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Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto as the next president augurs well for Jakarta’s strategic partnership with New Delhi, given that he has shown keen interest in India’s defence capabilities and social security schemes, according to experts. Subianto had contested the presidential polls in 2014 and 2019, but never won. This time round, the 72-year-old former Special Forces commander has cornered enough votes to be sworn in as the next President of Indonesia.

Taiwan, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked on Friday, opening doors for Indian migrant workers to explore job opportunities in Taiwan. «Taiwan-India relations reach a new high! The MOU on the Facilitation of Employment of Indian Workers, signed by @TWIndia2 Rep. Ger & @ita_taipei Rep Yadav,» the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan (@MOFA_Taiwan) announced the milestone in a post on social media platform X. The MoU is seen as a step towards mutual benefits, igniting a robust momentum for deeper cooperation between the two nations.

Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, both the ruling YSRCP and its rival TDP are in touch with the BJP to explore political alliances, though no concrete announcement has emerged so far. On February 8, TDP supremo and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu met senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah late at night in New Delhi, setting off speculation that they negotiated a possible political alliance. Both parties are yet to announce a tie-up. A source told PTI that «TDP and BJP are forming an alliance» which could be announced in a few days' time. Though TDP was planning to release its list of election candidates by February 10, the source observed that it got delayed due to the alliance talks.

ANI, “...I can't say on Kamal Nath, but some leaders looking for a greener posture, they are leaving the Congress party. That doesn't make any change. Millions of workers are strongly behind the Congress party...

Palestine issue and an increasing number of nations are now not only endorsing it but considering it as «more urgent» than before, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday amid concerns over the prevailing situation in Gaza. Jaishankar made the remarks at an interactive session at a security conference in Munich in presence of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The external affairs minister described the October 7 attacks on Israeli cities by Hamas as «terrorism» but at the same time, referring to Tel Aviv's response, said Israel has an international obligation to observe the humanitarian law. Jaishankar said it is important that Israel should have been very mindful of civilian casualties.

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari on Saturday recalled how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had described Kamal Nath as her «third son» as he dismissed the speculation that the party veteran may jump the ship to join the BJP. Nath's colleague in the party and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh also rubbished the rumours and dubbed them a "media creation". «Can you dream of the third son of Indiraji (Gandhi) joining the BJP? » Patwari told reporters. He said Nath stood behind the Congress like a rock during the bad patch when the government led by him was toppled by Jyotiraditya Scindia after joining the BJP in March 2020.

Hindustan in an interview on Saturday. Amit Nagpal was among eight former Indian Navy officers who returned to India from Qatar on February 12. This was nearly three-and-half months after a Qatari court handed them a death sentence that was subsequently commuted to varying jail terms.

Farmers are blocking highways and holding demonstrations in many rural areas in northern India to protest over a range of grievances that have also led tens and thousands to march toward the capital

Jacob Anthony, New Delhi Sectoral mutual funds are equity funds that invest in a specific sector of the economy, such as banking, IT, pharma, infrastructure, etc. These funds aim to benefit from the growth potential and opportunities of the chosen sector. However, they also carry a higher risk as they are exposed to the fluctuations and challenges of that sector.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on February 17-18. The meeting, expected to see 11,500 BJP delegates in attendance from across the country will be inaugurated with the address by party's national president JP Nadda in the afternoon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the valedictory session of the meeting on February 18 as the BJP is all set to outline its campaign themes ahead of Lok Sabha elections scheduled in April-May.

NEW DELHI : Swiss watch imports swelled 16% to cross a record ₹2,000 crore in 2023 as more aspirational Indians snapped up luxury timepieces, led by a sharp rise in December. Imports touched ₹2,093 crore during the year, up from the previous year’s ₹1,500 crore, data from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Association showed. With this, India has become the world’s 22nd largest Swiss watch importer, moving up one place from last year’s position.

NEW DELHI : JSW Steel Ltd, India’s largest steelmaker by capacity, will invest ₹65,000 crore in Odisha to set up one of its biggest manufacturing plants, adding to the country’s efforts to boost production of the alloy. The announcement comes close on the heels of the $23-billion JSW Group announcing a ₹40,000-crore investment in Odisha for an electric vehicle and a battery manufacturing unit, taking its investment in the state to more than ₹1 trillion. It has also announced a ₹5,500 crore investment in Karnataka.

NEW DELHI : The government is finalizing a carrot-and-stick approach to ensure that mining companies move swiftly towards production at mineral blocks awarded to them at auctions, and to make delays unpalatable. The stick first: delays in work at every milestone within an overall timeline will attract penalties. And the carrot: if delays in meeting milestones are overcome in the full course of the project development, the penalties paid will be adjusted, two people aware of the development said.

World Trade Organization (WTO) to lower the cost of cross-border remittances for promoting international trade. In a submission made on Tuesday, New Delhi said one of the means to achieve cheaper, faster and more transparent and accessible cross-border payments including remittances is «promoting interoperability and interlinkages of digital payment infrastructures including fast payment systems». «Cost of remittance is an issue we have been raising. There is also a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on this,» said an official.

Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is keen on visiting India following New Delhi's invitation to discuss new areas of cooperation, including connectivity and business, ET has learnt. Tobgay is no stranger to India and he has been invited following his re-election as Bhutan's PM. India had started engaging with the new Bhutanese government as soon as it was elected, with foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra meeting Tobgay on the first day of his second term last month. Tobgay is also keen to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is learnt. Kwatra was on a three-day visit to Thimphu to engage with the new government to discuss new initiatives, including Bhutan's next five-year plan, fresh development support from the Indian government, and energy partnership and cross-border connectivity initiatives. New Delhi has stepped up engagements with Thimphu, a move seen as counterbalancing China's growing inroads in Bhutan, and has been observing the trajectory of ties, particularly the boundary talks. The territorial dispute between Bhutan and China covers an area of about 764 sq km--269 sq km in western and 495 sq km in north-central Bhutan. New Delhi is concerned over China's claim over areas in the vicinity of Doklam in western Bhutan. In return, Beijing wants to narrow or give up its territorial claims in the north-central region of Bhutan. Thimphu has assured New Delhi that it will not undermine India's interests while negotiating a boundary treaty with Beijing.

By Mohi Narayan and Yuka Obayashi

Additionally, Sonia Gandhi has mentioned her share in her ancestral property in Italy, which is currently valued at over Rs 26 lakhs. She possesses 88 kg of silver and 1267 grams of gold and jewelry. Furthermore, Sonia Gandhi owns three bighas (2529.28 square meters) of agricultural land in Dera Mandi village, New Delhi. The market value of this property is estimated to be Rs 5.88 crore at the current market rate. In terms of income, she receives a salary as an MP, royalty income, interest on bank deposits, dividends from mutual funds, and capital gains. She also receives royalties from various publishers, including Penguin Book India, Oxford University Press, Ananda Publishers, and Continental Publications. The affidavit mentions a royalty receipt of Rs 1.69 lakh from Oxford University Press.

New Delhi: A committee charged with drafting a new national cooperation policy has recommended that a national innovation fund be set up to encourage entrepreneurship in primary agricultural credit societies (PACs), a member of the committee said. No specific size or outlay for the fund has been recommended; the ministry of cooperation will take a call on the size, the member added, requesting not to be named.

New Delhi: Brazil’s presidency of G20 is expected to take forward the New Delhi G20 declaration on food security by promoting sustainable agriculture through low-carbon agricultural and fair trade, a Brazilian diplomat said, a development focus that started with last year’s summit in India. The Brazilian move comes against the backdrop of left-wing leader Luis Inacio Lula da Silva’s election as president for the second term last January.

India so far has imported 3,000 tonnes of black matpe or urad beans from Brazil and is likely to procure another 20,000 tonnes this year, said Union consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. Singh in November had urged businessmen and officials in Brazil to grow pulses, especially tur (pigeon pea) and urad, to cater to Indian consumers amid falling domestic production, and as a way of diversifying the sourcing. “We need to ensure that food items are available in the country for our 1.4 billion consumers at an affordable price," Singh said on Thursday on the sidelines of the Global Pulse Confederation conference in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI : India has resumed trade talks with Peru after a long gap, with the sixth round of India-Peru negotiations for a trade agreement held in the South American country from 12 to 14 February. Various working group meetings were held, including on trade in goods, rules of origin, trade in services, customs procedures and trade facilitation, dispute settlement, and legal and institutional Issues, the ministry of commerce and industry said in a statement on Thursday “These meetings involved the participation of more than 70 delegates from both countries together, including their respective negotiating teams," it said. Over the next fortnight, other working groups will hold virtual meetings on technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and trade remedies and cooperation.