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 schol
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,
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
After the collapse of Black Sea deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised free grain to six African nations. In the next few months, Russia will be able to provide Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea with 25,000-50,000 tonnes of grain free of charge, Putin told the African leaders present at the second Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg on July 27. Speaking at the plenary session of the summit, the Russian president claimed that his country would be able to replace Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Moscow’s decision to abandon th
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s Indian-origin former minister, formally launched his presidential campaign on July 26. The 66-year-old had stepped down from active politics in June after 22 years. Officially launching his campaign for office, Tharman in a press conference said that he has stepped into this race, as he strongly felt the need to evolve Singapore’s culture. He has vowed to evolve the country’s culture as a “shining spot” in the world and be “a president for a new era.” The politician outlined the supposed challenges faced by Singapore both globally and do
Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the red carpet to global semiconductor industry executives in an effort to establish India as a ‘trusted partner’ for their supply chains at the SemiconIndia 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on July 28. The Prime Minister also announced that technology firms will be given 50 percent financial assistance for setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities in India. The country has also introduced multiple tax reforms for new manufacturing industry, he said, adding that it is establishing an entire ecosystem for the semiconductor industry to grow. Th
Saudi Arabia on July 18 agreed to buy Turkish drones in the biggest defence contract in Turkey's history. Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the signing ceremony between Turkish defence firm Baykar and the Saudi defence ministry. Saudi Arabia will acquire the drones to enhance the readiness of the kingdom’s armed forces and strengthen its defense and manufacturing capabilities. In a tweet, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar informed about signing a contract with the Saudi Arabian defence ministry for the Bayraktar Akinci (unmanned combat aerial ve
US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen on July 16 said that her country sees India as an “indispensable partner” with regard to its policy of “friend-shoring.” Addressing the media ahead of her participation in the G20 summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Yellen said that derisking and friend-shoring are important priorities for the United States that the country is promoting in India. Friend-shoring is a policy of encouraging companies to shift manufacturing away from authoritarian states and towards allies. The term is shorthand for the practice of relocating supply chains to co
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the decision of the United States to return 105 artefacts to India, following his official state visit to Washington DC last month. On July 17, the Manhattan district attorney’s office handed over the antiques to Indian ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, at an event in New York. The antiquities are made of terracotta, stone, metal and wood, and span the time period from 2nd-3rd century CE to the 19th century. The artefacts belong to diverse parts of the country, with 47 from eastern India, 27 from the south, 22 from central India, six f
External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar on July 12 held a series of meetings with his counterparts from several countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Vietnam, and discussed bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual concern during his week-long visit to Indonesia and Thailand. The union minister began his engagements in Jakarta with a meeting with the Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dr Kao Kim Hourn. The leaders discussed the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership. Jaishankar suggested India-ASEAN dialogues