NEW DELHI: India and Arab states are expecting more cooperation in the fields of green energy, technology, health care and food security, officials and representatives of top business bodies said on Wednesday at the India-Arab Partnership Conference in New Delhi.
The two-day conference on July 11-12 was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the League of Arab States — a cooperation alliance of 22 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait and the UAE.
“India not only has very strong political relations with each member country of the League of Arab States but our trade and economic relations with these countries are also blossoming into very dynamic and mutually beneficial partnerships,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs Secretary Dr. Ausaf Sayeed told conference participants in his concluding remarks.
“The conference has provided a useful platform to the business communities on both sides to interact and understand untapped potentials in diverse fields and explore new prospects for trade and investments.”
He identified cooperation focus areas as energy security, renewable energy, technology, food security, health care, chips and semiconductors, and supply chains.
Energy cooperation is of particular importance as Gulf countries account for almost 35 percent of India’s oil imports and 70 percent of gas imports.
“India’s energy partnership with many of these countries has evolved from a mere buyer-seller relationship into a more comprehensive partnership,” Sayeed said.
“Renewable energy is another important area of our bilateral cooperation with West Asia, particularly in the fields of green hydrogen and green ammonia. This assumes significance as the world is witnessing the serious impact of climate change and the clock is ticking fast, highlighting the need to act urgently.”
In the context of trade and commerce, Arab countries are India’s largest trading partner, with the volume of trade with the Arab League’s states exceeding $240 billion during the financial year 2022-23.
The bulk of India’s trade is with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, especially the UAE, with which New Delhi signed a free trade deal last year.
“Trade with the GCC countries alone amounted to over $184 billion. The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner — $73 billion — and Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner — $42.9 billion during 2022-2023,” Sayeed said, adding that New Delhi was now also in trade pact talks with the entire GCC.
“India and the GCC have resumed discussions on concluding the free trade agreement. We have exchanged preliminary documents and the delegations have been meeting. We hope this will soon become a reality, bringing newer opportunities for businesses on both sides.”
This is the third attempt at a trade pact between the two sides, with two inconclusive rounds held in 2006 and 2008. Plans to resume talks were announced by India’s trade minister and the GCC secretary-general in November last year.
The India-Arab Partnership Conference saw in attendance government officials from both India and Arab countries as well as delegates from major Indian and Middle Eastern commerce bodies and businesses.
Dr. Khalid Hanafi, secretary-general of the Union of Arab Chambers, thanked the governments and private sector of both sides as he expressed optimism about the future of the Indo-Arab partnership.
“The partnership between India and the Arab world has a bright future,” he said.
“Our relationship should now evolve from a linear, traditional relationship to a new relationship based on technology.”
India, Arab League eye more cooperation in green energy, tech
https://arab.news/p5bka
India, Arab League eye more cooperation in green energy, tech
- Ministry of External Affairs says talks have resumed for GCC trade pact
- Union of Arab Chambers optimistic about future of India-Arab partnership
North Korea and Russia begin building their first road link
Russia’s Tass news agency reported Wednesday that the bridge would be 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) long and its construction is expected to take 1 ½ years, and North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said the bridge would expand cross-border travel of people, tourism and circulation of commodities.
Relations and exchange programs between the two countries have been flourishing in recent years, with North Korea supplying ammunitions and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
One railway bridge and air service already connect North Korea and Russia, and in June 2024, the two countries agreed to construct a bridge for automobiles over the Tumen River, which runs along North Korea’s borders with Russia and China.
On Thursday, North Korea and Russia simultaneously held a ground-breaking ceremony for the bridge’s construction in their respective border cities, according to the two countries’ state media agencies. The agencies said North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin attended the ceremony via video links.
Pak said the bridge’s construction would be remembered as “a historic monument” in bilateral ties, KCNA reported Thursday.
“This is a big milestone for Russian-Korean relation,” Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said, according to Tass. “We are creating a reliable basis for closer cooperation between our two countries, a road for an open and fruitful dialogue.”
On Monday, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it has sent combat troops to Russia to help it reclaim parts of the Kursk region that Ukraine forces seized in a stunning incursion last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea and promised not to forget the sacrifices of North Korean soldiers for Russia.
According to a South Korean government intelligence assessment shared with lawmakers on Wednesday, North Korea has sent about 15,000 soldiers to Russia, and 4,700 of them have been killed or wounded. In return for North Korea’s supply of conventional arms, Russia has given it air defense missiles, electronic warfare equipment, drones and technology for spy satellite launches, according to the South Korean assessment.
Singapore PM urges voters to re-elect his cabinet to deal with US, China
- PM Wong urges voters to stick with his team in face of US tariffs, US-China tensions
- Last day of campaigning ahead of May 3 election
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans need to vote for candidates who have built up trust and close relationships with counterparts in the US and China, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday, urging voters to re-elect his cabinet at a May 3 poll.
Addressing a 1.4 million-strong labor union on the last day of campaigning, Wong warned of economic turbulence and job losses if US tariffs slow global growth. His government has warned the trade-reliant economy may face a possible recession.
“We must expect more pressure on us and to navigate these pressures, it will take experience and skill. It will take people in government who have built up trust and close relationships with their counterparts in both America and China,” Wong said.
He said voters needed to re-elect his whole team to effectively deal with these economic headwinds.
“I have backups, I have reserves, sure. But everyone knows that the team cannot function at the same level. It’s the same in any organization, and it will be so in our next cabinet if we end up with such a loss,” he said, referring to the possible loss of his deputy prime minister.
Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party, in power since 1959, is widely expected to be easily re-elected, but there is growing unhappiness with its governance in the face of rising costs of living.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong was nominated at the 11th hour in a hotbed contest in a ward in northeast Singapore in an effort to stop the main opposition Workers’ Party, which won 10 seats in the last parliament.
Campaigning in recent days has zeroed in on Gan being new to the area, after an incumbent ruling party candidate called the opposition team strangers. The opposition fired back, asking if Gan was the real stranger to the constituency.
Wong has thrown his weight behind Gan, calling him his “taskforce man” because Gan co-headed the COVID-19 taskforce and is now chairing the “economic resilience” taskforce dealing with the impact of US tariffs.
“The key person in charge of this work is no stranger to you. He is no stranger to the whole of Singapore,” Wong said on Thursday.
This is the first electoral test for Wong, who took over from long-time premier Lee Hsien Loong last year as leader of the People’s Action Party.
Six political parties and an independent candidate have rallies scheduled for Thursday night.
Parties get to fire their last salvos on Thursday before 2.76 million voters go to a compulsory poll on Saturday after a short nine-day campaign season. Friday is designated as a “cooling off” day, meant for voters to decide on their ballot, and parties are not allowed to campaign.
Former VP Harris says Trump’s America is ‘self-serving’
- Critics have been appalled at what they say is a vengeful administration carelessly overstepping democratic and constitutional norms
- Recent polls have shown a majority of the country is becoming disenchanted with the political and economic tumult
SAN FRANCISCO: Former US vice president Kamala Harris hit out at Donald Trump and his backers on Wednesday, in her first major speech since losing November’s election.
The defeated Democrat told supporters the apparent “chaos” of the last three months was actually the realization of a long-cherished plan by conservatives who are using Trump to twist the United States to their own advantage.
“What we are, in fact, witnessing is a high velocity event, where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making,” she told an audience in San Francisco.
“An agenda to slash public education. An agenda to shrink government and then privatize its services. All while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest.
“A narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth-tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power, and leave everyone to fend for themselves.”
Trump’s first 100 days in power have been marked by a dizzying array of executive orders tackling everything from immigration to foreign aid to showerhead pressure.
Critics have been appalled at what they say is a vengeful administration carelessly overstepping democratic and constitutional norms, including clashing with the courts.
While Trump’s supporters have cheered some of the rapid-fire changes, recent polls have shown a majority of the country is becoming disenchanted with the political and economic tumult, particularly from his oft-changing tariffs.
Harris, who is thought to be mulling a run for the governorship of her home state of California in 2026 or a possible White House run in 2028, has largely stayed out of the limelight since leaving Washington in January.
On Wednesday she was a guest speaker at an event run by Emerge, a political organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for public office.
She told the crowd that Trump was targeting universities and courts because he wanted to cow the opposition.
“President Trump, his administration, and their allies are counting on the notion that fear can be contagious,” she said.
“They are counting on the notion that, if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others.”
But, she said, there were judges, academics, politicians and regular people who were standing up to the government.
“Fear isn’t the only thing that’s contagious. Courage is contagious,” she said.
“The courage of all these Americans inspires me.”
South Korean prosecutors indict ex-President Yoon for abuse of authority
- The indictment is in addition to an ongoing trial on insurrection charges
- The latest indictment is without arrest, Yonhap said, citing the prosecutor’s office
SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors have indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol for abuse of authority, Yonhap said on Thursday.
The indictment is in addition to an ongoing trial on insurrection charges, brought against Yoon over his brief imposition of martial law in December.
The latest indictment is without arrest, Yonhap said, citing the prosecutor’s office. An official at the prosecutor’s office could not be immediately reached for comment.
Indian FM says Kashmir attackers ‘must face justice’
NEW DELHI: India’s foreign minister said Thursday that those who planned and carried out an attack in Kashmir last week that left 26 men dead “must be brought to justice.”
New Delhi blames Pakistan for the gun attack on civilians at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22.
Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir and issued a raft of tit-for-tat punitive diplomatic measures.
“Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice,” India’s top diplomat Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a statement following a conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday evening in which they discussed the attack.
Rubio also spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and in a US readout of the call, told Sharif of the “need to condemn the terror attack” in Kashmir.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers fired at each other overnight along the Line of Control, the de facto border in contested Kashmir, the Indian army said.
It was a seventh straight night gunfire was reported by India.
“During the night... Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor,” the army said in a statement.
“These were responded proportionately by the Indian Army.”
There were no reported casualties and there was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan.
Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men accused of carrying out the Kashmir attack — two Pakistanis and an Indian — who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military “complete operational freedom” to respond to the attack during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, a senior government source told AFP.
Pakistan’s government has denied any involvement in the shooting and vowed that “any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response.”
