Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Modi seeks stronger Indo-Palestinian ties

INDIA’S prime minister Narendra is heading to the Palestinian territories and the Gulf today (9) to bolster long-standing political and economic ties.

India was one of the earliest champions of the Palestinian cause, but in recent years turned to Israel for high-tech military equipment and anti-terrorism cooperation.


Ties with Israel have flourished under Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sees Israel as a natural ally against Islamist extremism.

But Indian officials said India continued to support the Palestinian cause and that Modi's visit is aimed at helping build up the Palestinians' capacity in the health, information technology and education areas.

"We have de-hyphenated our relations with Palestine and Israel and now we see them both as mutually independent and exclusive and as part of this policy the prime minister is undertaking this visit," B Bala Bhaskar, a joint secretary in the Indian foreign ministry, said.

The two sides are building a India-Palestinian technology park in Ramallah, the Palestinians’ seat of government, which will develop IT expertise and generate employment.

Modi is due to arrive in Jordan later today and travel to Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, tomorrow (10). During his visit to Israel last year, he did not travel to the Palestinian headquarters as is usually the case with visiting leaders.

"Looking forward to my discussions with President Mahmoud Abbas and reaffirming our support for the Palestinian people and the development of Palestine," Modi said in a Twitter post.

India was among more than 120 countries to vote in favour of a resolution in December calling for the US to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

But the scale of India's security and commercial ties with Israel dwarfs the engagement with the Palestinians. Israel is among India's top three arms suppliers, doing business worth millions of dollars each year.

Modi and Netanyahu are now pushing for cooperation in agriculture, energy and cybersecurity in addition to defence.

Modi will also travel to the United Arab Emirates, from where India gets half of its oil, and to Oman, with which India's navy has built close security ties.

The Gulf is home to nine million Indians who remit $35 billion home each year, sustaining millions of families. The UAE committed an investment of $75 billion in India when Modi visited in 2015 and the two sides will be looking to advance that goal, the foreign ministry said. ​

(Reuters)

More For You

Sanghera: Enablers let abuse flourish at Harrods and Church
Jasvinder Sanghera (Photo by Jon Bond - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sanghera: Enablers let abuse flourish at Harrods and Church

A PROMINENT British Asian campaigner against forced marriages and abuse, has spoken out about her recent work tackling two major British institutional abuse cases, while reflecting on her own journey from surviving honour abuse to becoming a national advocate for victims.

Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who currently serves as an independent advocate for nearly 300 people who have accused former Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed of abuse, says the department store case reveals a pattern of enablers.

Keep ReadingShow less
india-us-nuclear-talks

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in Delhi. (Photo: ANI)

India, US advance talks on civil nuclear cooperation

THE UNITED STATES is finalising steps to clear hurdles for civil nuclear partnership with Indian firms, US national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said on Monday (6), seeking to give fresh momentum to a landmark deal between the two countries.

Washington and New Delhi have been discussing the supply of US nuclear reactors to energy-hungry India since the mid-2000s.

Keep ReadingShow less
tulip-siddiq-city-minister
Tulip Siddiq

Tulip Siddiq self-refers to ethics watchdog over property claims

TREASURY minister Tulip Siddiq has asked the prime minister's ethics watchdog to examine claims about her use of two London flats, amid growing questions about property arrangements linked to her family's connections in Bangladesh.

The minister, who oversees anti-corruption efforts in Britain's financial sector, has stepped back from a planned China visit to assist with the inquiry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tibet-quake-Reuters

The earthquake, which struck Dingri County near the Nepal border, was recorded at a magnitude of 6.8 by the China Earthquake Networks Center. (Photo: Reuters)

Earthquake in Tibet kills 95, tremors felt in Nepal and India

AT LEAST 95 people were killed and many buildings collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck China's Tibet region on Tuesday, state media reported. The tremors were also felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India.

Videos shared by state broadcaster CCTV showed buildings with walls torn apart and rubble strewn across the ground. Rescue workers were seen helping locals and providing thick blankets to keep them warm in freezing conditions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Islamophobia-iStock

Critics have raised concerns about the potential misuse of this definition. (Representational image: iStock)

Conservatives oppose proposed Islamophobia definition

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY has called on prime minister Keir Starmer to abandon plans for an official definition of Islamophobia, warning it could undermine free speech and hinder actions against wrongdoing.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticised the proposal, claiming that a "false label" of Islamophobia had obstructed investigations into child abuse grooming gangs involving men of Pakistani heritage.

Keep ReadingShow less