The United Arab Emirates’ President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has named his eldest son, Sheikh Khaled, as crown prince of Abu Dhabi on March 29. The position of the crown prince of the UAE's richest emirate is a position traditionally held by the leader-in-waiting. The late Wednesday announcement was part of the biggest political shake-up since 62-year-old Sheikh Mohamed, also called MBZ, became president May 2022 after the death of his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa. MBZ’s brother Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed became the Vice-President, joining Dubai’s ruler and UAE Prime Minister
On her visit to Ghana, US Vice President Kamala Harris pledged a new era of partnership with Africa. Highlighting the continent's innovation in emergency health care supplies, vaccines, farming and mineral processing, she expressed her vision for “a future that is propelled by African innovation.” “We must invest in African ingenuity and creativity, which will unlock incredible economic growth and opportunities,” Harris said from Independence Square in Accra, where thousands gathered waving US and Ghanaian flags. She said the US must be guided “not by what we can do for our Afric
India, the present chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), represented by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, held the 18th meeting of the SCO National Security Advisors and top officials of the member countries in New Delhi. Speaking at the SCO-NSA meeting, Doval said that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and its financing are among the most serious threats to international peace and security. Any act of terrorism, regardless of its motivation, is inexcusable. He added that if the member countries follow the objectives of the SCO, it can show them the path to
South Korean and US forces will hold their largest-ever live-fire exercises in June in a display of force to North Korea that has increased tension with several missile launches, said South Korea’s defence ministry on March 22. The exercises are part of a series of events marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the two countries this year. “We’ve planned various anniversary programmes focusing on realising ‘peace through strength’ through action based on our strategic deterrence capabilities and the solid combined defence posture amid North Korea's evolving nuclea
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, have agreed to meet soon and pave the way for the re-opening of embassies under a deal to re-establish ties. Earlier this month, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to revive relations after years of discord that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East. The ministers spoke by phone to mark the occasion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said Saudi state news agency SPA. Amirabdollahian stressed during the call Iran’s keenness to b
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Tokyo on March 12 to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, aiming to ease years of diplomatic tension. It was the first visit by a South Korean leader to Japan for a bilateral working meeting in 12 years. After the leaders’ meeting, Japan's trade ministry said it would lift export curbs to South Korea on some high-tech materials, namely fluorinated polyimides, resists and hydrogen fluoride. The decision came after confirming the effectiveness of South Korea’s export control regime at a three-day policy dialogue and South Korea's plan t
The United Kingdom will pay France around 480 million pounds ($577 million) over three years to help stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. The announcement was made during a summit between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The money, which will be paid in instalments, will help fund a detention centre in France and boost patrols on French beaches. While the leaders agreed to move forward on nuclear energy cooperation, reaffirmed their backing for Ukraine and vowed to boost inter-operability of their military forces, including through
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to the nation on March 12. He also laid foundation stones for several projects worth around Rs 16,000 crore in Karnataka. The Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway has a six-laning of the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of NH-275. The 118-km-long project has been developed at a cost of around Rs 8,480 crore. It will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around 3 hours to only about 75 minutes, and will act as a catalyst for socio-economic development in the region. In other projects, the Prime Minister l
Former NATO General Petr Pavel was sworn in as Czech Republic’s President on March 9. In his maiden speech as the Czech President, Pavel underlined peace in Ukraine. “Central Europe’s single voice will be important if we are to help Ukraine prevail,” he said at the ceremony at Prague Castle. “It is in our own vital interest to support Ukraine.” The new president vowed to lift his country’s reputation abroad "to a new level." He said, he would back policies to quash inflation, which ran at 17.5% in January, while also pledging to fix public finances. Pavel was elected in
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has begun his third term as the President of China, after securing a historic win as president in a ceremonial vote in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 10. He received a unanimous 2,952 votes followed by a standing ovation. Xi Jinping’s unprecedented third term as China’s president was officially endorsed by the country’s political elite, strengthening his control and making him the longest-serving head of state of Communist China since its foundation in 1949. His reappointment was largely seen as a formality, after the 69-year-old leader secured