
UAE, India reinforce robust strategic partnership
They discussed ways to boost ties in areas that support sustainable development and shared prosperity, reaffirming commitment to building on their comprehensive strategic partnership.
During the phone conversation, Sheikh Mohamed congratulated Modi on becoming the second longest-serving Prime Minister in India's history, wishing him continued success.
Modi thanked His Highness for his warm words and praised the enduring friendship between the UAE and India.

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Arabian Post
an hour ago
- Arabian Post
Linux Foundation India Builds on First Year with New Alliances
The Open Source Summit India 2025 marks a significant milestone for Linux Foundation India, celebrating a year of growth, new partnerships, and a strengthened commitment to the country's burgeoning open-source ecosystem. With a focus on key sectors such as agriculture, finance, manufacturing, and AI, the foundation is poised to play a pivotal role in advancing digital transformation across multiple industries. The summit, held in Bengaluru, serves as a platform for discussing emerging trends, fostering collaboration, and addressing the future of open-source technology in India. Leaders from across the tech sector convened to explore how open-source solutions are accelerating innovation, driving inclusivity, and enabling new economic opportunities. Notably, this year's event highlights a series of strategic alliances formed by the Linux Foundation India, which aims to address specific needs in sectors vital to the country's economy. Agriculture, traditionally a sector dominated by conventional technology, is witnessing a shift towards open-source solutions aimed at improving productivity and sustainability. Farmers and agritech companies are increasingly adopting open-source platforms to streamline operations, from precision farming techniques to weather forecasting. Open-source software is allowing for greater flexibility, reducing costs, and enabling more sustainable practices, which is vital for a country where agriculture employs over 50% of the population. ADVERTISEMENT In the finance sector, the adoption of open-source solutions is growing rapidly, driven by the need for cost-effective and scalable systems. Financial institutions are turning to open-source software to enhance data security, simplify transactions, and reduce reliance on expensive proprietary systems. Key players in the Indian fintech space are also exploring open-source blockchain solutions to improve transparency and security in financial transactions. Open-source software, with its collaborative nature, offers a more adaptable approach to rapidly evolving financial markets, especially in India's increasingly digital economy. Manufacturing, another cornerstone of India's economy, is also benefiting from open-source innovations. With the rise of Industry 4.0, open-source platforms are driving automation, improving supply chain management, and enabling smarter production lines. By leveraging open-source software, manufacturing firms are able to reduce costs associated with proprietary systems and foster innovation through greater collaboration. Additionally, open-source platforms are helping businesses integrate emerging technologies like the Internet of Things and machine learning, making manufacturing processes more efficient and resilient. Artificial Intelligence is another area where open-source solutions are making a major impact. AI, once seen as a niche area, has gained widespread adoption in India, with a particular focus on healthcare, education, and urban infrastructure. Open-source AI tools are lowering barriers to entry for startups and researchers, enabling them to create advanced models without the high costs associated with proprietary software. Furthermore, the Linux Foundation's initiatives are facilitating greater collaboration within India's AI ecosystem, allowing developers to share insights, tools, and techniques in an open environment. The Linux Foundation India's role in expanding the open-source movement across these sectors is a testament to its commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. The foundation's partnerships with government agencies, educational institutions, and the private sector aim to ensure that open-source software remains accessible to all, regardless of geographical or financial limitations. By supporting grassroots initiatives and working closely with local communities, the Linux Foundation India is also contributing to the country's digital inclusion agenda.


Arabian Post
7 hours ago
- Arabian Post
Bangladesh To Witness A Fierce Battle Between BNP And NCP In General Elections In February 26
By Nitya Chakraborty Bangladesh is finally going for national elections in February 2026 ending all speculations in the political circles in Dhaka in the last one year since the abdication of the earlier Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power on August 5, 2024. Chief Adviser of the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus announced the elections in next February officially on the anniversary day of the fall of Awami League government. Now the Election Commission will follow it up by announcing the exact dates and the guidelines. The last general elections were held in January 2024. The Awami League won the 2024 general elections following a record low voter turnout amidst big controversy about the conduct of the poll. The AL league formed the Government again under the Prime Ministership of Sheikh Hasina. The United States Department of State stated after the results were out that the election was not free and fair and the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office termed the election lacking the preconditions of democracy. According to The Economist, through this election, 'Bangladesh effectively became a one-party state'. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition party boycotted the polls. Indian Government took the election results as valid and normal. Former Prime Minister and the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was sentenced to prison for five years on 8 February 2018, for her involvement in the Zia Orphanage corruption case. The sentence was then modified to 10 years. Zia's successor as chair of the party, her son Tarique Rahman, was also found guilty of criminal conspiracy and multiple counts of murder for a grenade attack in 2004 that injured Hasina and killed 24 people. He was sentenced to life in prison. As such, he was barred from running for office. Now Khaleda Zia, after coming back to Dhaka after her treatment in London, has taken charge of the party. BNP has announced that he will contest the parliamentary polls. So if BNP wins, there is a probability that Khaleda Zia will be the Prime Minister again. Her son Tarique Rahman, the second in command is based in London. He will be back shortly after the cases involving him are disposed of. As the preparations of the political parties start in right earnest after the formal announcement, the BNP which formed the government three times earlier is placed in the most comfortable position. The Party has branches in every rural villages and active members. The BNP has close connections both with a good section of Bangladesh army as also bureaucracy. BNP has established and strengthened its links with both the USA and China. Presently, the party's links with China are very close. The main rival of the BNP is the new party of the anti discrimination students struggle body National Citizen Party NCP). This party was set up on February 28 this year. Only five months old, the party has not yet spread its organization to every level of the villages as compared to BNP. But the NCP leaders are popular among the young generation. On the basis of their programme of building a New Bangladesh announced on August 3, the NCP leaders are campaigning in a big way. They will put candidates in all the constituencies though, there is every possibility that after some time, the NCP may agree to align with other anti-BNP forces. The NCP has a pro people programme relating to workers and peasants. But they are out and out anti India since they feel that India helped the AL PM Sheikh Hasina to survive and continue her anti-people activities. The NCP contains both fringe left elements, some of them pro-Chinese as also fundamentalist elements who have broken away with Jamaat- e Islami. The NCP considers BNP equally a fascist force like Awami League. The former ruling party Awami League has been banned from taking part in the 2026 elections. The Awami League leaders are talking of legal intervention but the possibility of their inclusion in 2026 polls is nil as the laws have already been amended. The AL can not expect much assistance from international human rights or legal groups. But the Awami League has support base. A recent opinion poll said that AL may get about 15 per cent of the votes if allowed to fight elections. This is a substantial figure considering the fact that Awami League is working under repressive environment and their supporters are not functioning openly. For the first time, since the 1991 general election, the BNP has decided to participate in the elections on its own, without being in alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami. In an interview given in August 2024, BNP general secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed that the party had broken off its alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami. Reports about a renewal of BNP-Jamaat alliance resurfaced following Khaleda Zia being visited by the Jamaat Amir Shafiqur Rahman in London in April 2025, but last month, BNP representative Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated that the party will no longer seek alliance with Jamat-e-Islami. In fact Jamaat leaders strongly condemned BNP a few days back and called the party having fascist traits like Awami League. The 350 members of the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) consist of 300 directly elected seats using first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) in single-member constituencies, and an additional 50 seats reserved for women. The reserved seats are elected proportionally by the elected members. Each parliament sits for a five-year term. The Election Commission and the concerned committee on electoral reforms will shortly come out with revamped guidelines with the objective of expanding democracy. The small parties have been talking of proportional representation for a long time but the two big parties BNP and AL have been opposing that. It is to be seen what are the final recommendations on electoral reforms. More than 40 political parties are registered in Bangladesh. But the three parties which matter in the February elections are BNP, NCP and Jamaat. As the political mood stands now, one opinion poll has put BNP at the top with 37 per cent and NCP with 15 per cent, Jamaat at 5 per cent. This is too early since the NCP is sure to improve its voting. Further, if BNP and NCP opt for their respective alliances, then the NCP front will get a boost with its tie up with Jamaat. Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus is closer to NCP-Jamaat combo compared to the BNP. His close sources say that he will not be actively associated with any political combination. But nothing can be ruled out as Dr. Yunus has tasted political power and he is enjoying it. If there is a hung Parliament after February 2026 elections, Dr. Yunus may emerge as a consensus candidate, many analysts believe. (IPA Service)

Gulf Today
12 hours ago
- Gulf Today
India holds rates as expected but flags risks from US tariffs
India's central bank held key interest rates steady on Wednesday as expected, saying the economy remains steady, even though economists expect steep US tariffs on Indian exports and subdued inflation to open room for limited further easing. India faces the imposition of a 25% tariff on its shipments to the US from Friday, and President Donald Trump has warned of "very substantial" additional levies because of New Delhi's oil imports from Russia. Global trade challenges continue to linger but prospects for the Indian economy remain "bright", Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in statement. The six-member rate-setting panel voted unanimously to hold the key repo rate at 5.50% and decided to continue with a "neutral' policy stance. While headline inflation is much lower than expected, it is largely due to volatile food prices and is set to rise towards the end of the year, Malhotra said. A large majority of economists, 44 of 57, had forecast a pause in a July 18-24 Reuters poll, following a surprise 50 basis point cut in June. The central bank has cut the policy repo rate by 100 bps so far in 2025 as price pressures eased. A majority of economists see room for limited further easing, but some say that low inflation and trade uncertainties could prompt another 50 bps of rate cuts. "The ongoing transmission of past monetary easing and the evolving global backdrop appear to have placed the RBI firmly in wait-and-watch mode," said Sujan Hajra, chief economist at Anand Rathi Group in Mumbai. "This points to room for an additional 50 bps reduction," Hazra said. Bond yields rose after the policy announcement, with traders saying the policy statement lacked any obvious dovishness, leaving the market divided on the direction of interest rates. The RBI's rate cutting cycle is at an end, said Capital Economics in a note. Prior to this policy meeting, a Reuters poll of economists had forecast one more 25 bps rate cut in the current cycle. The central bank left its economic growth forecast unchanged at 6.5%, even though economists have said the higher US tariffs could shave off up to 40 basis points from that level, while stunting business investment. Just weeks ago, Indian officials had hoped to strike a deal that would cap tariffs at 15%. Agencies