Washington: President Joe Biden is set to host the first in-person gathering of leaders of an Indo-Pacific alliance known as " the Quad on Friday, wrapping up a tough week of diplomacy in which he faced no shortage of criticism from both allies and adversaries.
Biden's meeting with leaders from India, Japan and Australia at the White House gives the US president a chance to put the spotlight on a central aim of his foreign policy: turning greater attention to the Pacific in the face of what the US sees as China's coercive economic practices and unsettling military maneuvering in the region. The four leaders' talks are also expected to centre on climate, COVID-19 response and cyber security.
Before the summit, the Japanese and Indian governments welcomed a recent announcement that the US, as part of a separate new alliance with Britain and Australia, would equip Australia with nucle.....
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Hon’ble Scott Morrison on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, USA, on 23 September 2021.
This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in the post-pandemic period. The last bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Morrison was the Leaders’ Virtual Summit held on 4 June 2020 when the Strategic Partnership between India and Australia was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
During the meeting, the Prime Ministers discussed a broad range of issues of bilateral, regional and global importance. They noted with satisfaction the regular high-level engagements between the two countries, including the recently held first India-Australia Foreign and Defence Ministers’ 2+2 Dialogue.
The Prime Ministers reviewed the pr.....
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described India and America as “natural partners” as he held the first in-person meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House during which they decided to further cement the Indo-US strategic partnership and discussed global issues of common interest, including threats to democracy, Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific.
“India and America are natural partners. We have similar values, similar geopolitical interests,” Modi said in a joint media appearance with Harris, the first-ever person of Indian origin to be elected as the vice-president of the United States.
Noting that India and the US are the largest and oldest democracies, Modi said the two countries share values and their coordination and cooperation is also gradually increasing.
“You are the source of inspiration for so many people across the worl.....
Washington: The US has ruled out adding India or Japan to the new trilateral security partnership with Australia and Britain to meet the challenges of the 21st century in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.
On September 15, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson jointly announced the formation of the trilateral security alliance AUKUS under which Australia would get a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the first time.
“The announcement of AUKUS last week was not meant to be an indication, and I think this is the message the President also sent to (French President Emmanuel) Macron, that there is no one else who will be involved in security in the Indo-Pacific,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Wednesday.
Psaki was responding to a question if countries li.....
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commended the Indian Diaspora for distinguishing itself across the world, as he received an enthusiastic welcome from the community on his arrival here on a major visit to further enhance Indo-US relations.
Modi was warmly greeted by groups of Indian-Americans at the airport soon after his plane landed here on Wednesday and later at the hotel where he had an interaction with the members of the community.
Grateful to the Indian community in Washington DC for the warm welcome. Our diaspora is our strength, Modi said in a tweet along with a set of pictures of his interaction with Indian-American CEOs.
It is commendable how the Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world, Modi said.
One of the signature events of Prime Minister Modi's overseas visits has been his meetings with the diaspora community in large gatherings.
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Washington: President Joe Biden's decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. They're feeling left out and seeing it as a return to the Trump era.
The security initiative, unveiled this week, appears to have brought Biden's summer of love with Europe to an abrupt end. AUKUS, which notably excludes France and the European Union, is just the latest in a series of steps, from Afghanistan to east Asia, that have taken Europe aback.
After promising European leaders that America is back and that multilateral diplomacy would guide US foreign policy, Biden has alienated numerous allies with a go-it-alone approach on key issues. France's foreign minister expressed total incomprehension at the recent move, which he called a stab in the back, and the EU's foreign policy chief complained that Europe h.....
Australian agricultural sector is poised to smash production value records this year, with our pandemic-defying farmers propelling the sector to $73 billion.
This is up from lasts year production of $66 billion that had to be revised during last year from an initial estimate of $60 billion because of better seasonal conditions.
Over the last decade agricultural production in Australia will now estimate to have grown $26 billion from $47 billion in in 2011-12 which is a stellar performance despite drought, fire floods and infestations.
Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the ABARES’s Agricultural Commodities: September Quarter report forecasts an 8% increase in the value of production above the 2020/21 record.
“This is remarkable in unprecedented economic times, and plenty of industries in Australia haven’t seen that kind of growth,.....
PM Scott Morrison recollects the events unfolded on September 11 20 years back and pays tribute to US and its people.
There are moments in time when things we thought were certain can change in a heartbeat and we know that nothing will ever be the same again.
We recall exactly where we were, what we were doing, and the shock we felt as the foundations of our world seemed to shake.
September 11, 2001 in the United States was one of those days.
That night in Sydney, as dawn broke in America, Jen and I were at home having a quiet evening together watching television. When the news broke through, we sat and watched in numb disbelief.
Twenty years have now passed since New York and Washington were attacked. On this anniversary, we remember and honour the 2,977 people who lost their lives on that day and the many more since.
Our hearts go out to the families of the 10 Austral.....
The McGowan Labor Government is creating a $750 million Climate Action Fund in the 2021-22 State Budget to develop climate-resilient communities and a prosperous low-carbon future.
Building on the Western Australian Climate Policy, the Climate Action Fund invests in sustainable WA jobs and industry innovation while protecting and enhancing the State's unique environmental heritage values and assets.
The McGowan Government is committed to transitioning the Western Australian economy to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The State Budget delivers a suite of measures designed to address the threat of climate change and help industry flourish to create sustainable jobs.
The McGowan Government's Climate Action Fund includes:
$350 million to significantly expand the State's softwood plantation estate, creating jobs and increasing sustainability of the industry;
$206 mill.....
The McGowan Labor Government has committed an additional $884 million in the 2021-22 State Budget to social housing and initiatives to prevent and tackle homelessness.
This latest investment lifts the total amount allocated by the McGowan Government to social housing and homelessness measures to more than $2.5 billion over the next four years.
New social housing and homelessness initiatives in the 2021-22 Budget include:
a $750 million Social Housing Investment Fund to substantially increase Western Australia's stock which, with other initiatives in the Budget, will ...
The McGowan Labor Government's 2021-22 State Budget released today shows Western Australia's economy is one of the strongest in the nation and the world, highlighting the importance of a strong COVID-19 response for economic success.
Strong economic activity has been underpinned by household and business confidence, driven by WA's successful efforts to crush the virus quickly and roll-out a vaccination program.
Since the start of the pandemic, WA's domestic economy has grown by 5.7 per cent - around double the growth of the rest of the country. Based on OECD national economic statistics, this would place WA amongst the best performing economies in the world.
Western Australia's domestic economy grew by 4.3 per cent in 2020-21, the strongest of the States for a second year in a row. This comes after every State's economy, except WA, contracted in 2019-20.
Treasury estimates WA.....
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the start-up culture has become very vibrant in India with youngsters in even smaller cities embracing it, and asserted that it is a sign of India's bright future.
In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio broadcast, Modi also noted that space sector reforms in the country have caught the people's imagination and expressed confidence that a large number of satellites in the coming days will be developed by youngsters from universities, labs and other sectors.
The prime minister touched upon a host of topics, including India's rich spiritual tradition and the boost the sporting culture has received after the performance in the Tokyo Olympics, in the address and also paid glowing tributes to hockey legend Dhyan Chand, saying he conquered the world of hockey for the country.
The National Sports Day is celebrated every year on Au.....