Category: Politics

Croatia has opened a long-awaited bridge connecting its southern Adriatic coast, including the famous tourist destination of Dubrovnik, with other parts of the country, bypassing a small portion of Bosnian territory.

The 2.4km (1.5-mile) bridge reaches out from the mainland of Croatia to the Peljesac peninsula that links with Croatia’s southern coastline lying between the sea and the Dinaric Alps.

The opening of the bridge on Tuesday comes as Croatia is trying to restore tourism, hoping to attract large numbers of visitors, like in the pre-pandemic time.

“The importance of the bridge is enormous, and it’s not only emotional due to the connection of Croatia’s territory but also for tourism and the economy in general,” transport minister Oleg Butkovic stated earlier this month.

The link will put an end to the tough ordeal of commuters, merchants, and tourists, waiting for several hours and adhering to excessive official rules and formalities at the Bosnia and Herzegovina border to get South by road. This is one of Croatia’s most challenging and largely hoped-for infrastructure projects since Croatia was set free from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Until now, approximately 90,000 people, including residents in Dubrovnik, remained disconnected from the rest of the country.

Indonesia and the United States are prepared to hold their largest military exercises next month, dismissing worries about a split in their relationship over China’s increasing investments in the Southeast Asian country.

The increasing hostility between China and the US compelled the Indo-Pacific nations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans to sail through, as both superpowers advanced diplomatic lead in the geopolitically important region. Indonesia has been neutral amid the rivalry, throwing light on its long-term foreign policy ideology of being “independent and active.”

The US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley, who paid a one-day visit to Jakarta on Sunday (July 24) said the planned exercises to be held from Aug 1 to 14, in Baturaja, South Sumatra province will involve over 4000 troops from the army and naval forces.

“It’s important that we just bond and train together, get to know each other as militaries. That’s always a very valuable thing to do,” said Gen Milley, in a press conference at Indonesia’s military headquarters. He added that there will be a rehearsal of interoperability, tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Indonesian General Andika Perkasa stated the forthcoming Garuda Shield 2022 – the 16th edition of the war games – will take in seven Apache and four Blackhawk helicopters, 41 armored vehicles, and 618 weapons.

On Friday, the government announced that four of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had endorsed India’s bid for a permanent seat in the body. The only country that has not yet supported India’s bid to join the UNSC is China.

Currently, the UNSC consists of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members, who the UN General Assembly elects for a two-year term. Russia, the UK, China, France, and the United States are the five permanent members and can veto any resolution. There is a growing demand for increased permanent membership to reflect the current global reality.

Among the candidates for permanent membership in the UNSC, which is responsible for preserving international peace and security, India, Brazil, South Africa, Germany and Japan are strong contenders.

The minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said in Lok Sabha, “Four out of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have bilaterally expressed official affirmations of support for India’s candidature to a permanent seat in an expanded Un Security Council”. Mr. Mureedharan stated that the government has accorded the “highest priority” to gaining India’s permanent membership in the UNSC.

On Thursday, the NDA’s presidential candidate, Draupadi Murmu, emerged victorious with 64.03% of the vote in the presidential election. She created history by becoming the first tribal woman to win President-elect. Belonging to a tribal community in the Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, Smt. Murmu fought against all odds to become the 15th President of India.

The 64-year-old Murmu bagged 6,76,803 votes against her opponent, Yashwant Sinha, who could manage only 3,803,177 votes. In the election counting, Murmu received votes from 2824 electors, including 540 MPs, out of 4809 electors, including 776 MPs, for a total vote value of 10,723,377. However, ballots from 53 electors, including the maximum of 15 MPs, were ruled illegal.

According to BJP sources, about 125 MLAs across different assemblies voted for her. Murmu also benefited from cross-voting from 17 MPs, as indicated by the counting of votes. An overwhelming number of opposition MLAs voted for the National Democratic Alliance candidate in Assam, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.

Mos Tribal Affairs Renuukaa Singh congratulated Murmu, saying, “With Modi, everything is possible.” His dream has become a reality that our sister will sit in the highest constitutional position.”

The European Commission (EU), on Monday, struck a deal with Azerbaijan to double natural gas imports by 2027.

The agreement was made after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Baku in an attempt to reduce the European Union’s dependence on Russian gas.

According to Reuters, the deal between both countries will increase energy supply into the bloc through the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline.

Azerbaijan began exporting natural gas to Europe through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline at the end of 2020. In 2021, the pipeline delivered 8 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU. It is expected that Azerbaijan’s gas imports to the EU would cross 20 billion cubic meters by 2027.

“Today, with this new memorandum of understanding, we are opening a new chapter in our energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, a key partner in our efforts to move away from Russian fossil fuels,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint news conference with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev post the signing ceremony in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. She added, “Azerbaijan is a crucial energy partner for us that has always been reliable.”

 The Azeri gas imports will rise to 12bcm next year, which “will help compensate for cuts in supplies of Russian gas and contribute significantly to Europe’s security of supply,” she added.

Italy has sealed a series of agreements with Algeria, as European countries intensified their efforts to sidestep Russia after it invaded Ukraine and fix alternative energy supplies.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi during his visit to Algiers as part of the fourth Italy-Algeria intergovernmental summit met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Monday. They signed fifteen agreements and memorandums of understanding in versatile areas such as energy, sustainable development, justice, and micro-enterprises.

The finalization of the deal sees many energy companies, including Italy’s Eni, invest $4bn in a site to produce one billion oil-equivalent barrels.

Toufik Hakkar, chief executive officer of Sonatrach, Algeria’s state oil and gas producer told reporters that American energy firm Occidental and France’s TotalEnergies were also among the investors.

P.M Draghi said that Algeria has ‘become in recent months the biggest supplier of gas to Italy. “Algeria is a very important partner for Italy, in the energy sector, in the industry and business fields, in the fight against criminality, and in the search for peace and stability in the Mediterranean,” he said. The agreements are “fundamental for the European Union and Italy,” and “a testament to our determination to achieve even more in this domain,” he added.

Bangladeshi’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to launch diplomatic interactions beginning with a visit to India in September. It was originally scheduled for July. New Delhi sources indicate the visit will now take place from September 6 to 7.

Currently, her party is being criticized by the western power for the democracy deficit before next year’s elections.

Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen announced, “The possible dates of the Prime Minister’s New Delhi visit could be within the first 10 days of September”. According to him the capitals have decided to implement the bilateral decision ahead of PMs visit and will hold the Joint River Commission meeting.

A visit to India will be part of a broader international engagement that will include Ms. Hasina’s visit to the United Nations, as well as possible trips to other capital cities, as domestic and international “pulls and pressures” mount on the Awami League government ahead of next year’s elections.

The two sides will have the opportunity to engage in political discussion about India’s relationship with the Awami League and how the PM can combat the threat of fundamentalism while upholding democratic values and human rights, which have become points of contention among her current administration and the West.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have conveyed their interest and devotion to securing the stability of global energy markets.

US President Joe Biden held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other top Saudi officials in Jeddah. In a joint statement carried out by the Saudi state news agency (SPA), the US welcomed Riyadh’s dedication to supporting balanced international oil markets to attain sustainable economic growth. The two countries agreed to strategically collaborate as partners in dealing with climate and energy issues and would consult often on global energy markets in the short and long term.

Experts have said Biden was eager to travel to Saudi Arabia based on his energy interest and to see Saudi Arabia and its Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) partners generate more oil to help reduce the high cost of gasoline and bring down the highest US inflation rate in four decades. However, The US national security adviser said he did not expect Saudi Arabia to take any immediate action to boost oil output and would rather wait for an OPEC+ meeting on August 3.

This was Biden’s first visit to the Kingdom after becoming the president of the USA.

The US House of Representatives passed a legislative amendment on Thursday, July 14, that approves a waiver to India against the harsh CAATSA sanctions for its acquisition of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia to help scare off aggressors like China.

The legislative amendment was passed as part of an en bloc (as a unit) amendment in the middle of floor consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Written and introduced by Indian-American congressional representative Ro Khanna, the amendment requests the Biden administration to use its power to offer India a Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) waiver to help put off aggressors like China.

CAATSA is a stringent US law that allows the US administration to thrust sanctions on countries that buy important defense hardware from Russia following Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its claimed intrusive interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.

“The United States must stand with India in the face of escalating aggression from China. As Vice Chair of the India Caucus, I have been working to strengthen the partnership between our countries and ensure that India can defend itself along the Indian-Chinese border,” said Khanna. “This amendment is of the utmost importance, and I am proud to see it pass the House on a bipartisan basis,” he said.

On Friday, in an apparent gesture of openness towards Israel ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit, Saudi Arabia lifted restrictions on “all carriers” using its airspace.

The US president praised Riyadh’s “historic” decision, the latest conciliatory move concerning the Jewish state, which Riyadh has refused to recognize despite Israeli efforts to establish ties with the Arab world.

In a statement on Twitter, the Saudi civil aviation authority stated that it has decided to open its airspace to all airlines meeting the requirements for overflying its airspace.

In addition to efforts to expand the Kingdom’s role as a global hub connecting three continents, the decision was made “to complement the Kingdom’s efforts”. US National security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in the statement, “this decision is the result of the President’s persistent and principled diplomacy with Saudi Arabia over many months, culminating in his visit today”.

The White House had hinted to the Arab world that more nations could pursue relations with Israel before Biden’s arrival in Israel at the end of his Middle East trip on Wednesday, raising speculation about whether Riyadh would reconsider its long-held stance of not establishing formal bilateral relations until the dispute with the Palestinians is settled.