Page 20 - Ministry Of External Affairs

New rule to improve requirements for H-1B, H-2 visas takes effect today

H-1B final rule modernizes the H-1B program by streamlining the approval process, increasing its flexibility to better allow employers to retain talent workers and improving the integrity of programme

Indian national sentenced to 8 yrs for attempt to attack White House

Indian national Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, on Thursday was sentenced to eight years for an attempted attack on the White House with a rented truck on May 22, 2023. The attack aimed to overthrow the democratically elected American government in order to replace it with a dictatorship fuelled by Nazi ideology, the Department of Justice said. Kandula had pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024 to a charge of willful injury or depredation of US property. Born in Chandanagar, India, he was a was a lawful permanent resident of the US with a green card. In addition to the prison term, District Court Judge Dabney L Friedrich ordered Kandula to serve three years of supervised release. The Indian national flew on a commercial flight from St Louis, Missouri, to Washington D.C. on the afternoon of May 22, 2023, connecting through another airport on a one-way airline ticket, according to court documents, and arrived at Dulles International Airport about 5:20 pm, wherein he rented a truck at 6:30 pm. He .

India welcomes Gaza ceasefire agreement with release of hostages: MEA

India on Wednesday welcomed the announcement on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal which would halt the war in Gaza and see the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the US and mediators Qatar have said. The deal between Israel and Hamas came after months and it is expected to come into effect on Sunday if both sides fully approve it. In its reaction, India hoped that the agreement would lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. "We welcome the announcement of the agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "We hope this will lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza," it said in a statement. The MEA added: "We have consistently called for release of all hostages, ceasefire, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy." The full details of th

MEA welcomes Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel, Hamas

India on Thursday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. The announcement on the deal comes after 15 months of conflict in Gaza. In its reaction, India hoped that the agreement will lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. "We welcome the announcement of the agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "We have consistently called for release of all hostages, ceasefire, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," it said.

Singapore President T Shanmugaratnam arrives on 5-day India visit

President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam arrived here on Tuesday night on a five-day visit that aims to further boost bilateral ties in a range of areas. Shanmugaratnam, accompanied by a high-level delegation, was received at the airport by Union Minister Jitin Prasada. It is his first visit to India as the Singapore president. "A special celebration of 60th anniversary of #IndiaSingapore diplomatic relations. President @Tharman_S of Singapore arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'. On Thursday, Tharman will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In the evening, he will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu following which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet him. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Tharman's visit is expected to provide further momentum to the bilateral relations. "President Tharman's visit is expected to provide further momentum to bilateral relatio

Jaishankar expresses confidence in continued growth of US-India relations

EAM emphasised the robust development across various aspects of bilateral ties between the US and India

US-India is one of the greatest relationships: US ambassador Eric Garcetti

Garcetti, who was visibly nostalgic, said that the relationship of the US with India was one of the greatest relationships they have ever known

Singapore prez Tharman Shanmugaratnam to begin India visit on Tuesday

President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be on a five-day visit to India beginning Tuesday with an aim to give new momentum to the ties between the two countries. It will be Shanmugaratnam's first visit to India as Singapore president. Shanmugaratnam will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in statement, announcing the visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with the Singaporean president. "The President of the Republic of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam will pay a State visit to India from January 14-18. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, members of parliament and officials," the MEA said. Shanmugaratnam will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 16. He will also visit Odisha from January 17-18. "India and Singapore have extensive cooperation based on a long tradition of friendship,

Indonesian President Subianto set to grace R-Day parade as chief guest

History beckons as Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto attends India's Republic Day function as chief guest amid growing ties between the two countries in a shifting global landscape

PM Modi to attend AI Action Summit in France on Feb 10-11: French Prez

During a press briefing about the summit, the French Presidency announced that 90 countries, including India, had been invited to participate for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit

MoS Margherita to visit Philippines, Palau, Micronesia from Jan 14-21

According to the MEA, this visit is expected to strengthen India's partnership with the Philippines, Palau, and FSM, aligning with India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision

Germany trying to stem illegal migration, protect liberal stance: Ackermann

Germany is trying to reduce the illegal migration while protecting its very liberal immigration policy at the same time, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann has said. He made the remarks during an interview with former Indian Diplomat Vijay Gokhale at Pune Public Policy Festival, on the topic - 'Trump's world: How the rest will deal with political change in the United States.' Responding to a question related to Germany being bearing the brunt of immigration, Ackermann said the core of the country's internal politics is migrational. "You have to imagine that 30 per cent of the German population has one non-German parent and 20 per cent of the German population (German nationals) have two non-German parents. "Basically, our country has turned in the last 20 -25 years to a complete immigration country, therefore saying that closing the door is absurd because we have lived from migration and from migration," he said. He claimed that Germany has the most liberal immigration l

Om Birla chairs CSPOC committee meet as India to host conference next year

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday made a strong pitch for the use of artificial intelligence and social media in the working of parliaments. Birla made these remarks while chairing the standing committee meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments of Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) in Guernsey. India is hosting the 28th CSPOC next year. Birla said India is witnessing massive transformation in several sectors, such as agriculture, fintech, AI, and research and innovation. He said delegates attending the CSPOC would experience a unique blend of heritage and progress of the country. Last year, the Lok Sabha adopted artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to enhance the accessibility of parliamentary proceedings to lawmakers. These cutting-edge technologies are used to provide regional language translations for Members of Parliament and make available parliamentary papers in different languages. Birla highlighted the impo

EAM Jaishankar calls Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event 'highly successful'

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday described the three-day 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held here as highly successful. Speaking about the event, Jaishankar, who arrived here on January 8 to oversee preparations, said, "The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is going very well. Shortly, President Droupadi Murmu will arrive for the valedictory session. I believe this has been a highly successful event." The minister appreciated the cultural programmes held during the event, saying Thursday's performance beautifully highlighted the connection between India and its diaspora. "Everyone must have seen Thursday's cultural programme, which beautifully showcased the bond between India and its diaspora," he added. Jaishankar also met students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University during the event. In a post on X, he wrote, "Pleased to meet young scholars from Harvard and MIT on an India familiarization tour today on the sidelines of ...

Indian-origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya announces bid to become next PM

Known as a long-time loyalist of Justin Trudeau, Arya's announcement came two days after Trudeau resigned amid growing discontent within the Liberal Party

EAM stresses on importance of diaspora as India builds 'global workforce'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday stressed on the importance of the diaspora as India strives to build a "global workforce". Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention here, Jaishankar said that in times of difficulty abroad, they can be confident that the Narendra Modi government "has got your back". "We are proud of the achievements of our Indian diaspora," he said. "In a globalised era, the diaspora has become more important with each passing year, whether it is technology, best practices or resources, be it tourism, trade or investment, the two-way flow is invaluable as we strive to build a global workforce," Jaishankar said. The minister said the role of the diaspora is immense as they act as the bridge between India and the countries where they live. He said the people-centric changes that the Modi government is promoting are also benefitting the diaspora. "This could enhance the ease of doing business, promote ease of living a

In first high level engagement with Taliban, foreign secy meets Afghan FM

In the meeting, India's foreign sceretary Vikram Misri underlined India's historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people to people contacts between the two countries

Rajnath Singh to meet Maldivian counterpart for high-level defence talks

The visit included high-level discussions and the signing of key agreements to advance development cooperation, marking a significant step in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two nations

It will be a great Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: EAM after reaching Bhubaneshwar

Jaishankar was seen arriving at the bedecked airport with his wife Kyoko Jaishankar, and appreciated the arrangements

For extradition, offender gets protections: Ex-official on Hasina's arrest

ICT issued an arrest warrant against Hasina and 10 others, including her former Defence Adviser Major General (retired) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and former IGP Benazir Ahmed