Japan on Friday has announced a $320 billion plan for a military build-up, the biggest since the Second World War. Based on current budgets, this five-year plan will make the Asian country the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China. On December 16, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s cabinet approved three key security documents. The government said it would also stockpile spare parts and other munitions, expand transport capacity and develop cyber warfare capabilities. In its post-war constitution, Japan gave up the right to wage war and means to
France and the United Kingdom, the two of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have reiterated their support for a permanent seat for India at the powerful horse-shoe table. “France supports the candidacy of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan as permanent members. It also wishes to see a stronger presence of African countries, among both permanent and non-permanent members,” said Nicolas De Riviere, the French Ambassador at the UN. Nicolas De Riviere was speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Ne
Leo Varadkar on Saturday took over as Ireland’s Prime Minister for the second time, in a handover of power between the two main political partners in the three-party governing coalition. Varadkar, 43, served as Irish Prime Minister between 2017 and 2020. One of Ireland’s youngest ever leaders even in his second stint in the role, he replaced Micheal Martin as Taoiseach (premier) in a rotation between his Fine Gael and Martin's Fianna Fail parties. With Varadkar taking over as Ireland’s Taoiseach, Europe gets its third Indian-origin head of government after United Kingdom Prime Minist
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and UN Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the United Nations Headquarters. The bust will be the first Gandhi sculpture to be permanently located at the North Lawn Gardens of UN. Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, Vaishnav jan to was recited at the event. The event was also attended by the high-level representatives of the United Nations Security Council members including the incoming members and senior UN officials, added the release. The sculptor of the bust is Ram Vanji Sutar, who made the Statue of Un
India and the UAE have seen a “veritable transformation” in their ties, which are now beginning to have a broader ripple impact, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday. Calling the signing of the bilateral trade pact between India and the UAE a defining decision of this transformation, the union minister emphasised that India and the UAE want to use their relationship to shape the changing world. S Jaishankar said this in the keynote address at India Global Forum and panel discussion – India-UAE: Partners for Global Impact in Abu Dhabi. India and the UAE signed UAE-
The European Union on Tuesday moved closer to passing a tax on foreign companies that wish to import products that fail to meet climate-protection standards in which EU companies must comply. Once in place, the first-of-its-kind carbon border levy will shield EU’s industries from rivals in countries with lower CO2 pricing. The new tax aims to create a competitive level playing field after EU companies claimed to be burdened with high costs to meet climate goals, while international competitors could easily import their goods without the same constraints and price better than local produc
Israel’s incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a parliamentary majority on Thursday after his Likud party reached an agreement with the Jewish ultra-Orthodox Shas party. The agreement gives Netanyahu control over 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. Netanyahu’s right-wing alliance won a comfortable victory in a November 1 election, Israel’s fifth election in less than four years. Though the political parties have yet to sign a final coalition deal, according to the agreement, Shas leader Aryeh Deri will head the interior and health ministries during the first half of the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation three national Ayush institutes, namely All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa; National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad; and National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Delhi, on Sunday. The three institutes will strengthen research, international collaborations, and facilitate affordable Ayush services in the country, said Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday. The institutes will create 400 additional seats for students in UG, PG and doctoral courses. The minister said that 550 additional beds in th
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked his counterparts from the US, France and Japan for supporting India’s G20 presidency. The country resumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday expressed confidence in India taking over the presidency of the powerful G20, saying that he has trust that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would bring everyone together to build a peaceful and a sustainable world. Sharing a picture of himself and Prime Minister Modi in a tweet, Macron endorsed the theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” that India has cho
India and Israel are “natural allies” who are united by a fundamental commitment to the democratic ideals upon which they were founded, said Israeli President Isaac Herzog, while making a rare appearance at an exhibition in Jerusalem featuring Indian deities and temple rituals on Thursday. Herzog attended a cultural event at the Israel Museum to inaugurate the new exhibition, Body of Faith: Sculpture from the National Museum of India. He called the exhibition a by-product of the growing friendship between the two countries. “India and Israel are natural allies, united by a fundame