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, includ
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
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
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
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 mark
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
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
Bali will host the G20 finance leaders this week for talks that will tackle topics such as global food security and inflation. Wempi Saputra, Indonesia's deputy for finance in the G20, said the group will be seeking to ensure the supply and affordability of food and fertilizers in poor countries to cope with a possible food crisis. In addition to debt relief for poor countries, the summit will discuss the creation of a future pandemic fund at the World Bank, as well as the Resilience and Stability Trust at the International Monetary Fund. When talks end on Saturday, Indonesia expects
On Tuesday, the European Union accepted Croatia as the 20th eurozone member. It will allow the nation to adopt a single currency from 2023. According to the European Council, Croatia has passed the final three legal measures necessary for the country to join the euro. Among the acts, one euro will be converted into 7.53450 Croatian kunas. It will take some months to determine the practicalities of switching currencies. European Commission VP Valdis Dombrivskis said that this was particularly important at such a challenging time when Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is continuously
Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday said he hoped a visit to Israel by U.S. President Joe Biden this week would result in a common Middle East market including Saudi Arabia. Biden is to visit Israel on Wednesday and move to Saudi Arabia on Friday. The White House has said the purpose of the visit is to boost regional economic and security cooperation. Questioned at an economic conference hosted by the Calcalist newspaper what he hopes to gain from Biden's visit, Lieberman said: "It is time to create a new, common market in the Middle East - Israel, Saudi Arabia, Gulf co