US President Joe Biden hailed a new era in the US-India relationship, after rolling out the White House red carpet for Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on June 22, pushing deals on defense and commerce. The partnership between the world's two big democracies is “stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history,” Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Modi, and the economic relationship is “booming,” with trade more than doubling over the past decade. Prime Minister Modi also called the current times as “a new chapter” to the countries’ “s
Opposition lawmakers have lifted the majority of seats in Kuwait’s parliament, in its third election held in the last three years. The snap election on June 6 took place amid an ongoing political crisis that led to repeated dissolution of parliament due to a dispute between the government and lawmakers, affecting financial reforms. According to the results announced on June 7, opposition politicians won 29 of the legislature’s 50 seats, with 37 lawmakers retaining their seats. In the election, 207 candidates competed for the 50 seats in five constituencies. The remaining 15 seats in
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s official visits to South Africa and Namibia, from 1 June to 6 June, 2023, have further cemented India’s strong bonds with these countries, said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on June 7. During the foreign minister’s visit to Cape Town, South Africa, from 1-3 June, Jaishankar participated in the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting and the Friends of BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on June 1 and 2, respectively. At the meetings, the minister presented India’s perspectives on global and regional developments, global e
Republican, former US Vice President Mike Pence will challenge his one-time boss, Donald Trump for the party’s 2024 White House nomination. He joins his other Republican peers, Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in the race to the White House. Pence’s campaign filed a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on June 5 and the 63-year-old launched his campaign on June 7 in the early nominating state of Iowa. A devoted social conservative and Christian, the former governor of In
Suriname on June 5 conferred its highest civilian honour to President of India, Droupadi Murmu to honour the deep-rooted bilateral ties between the two nations. She is the first Indian to receive The Grand Order of the Chain of Yellow Star. President Murmu received the award from the President of the Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi. She arrived in Suriname on June 4, 2023, on a three-day State visit – her first since assuming office in July last year. The President of India said that the honour holds tremendous significance not only for her, but the people of India. She de
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a re-election on May 28, extending his rule into a third decade. With more than 99 percent of ballot boxes opened, unofficial results from competing news agencies showed Erdogan with 52 percent of the vote, compared with 48 percent for his opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The head of Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the victory, saying that even after accounting for outstanding votes, the term belongs to Erdogan. The leader thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years. “The only winner today is Turkey,” he s
On the final day of his three-day visit to Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the ties between India and Australia had entered ‘T20 mode’. Using ‘cricket diplomacy’ to explain the relationship between the two nations, PM Modi also extended a personal invitation to his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to visit India during the cricket World Cup – scheduled from October 5 to November 19 – and take part in Diwali celebrations. “I am visiting Australia within two months of the visit of my friend, Prime Minister Albanese to India. This is our sixth meeting
During a meeting of Quad leaders in Tokyo, US President Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed that they are receiving many requests from citizens to attend events where Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be speaking. President Biden came up to PM Modi and said, “I should take your autograph,” adding, “You are causing me a real problem. Next month, we will have dinner for you in Washington. Everyone in the whole country wants to come. I have run out of tickets. You think I am kidding? Ask my team. I am getting phone calls from people I have never heard of before
On his visit to Japan for the G7 summit, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak clinched the Hiroshima Accord for greater UK-Japan economic, security and technology collaboration. The Hiroshima Accord signed on May 17 will cover agreements on defence, trade and investment, science and technology collaboration, and joint work on tackling global issues like climate change. The new UK-Japan global strategic partnership is also being seen as a counterbalance to Chinese dominance in the region. It includes a Semiconductors Partnership to pursue bold R&D cooperation and skills exchange to boost suppl
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 May said that India will be happy to host the Quad Summit in 2024. He said this in the presence of US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during this year's Quad Summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Prime Minister Modi also emphasised that the “Quad will continue to make efforts towards global good, the welfare of the people, prosperity, and peace.” At the summit, US President Joe Biden said that the Quad grouping has the potential to change the dynamics of the world. Japan Prime Minister F