X, French President Emmanuel Macron said that India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always. Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in his message wished India lasting freedom and prosperity.

In his greetings, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese underlined the strength of Australia-Indian communities. He said, whether as students, entrepreneurs, professionals, or building families and communities, “Australia is grateful for all the experiences and ideas you have shared. We are a richer country because you have made Australia your home.”

US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on August 18 agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation. During their meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, the leaders also made their strongest joint condemnation yet of “dangerous and aggressive behavior” by China in the South China Sea.

In a summit statement, the countries committed to consult promptly with each other during crises and coordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting common interests. The allies also agreed to hold military training exercises annually and share real-time information on North Korean missile launches by the end of 2023. The countries promised to hold trilateral summits annually.

The summit at the Maryland presidential retreat was the first standalone meeting between the US and Japan and South Korea. It came due to a rapprochement launched by Yoon and driven by shared perceptions of threats posed by China and North Korea, as well as Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

It was Joe Biden’s first Camp David summit for foreign leaders. The US President said the woodsy venue had long symbolised “the power of new beginnings and new possibilities.” Praising the visiting Asian leaders for their political courage, he said they understood well that the world was “at an inflection point, where we’re called to lead in new ways, to work together, to stand together.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed his participation in the upcoming G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi in September. His visit to India will be part of a three-nation tour, which will also include Indonesia and the Philippines.

During the tour, Albanese will meet regional leaders to discuss global challenges and advance Australia’s economic, security, and climate agenda, said the Australian government in a statement.

The G20 is an intergovernmental association of the largest developing and developed nations on the globe. The upcoming leaders’ summit will be one of the highest-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India. The leaders gathering at the summit will focus on navigating the global economy back to strong, sustainable, and resilient growth.

“It is more important than ever that Australia works closely with international partners, including through multilateral economic forums like the G20, to address shared challenges and opportunities,” said PM Albanese.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, PM Albanese will attend the 3rd Annual ASEAN-Australia Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit. His visit to the Philippines will be the first bilateral visit of an Australian Prime Minister to the country since 2003.

During the No-Confidence Motion debate in Parliament on August 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in jest that stocks of India’s public sector companies are good to invest in, keeping in mind the robust numbers these stocks have delivered.

The Prime Minister cited the examples of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India, two enterprises that were criticised by the Opposition in the past. On LIC’s mega IPO and listing, he said, “They said many things about LIC that the money of the poor will sink but today LIC is getting stronger.”

The Prime Minister added that Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke about HAL, saying that the Opposition had falsely claimed that HAL had been destroyed. “The workers of HAL were instigated that they will lose their jobs. Today, HAL is touching the new heights of success. It has registered its highest ever revenues this year,” he said in Lok Sabha during the No-Confidence Motion speech.

Hirsh Vardhan Singh, a 38-year-old Indian-American engineer, has declared his bid for the White House in the 2024 US Presidential election, becoming the third person of Indian descent after Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy to join the crowded Republican field of candidates for the top post.

Singh, in a three-minute video message on X, called himself a “lifelong Republican” and a staunch “America First” conservative. He highlighted his past efforts in leading the restoration of the conservative wing within the New Jersey Republican Party. In his message, he focused on the urgent need for strong leadership to restore fundamental American values. He also referred to himself as the only pureblood candidate, apparently alluding to his stance on COVID vaccinations.

Singh had previously run in the Republican primaries for several positions, such as governor of New Jersey in 2017 and 2021, a House seat in 2018, and a Senate seat in 2020, but could not secure the Republican Party’s nomination. In his most recent bid for the governorship, he positioned himself as a more conservative alternative, aligning closely with former President Donald Trump. He ultimately finished third in the nomination race, with Jack Ciattarelli emerging as the nominee.

The Republican National Convention will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 15 to 18, 2024, to formally select its nominee for the presidential election.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has approved 1,600 scholarships for undergraduate students in the University of Sharjah (UoS) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) for the academic year 2023-24.

The scholarships include various programmes offered in all four universities. The scholarships were announced by Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, through the “Direct Line” programme, which is broadcast on Sharjah Radio and TV.

Sheikh Dr. Sultan has also approved 305 scholarships for students at the University of Khorfakkan (UoKH). The beneficiaries include 70 students from the city of Kalba, who will be transferred with scholarships to the University of Kalba (UoK), based on study requirements, and 100 scholarships for students at the UoK. The door is still open to receive applications.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the BRICS Summit in the South African capital, Johannesburg on August 22-24. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced to attend the summit virtually.

The forthcoming BRICS summit has become crucial, as other countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates want to join the institution. It is understood that some 25 countries have applied to join BRICS and a decision whether or not to expand the five-nation body will be taken at Johannesburg.

The BRICS group of emerging economies currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

On August 3, Russia said that the BRICS group of countries would be strengthened by adding new members. In a press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the expansion will contribute to the further development and strengthening of this organisation. The statement came after a remark by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that it was “extremely important” for Saudi Arabia to join BRICS, along with Argentina and the UAE, if they wished to.

Strengthening BRICS forms part of Russia’s vision of building a new “multipolar world”. It values ties with developing countries and wants to increase trade with them to neutralise the effect of Western sanctions on its economy.

On his recent visit to India, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi called India, an “indispensable” partner in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific. He added that Japan intends to deepen cooperation with New Delhi in all areas to expand the special strategic and global partnership between the two sides.

Speaking at the India-Japan Forum, convened by Ananta Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on July 27 in New Delhi, Hayashi complimented India’s focus on the Global South. He said the call for upholding the free and rules-based international order may sound like a mere slogan unless there was adequate commitment to address the challenges facing the developing countries.

In his remarks at the event, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar elaborated on Japan’s support to various sectors in India and identified the semiconductor sector as one of the potential areas for cooperation.

In his opening remarks, Hayashi said there has been progress on India-Japan initiatives in new sectors such as cyber and space, adding discussions toward the realisation of “substantial cooperation” in the areas of defence equipment and technology are underway. “The free and open international order based on the rule of law is the key to realising such a world,” he said.

Elaborating on the concept, Mr Hayashi said “free” means each country is free to make decisions based on its own sovereignty and “open” means respect for principles including inclusiveness, openness, and diversity.