Category: Politics

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a free stopover visa for visitors to stay in the Kingdom for up to four days.

The transit visa for stopovers came into effect on January 30. The new Saudi visa is free and will be valid for three months.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the digital transit visa for stopover to facilitate the arrival in the Kingdom for all purposes, and the procedures for obtaining and automating an entry visa. It allows those in transit who wish to enter the Kingdom to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque, in addition to roaming and attending tourism events.

When purchasing tickets to visit the Kingdom via Saudi Airlines, Flynas passengers will be automatically passed to the unified national visa platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When the request is processed, it will be automatically approved and emailed to the passenger.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the visa to boost tourism, as part of the Vision 2030 strategy. The Kingdom aims to attract investments worth 220 billion Saudi Riyals in the tourism sector by 2023, and 500 billion Saudi Riyals by 2030, according to previous statements by the Minister of Tourism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the world’s most popular leader for the second time in a row, says a finding by a US-based global leader approval tracker, Morning Consult. With the approval rating of 78 per cent of India’s adult population, PM Narendra Modi is the “most apt” leader for the title, it said.

The research firm surveyed 22 leaders from across the globe and found Narendra Modi the most outstanding. He was followed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador with 68 per cent and Swiss President Alain Berset at the third position with 62 per cent.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden received an approval rating of 40 per cent each. They secured seventh and ninth positions, respectively, whereas UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak got the 13th spot with an approval rating of 30 per cent.

PM Narendra Modi’s rating was highest on May 2, 2020, at 84 per cent, and was lowest on May 7, 2021, at 63 per cent, when India was dealing with the peak of the second wave of COVID-19.

Approval ratings are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with sample sizes varying from one country to another. The data collected in the latest approval ratings by Morning Consult is between the 26th and 31st of January this year.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Consulate General of India in Dubai on January 31.

Sheikh Nahyan hailed the ethos and principles of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as the Father of the Nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi, while unveiling the bust. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir and Consul General of India in Dubai Dr Aman Puri joined the UAE minister in offering floral tribute at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi.

Sheikh Nahyan said the occasion recognised Mahatma Gandhi’s call to rely on non-violence and to be agents of peaceful change. He also took the opportunity to recollect the similarities between the principles of peaceful coexistence, tolerance and diversity held high by Mahatma Gandhi and founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

“When our late founder, Sheikh Zayed founded the UAE in 1971 and began leading us into a global society, he made our country into a nation where all people can exercise their talents, pursue their ambitions and fulfill their potential in a peaceful and just environment. In fact, Gandhi’s thoughts about leading diverse populations remind me of Sheikh Zayed’s conviction about the establishment of a culture of tolerance, compassion and dialogue in the UAE.”

In her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament as the Budget session began, President of India Droupadi Murmu noted that the government has been working to empower the poor and eradicate poverty. She described the government as “decisive,” where no policy paralysis slows decision-making. She added that the Amrit Kaal, i.e., 25 years towards the centenary of India’s independence is around the corner when India would see “no poverty and a happy and satisfied middle class”. She said that the period is the time to build an India, which is ‘aatmanirbhar’ (self reliant) and also fulfils its humanitarian obligations.

The government’s Ayushman Bharat and Jan Aushadhi schemes have helped the poor in the country with the two initiatives alone providing assistance to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore, the President said on January 31. The Ayushman Bharat Yojana has saved crores of poor people from becoming poorer, preventing them from spending Rs 80,000 crore. “Today, medicines are being made available at very low cost in about 9,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras spread across the country. As a result, about Rs 20,000 crore of the poor have been saved in the past few years.”

The President said that India’s self confidence is at its highest and it is providing solutions to the world. India has a stable, fearless and decisive government that is working towards realising big dreams.

Visakhapatnam will be Andhra Pradesh’s new capital, said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on January 31. The announcement of a new Andhra capital comes nine years after the state of Telangana was carved out of its territory and given Hyderabad as its capital.

Addressing the International Diplomatic Alliance meet in Delhi, the Chief Minister invited people to the port city, where he will be shifting in the months to come. “We are organising a global summit… an investors summit on March 3-4 (in Visakhapatnam) (and I want) to take this opportunity to personally invite all of you to the summit… and request all of you to not only come, but also put in a good word, a strong word, to colleagues abroad,” he said at the preparatory meeting for the Global Investors Summit.

An important city of India, the port city of Visakhapatnam or Vizag, the city is home to the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command. The port and industrial city brimming with cosmopolitan culture is also called “City of Destiny.” Visakhapatnam had trade relations with the Middle East and Rome during ancient times, and became a settlement of a branch of the East India Company in 1682.

United Nations General Assembly President Csaba Korosi on Monday hailed India’s calls for peace in Ukraine and across the world.

The Hungarian diplomat, while delivering the 40th Sapru House Lecture in New Delhi, said that the world is standing at the edge of the precipice. He thanked India for its continued and active engagement in the process. He also commended the Indian government for its commitment to the safety and security of Indian students who were present in Ukraine when the war broke out.

“We are approaching the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine that caused suffering and displacement. A war that has unleashed an energy and food crisis across the globe. I commend India for your calls for peace in Ukraine and across the world,” said the diplomat, who had arrived in India on Sunday on a three-day visit at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Csaba Korosi said that the United Nations has been able to count on India on various issues, including fighting polio and sending peacekeeping troops. He called India’s leadership in the field of digital infrastructure, from building innovative governance to citizen-oriented services, as “transformational” in action.

Ahead of his three-day visit to India, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Csaba Korosi said India is looking for her own solutions and, in many instances, not only for herself, but for many other countries. He described India as “one of the leaders of the Global South”.

The UNGA President Csaba arrived in New Delhi on January 29 for a three-day visit to India. He witnessed the Beating the Retreat Ceremony on January 29. This is his first bilateral visit to any country since he assumed the UNGA Presidency in September 2022.

Korosi has said there are large similarities between the Indian strategic thinking and that of the UN body on the need for transformation in the world. “India has a good feeling that this world is changing very rapidly. India is experiencing many of the crises we are facing, in different forms, in an interlinking manner, all across the world. India is looking for her own solutions and, in many instances, not only for herself, but for many other countries,” he said.

Korosi noted that he finds his Presidency’s motto of ‘solutions through solidarity, sustainability and science’ “very much echoing” with some of the priorities of the Indian government, India’s G20 presidency and the country’s long-term vision for growth and development.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released a special day cover and a commemorative specially minted coin of Rs 75 denomination to commemorate 75 successful years of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the chiefs of all three armed forces of the country were also present on the occasion. In the true Indian spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries were invited to be a part of the celebrations.

“India’s time has arrived. Today, the whole world is looking towards India and the biggest reason for this is the youth of India. ‘Yuva Shakti’ is the driving force of India’s development journey,” said the Prime Minister in his address at the annual NCC PM rally at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi.

The Prime Minister also lauded the participation of girls in the NCC, and praised the Agniveer scheme to help women participate in the forces. He said that in the last eight years, the number of women in the police and paramilitary forces has doubled. He complimented the cadets for Unity flame where they completed the run from Kanyakumari to Delhi by covering 50 km per day for 60 days, and said that the flame and the culture extravaganza of the evening has strengthened the spirit of ‘EK Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.

Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ali Sabry has said that India has supported Sri Lanka enormously throughout its financial crisis and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support.

The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka said this during his bilateral meeting with Union Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar in Colombo. The Indian foreign minister, who visited Sri Lanka on January 19-20, said India stands with solidarity with Sri Lanka amid these difficult times.

India has been active in helping Sri Lanka amid the financial crisis. The country had recently told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it strongly supports Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring plan. Sri Lanka has sought a $2.9 billion loan from the global lender. It will need the backing of India and China to reach a final agreement with the IMF. The Sri Lankan government said that it is confident of finalising support from the IMF in the first quarter of 2023.

Between January and July last year, India provided Sri Lanka with $4 billion in rapid assistance via credit lines, a currency swap arrangement, and deferred import payments. It owes Chinese lenders $7.4 billion. Under the restructuring plan, Sri Lanka will pay India around $1 billion, said news reports.

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum (WEF), has said that India’s G20 presidency comes at a crucial time, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership is critical in this fractured world.

In a statement, the organisation said that its Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos is taking place at a time when multiple crises have deepened divisions and fragmented the geopolitical landscape. Its programme simultaneously addresses immediate crises and long-term future challenges, and helps set the scene for India’s G20 presidency.

Schwab met the Indian ministerial delegation and many of its top business leaders at the annual meeting. “I commend the country’s decisive action on the climate case for renewables, its contribution to the global healthcare ecosystem, the focus on an economic model for women-led development, and its leadership on digital public infrastructure. India remains a bright spot amid global geo-economics and geopolitical crises,” he added.

The WEF said that it values its nearly 40-year collaborative history with India and looks forward to continued cooperation with the country during its G20 presidency. India is promoting a just and equitable growth for all in the world in this period, the statement added.