UAE to invest $2 billion to set up food parks in India with Israel’s technical support

News Network
July 14, 2022

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The government of the United Arab Emirates and the private sector of the United States will invest in a $2 billion project to set up agricultural parks in India with technical support from Israel.

The project is likely to be announced at the first I2U2 summit which will be held later on Thursday. The summit will see the leaders of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States exploring joint initiatives to contribute to food security around the world amid disruptions in the global supply chain for agricultural products due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, will virtually join President Joe Biden of the US and Prime Minister Yair Lapid of Israel for a summit, which will launch a new four-nation bloc called I2U2. The leaders of the four nations will discuss cooperation in agricultural technology as well as for ensuring global food security.

 “There will be a significant announcement around food security and agricultural technology, which is an area where all four countries can come together to help deal with an immediate crisis facing the entire world,” Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, told journalists aboard the ‘Air Force One’, the special aircraft of the US president, en route to Tel Aviv.

The food prices around the world skyrocketed over the past few months as Russia deployed warships to block grain exports from Ukraine’s port on the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Turkey, however, on Wednesday hosted talks among representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations. The Turkish government later claimed to have made some progress towards resuming supply of grains from the ports of the East European nation.

Biden is on his maiden tour to Israel after taking over as the US president in January 2021. He and his host Lapid will later in the day virtually join Modi and Mohamed bin Zayed for the first I2U2 (Israel, India, US, UAE) summit.

“And we’ll have a $2 billion project, which the UAE is helping to fund, for agricultural parks in India, which is focused on the food security challenge, among some other things that will be announced,” a senior US official said, adding: “We’ll have some more details about it tomorrow (July 15). Israel is lending some of its technological expertise apart from some support from the US private sector.”

The I2U2 was conceived when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in October 2021 and joined his then counterpart in the Government of Israel, Yair Lapid, to hold a virtual meeting with Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Foreign Minister of the UAE.

Lapid later took over as the Prime Minister on July 1 last, succeeding Naftali Bennett.

Sullivan cited India’s long-standing ties and engagement in the Middle East when he was asked by a journalist why the US wanted the South Asian nation to be a part of the new bloc being informally called the “West Asian Quad”. He also referred to India’s relationships not just with the Gulf countries, but also with Israel. “And, so just as the United States can play a critical and central role in helping deepen Israel’s integration into the region, India has a role to play in that as well.”

“So bringing together Israel, India, and the United Arab Emirates, especially around an issue where the four countries have unique capacities on agricultural technology, leading to greater food production and an alleviation of the food security challenge — this is the kind of thing that really fulfils the President’s (Joe Biden’s) vision of a more integrated, more globally engaged Middle East across the board,” said the US National Security Advisor.

He also added that the US was keen to take its engagement with Israel and the rest of Middle East beyond the one focussed only on terrorism and wars. “This is a different kind of approach, and it’s about expanding partnerships, expanding the geography rather than contracting or narrowing it,” said the US NSA.

He said that the I2U2 could become a feature of the broader region, just as the Quad had become a central pillar of the Indo-Pacific strategy of the US.

The Quad is a coalition forged by India, Australia, Japan and the US to counter China’s expansionist aspirations in the Indo-Pacific region.

The I2U2 is aimed to encourage joint investments in six mutually identified areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in New Delhi on Tuesday, adding: “It intends to mobilise private sector capital and expertise to help modernise the infrastructure, low carbon development pathways for our industries, improve public health and promote the development of critical emerging and green technologies”.

India's move to join the US, the UAE and Israel in the new bloc reflected its keenness to take advantage of the Abraham Accords to deepen engagement with Israel without risking its relations with the Arab nations of the Persian Gulf. 

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News Network
September 15,2024

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New Delhi: Two days after he was granted bail and walked out of prison after six months, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced his shock resignation from the top post at a party meeting this afternoon. "Two days later, I will resign as Chief Minister. I will not sit on that chair till the people announce their verdict. Elections in Delhi are months away. I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the people's court. I will sit on the Chief Minister's chair only after the order of the people," he said. 

"I want to ask the people of Delhi, is Kejriwal innocent or guilty? If I have worked, vote for me," he said, adding that a meeting of AAP MLAs will be held within the next two days to choose the new Chief Minister for the national capital.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said a member of the party will be named Chief Minister after his resignation. He said he would go among the people and ask for their support. Mr Kejriwal also demanded that the elections in the national capital, scheduled for February, be held in November along with the polls in Maharashtra.

In his address to the AAP workers, Mr Kejriwal launched an all-out attack against the Narendra Modi government and said it was more dictatorial than the British.

He said he did not resign as Chief Minister despite being arrested because he wanted to save democracy. "They have registered cases against (Karnataka Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah, (Kerala Chief Minister) Pinarayi Vijayan, (Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata didi (Banerjee). I want to appeal to non-BJP, do not resign if they register cases against you. This is their new game," he said.

Mr Kejriwal said he had also spoken to former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia about the issue. Mr Sisodia too was recently granted bail in connection with corruption allegations surrounding Delhi's now-scrapped liquor policy. "I spoke to Manish, he too has said that he will handle the post only after the people say we are honest. My and Sisodia's fate are in your hands now," he said.

Responding to the shocking development, BJP's Harish Khurana questioned why the AAP leader is creating a drama. "Why after 48 hours? he should resign today. In the past too, he has done this. People of Delhi are asking, he can't go to the secretariat, can't sign documents? What is the point then?" Asked if the BJP was ready for early polls, Mr Khurana replied, "We are ready, whether it is today or tomorrow. We will return to power in Delhi after 25 years."

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News Network
September 16,2024

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New Delhi: With Arvind Kejriwal announcing that he will resign as Delhi Chief Minister soon and return to office only after the people's verdict on the allegations of corruption against him, the big question is who in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will get the top job.

Assembly polls in Delhi are due in February next year, even though Mr Kejriwal yesterday demanded that the election be held in November along with the Maharashtra polls. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, too, has said he will go to the people and return to the top office only after re-election. This effectively means that the top leaders of AAP are not in the race for the Chief Minister's post.

Even though this Chief Ministerial stint will only be for a few months, the AAP leadership would be looking to choose a prominent leader who can articulate the party's position on key issues and has wide acceptability among the party ranks.

Here are five leaders who can make the cut

Atishi:

Delhi Minister Atishi, holding key portfolios such as education and PWD, is one of the key contenders. An Oxford University alumnus and a Rhodes scholar, Ms Atishi has worked extensively in the AAP's flagship exercise to overhaul education in Delhi's schools. An MLA from Kalkaji, the 43-year-old became a minister after Mr Sisodia was arrested in a corruption case linked to Delhi's now-scrapped liquor policy. When Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia were behind bars, Atishi articulated the party's position. On August 15, Mr Kejriwal chose her to hoist the tricolour at Delhi government's Independence Day event. While Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena foiled the plan, it was clear that the AAP leadership places a lot of faith in Ms Atishi.

Saurabh Bharadwaj: 

Mr Bharadwaj is a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash and holds portfolios such as vigilance and health in the Arvind Kejriwal government. He, too, was named a minister after Mr Sisodia's arrest in the liquor policy case. Mr Bharadwaj, who has worked as a software engineer in the past, was also a minister in Arvind Kejriwal's 49-day government. He is also a national spokesperson of the AAP and was articulating the party's position when its top leaders were in jail after being arrested by central agencies in corruption cases.

Raghav Chadha: 

A member of the AAP's national executive and political affairs committee, Mr Chadha is a Rajya Sabha MP from the party and one of its top faces. Mr Chadha has earlier worked as a chartered accountant and has been in the AAP since its inception. He has been an MLA from Rajinder Nagar and played a key role in the AAP's thumping victory in Punjab in the 2022 state polls. The 35-year-old is among the most prominent young politicians in the country and is known for articulating AAP's position on key issues in Parliament.
Kailash Gahlot: 

Kailash Gahlot:

A lawyer by profession, Mr Gahlot is among the senior members of the AAP government in Delhi and holds key portfolios such as transport, finance and home affairs. The 50-year-old leader is MLA from Delhi's Najafgarh constituency since 2015. An advocate who has practised in both Delhi High Court and Supreme Court, he has served as a member executive in the high court bar association between 2005 and 2007

Sanjay Singh: 

A Rajya Sabha MP since 2018, Sanjay Singh is one of the AAP's most prominent faces known for his spirited speeches in Parliament. The 52-year-old leader is among the founder members of the party and is a member of its national executive and political affairs committee. He is also a regular in the party's media interactions to articulate its position on key issues. Sanjay Singh was also arrested in connection to a corruption case linked to the Delhi liquor policy case and is currently out on bail, like Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia.

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News Network
September 8,2024

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In a heartbreaking incident, a beautiful journey of love and new beginnings was abruptly shattered by a tragic accident on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway at Talapady in Bantwal taluk on Saturday, September 7.

Manasa, a newlywed bride, lost her life in a devastating car accident, leaving her husband, Aneesh Krishna, critically injured.

The couple, who had just begun their marital journey on September 5, was returning from a temple visit to settle dues when fate took a cruel turn. Their Alto car, in which they were traveling from B C Road towards Mangaluru, skidded off course after the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to jump the divider and collide head-on with a KSRTC bus.

In the blink of an eye, their world crumbled. The impact was so severe that their car was left mangled, with Manasa tragically losing her life at the scene. Aneesh, fighting for his life, has been rushed to a private hospital in Mangaluru.

Manasa and Aneesh, both professionals working in a private company in Mangaluru, had dreams of a life together, filled with shared moments and cherished memories. The couple's love story, celebrated just days ago with their wedding at the Denthadka Temple, now echoes in the hearts of their grieving families, forever marred by this tragic accident.

The Melkar police arrived swiftly at the scene and have begun their investigation, hoping to bring clarity to this devastating event.

In the aftermath of this tragic accident, the community mourns the loss of a young bride and prays for the recovery of a husband left fighting for his life.

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