On Tuesday (Aug 9), the 57th anniversary of Singapore's independence, the Padang will be gazetted as the nation's 75th national monument. According to Culture, Community, and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, even though the site lacks physical structures, the open space holds many of our nation's memories. He explained that Singaporeans can continue to use the site as a social and community space by protecting it from alteration or change. Taking place in the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings next to the Padang, Mr. Tong was speaking at the National Gallery Singapore. Listed as a n
India has welcomed a US Navy ship for repairs and maintenance for the first time. Charles Drew, a US naval ship, arrived yesterday at L&T's Katupalli Shipyard in Ennore, near Chennai for repairs and maintenance. As far as we know, this is the first time a US Navy ship has been repaired in an Indian shipyard. There will be repairs on various areas of the USNS Charles Drew for 11 days at the Kattupalli shipyard. Indian shipyards have demonstrated their capabilities on the global market for ship repairs in this event. Using advanced maritime technology platforms, Indian shipyards provide
On Thursday, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and US secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed regional and global issues along with the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. This was the second bilateral meeting between the two diplomats in less than a month’s time. Mr. Blinken blames Sri Lanka's economic crisis on Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine causing global food insecurity. The meetings were held in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum. Mr. S Jaishankar tweeted on his account, “A warm conversation to start meetings on the sidelines of A
Joe Biden is on his first trip to the Middle East as president, where he told the leaders that the United States would remain an active partner in the Middle East. The Biden administration was initially against selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but things have been changing as per the latest development. The White House has approved the sale of $3 billion Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia and a $2.2 billion sale of missiles for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the United Arab Emirates. "The United States is invested in building a positive future of
India wants to ramp up its ties with Uzbekistan in sectors like digital payments, start-ups, agri and pharma to mark the 30th year of their diplomatic relations. Amidst rising geopolitical tensions, the ties between India and Uzbekistan have become important to the government’s vision of an integrated extended neighbourhood. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday that increasing cooperation in seven emerging areas will help boost economic ties between the two nations. Goyal said this while addressing the 13th session of India-Uzbekistan Inter Governmental Commissio
External affairs minister S Jaishankar will pay a two–day visit to Uzbekistan on July 28-29 to take part in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) council of foreign ministers. The meeting will talk about preparations for the forthcoming meeting of the SCO council of heads of state in Samarkand during September 15-16, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday. The foreign ministers will analyze and evaluate the ongoing cooperation to expand the SCO organization and share ideas on regional and global developments of mutual interest, the ministry said. Jaishan
African nations, Macron will make his second stop in Benin. With a goal of reviving France's postcolonial connection with the continent, the four-day trip, which ends in Guinea-Bissau on Thursday, is Macron's first to Africa in his new role as French president. During the joint news conference, Macron mentioned the "unique partnership" between France and Benin and expressed a willingness to support initiatives to make Benin an "example of development" in western Africa. Talon and Macron planned to expand their partnership by contributing to Benin's culture, education, and security. Acco
French President Emmanuel Macron has set off on a three-nation African tour, his first trip to the continent after being as he seeks tore-elected, to restore France’s post-colonial relationship with the ‘dark continent’ Macron’s July 25-28 tour will begin in Cameroon and then move on to Benin and then Guinea-Bissau. A French presidential official, who refused to be named stated, that the tour "will show the commitment of the president in the process of renewing the relationship with the African continent" It will indicate that Africa is a “political priority" for his pre
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 brid
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