President Biden to visit India from Sept 7-10 to attend G-20 Summit
Washington (PTI): US President Joe Biden will travel to India from September 7 to 10 to attend the G-20 Leaders' Summit during which he will discuss with other leaders a range of global issues, including the Ukraine conflict, the White House announced on Tuesday.
President Biden will also commend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership of the G20, the White House said in a statement.
The G20 world leaders' summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. The summit is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in India. India assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022, from Indonesia.
“President Biden and G20 partners will discuss a range of joint efforts to tackle global issues, including on the clean energy transition and combatting climate change, mitigating the economic and social impacts of Putin’s war in Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"Increasing the capacity of multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, to better fight poverty, including by addressing global challenges,” she said in a statement.
While in New Delhi, President Biden will also commend Prime Minister Modi’s leadership of the G20 and reaffirm the US commitment to the G20 as the premier forum of economic cooperation, including by hosting it in 2026, Jean-Pierre added.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Biden's talks with leaders on the sidelines of the summit will focus on climate change, Russia's war in Ukraine and other global challenges.
The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies.
The members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.
The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.
From September 4-7, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit and engage with leaders from the Indo-Pacific, Jean-Pierre said.
Harris and ASEAN leaders will review the unprecedented expansion in US-ASEAN relations under the Biden-Harris Administration and the vice president will reaffirm the United States’ enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and ASEAN centrality, the press secretary said.
“This visit builds on President Biden’s participation in the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2022, his virtual participation in the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit in November 2021, and the President’s and Vice President’s engagements with ASEAN leaders at the historic May 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, D.C.
"This is the Vice President’s third trip to Southeast Asia in the past two years, and builds on her August 2021 visit to Singapore and Vietnam and her November 2022 visit to Thailand and the Philippines,” Jean-Pierre said.
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Chandrashekhar Swamiji apologises for remark on denying voting rights to Muslims
"If my statement has upset our Muslim brothers, I deeply regret it."
Bengaluru: Kumara Chandrashekharanath Swamiji, head of the Vishva Okkaliga Mahasansthana Mutt, has expressed regret over his controversial statement suggesting that "Muslims should be denied voting rights."
In a press release, Swamiji clarified, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
He further added, "Okkaligas are inherently tolerant of all religions. We have always treated people of every faith equally. Our Mutt maintains cordial relations with Muslims, and they frequently visit us. Similarly, we attend their weddings and other joyous occasions. Hence, there is no intolerance towards this community." Swamiji appealed to the public to disregard the controversy surrounding his remark.
The controversial statement was made during a farmers' rally, ‘Raita Gharjana,’ organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Karnataka Pradesh, at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Swamiji had said, "A law should be enacted to deny voting rights to the Muslim community, and the Wakf Board should be abolished."
The remark drew widespread criticism from political leaders and the public alike. Following the backlash, Swamiji issued his apology, stating, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
