India’s Rajasthan state seeks Saudi investment with roadshow in Riyadh, Jeddah 

India’s Rajasthan state seeks Saudi investment with roadshow in Riyadh, Jeddah 
Rajasthan’s Minister of State for Industry and Commerce, K. K. Vishnoi leads a delegation in a meeting with the Saudi Assistant Minister of Investment, Ibrahim Yousef Al-Mubarak, on Nov. 4, 2024. (Indian Embassy in )
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Updated 04 November 2024

India’s Rajasthan state seeks Saudi investment with roadshow in Riyadh, Jeddah 

India’s Rajasthan state seeks Saudi investment with roadshow in Riyadh, Jeddah 
  • Rajasthan is aiming to double its state GDP to $350 billion in next five years
  • State seeks Saudi investment in engineering, food processing, agro-solutions 

NEW DELHI: The government of India’s Rajasthan state is seeking Saudi investment in its growing industries, its minister told Arab News on Monday as he leads an official delegation to meet investors and business leaders in the Kingdom. 

Rajasthan, India’s largest state by area, is gearing up to host a global investment summit in its capital Jaipur next month as part of the goal to double the state’s gross domestic product to $350 billion in the next five years. 

The summit is aimed at attracting international investors and fostering new partnerships in various sectors, including renewable energy, electric vehicles, infrastructure, startups and tourism. 

Ahead of the event, the state government has organized a roadshow in Riyadh and Jeddah this week to invite Saudi officials and business players to invest in Rajasthan. 

“ is one of the largest and key economies in the West Asian region that is of immense significance to Rajasthan from the perspective of furthering trade and other partnerships,” Rajasthan’s Minister of State for Industry and Commerce K. K. Vishnoi, told Arab News. 

“The sectors that remain our key focus from the perspective of seeking Saudi investment include engineering, machinery and equipment, investment advisory, agro solutions, food processing and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) distribution, among others.” 

Rajasthan officials are scheduled to meet leading Saudi companies operating in these sectors, and will present the state’s strategic advantages while also offering key incentives to potential investors, he added. 

As part of his visit to the Kingdom, Vishnoi held talks on Monday with the Saudi Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Yousef Al-Mubarak, according to a release issued by the state government. 

“The delegation will also extend an invitation to the Kingdom of to participate in the investment summit as a partner country,” it said. 

is India’s fifth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at about $43 billion in the 2023-2024 financial year, accounting for more than 4.5 percent of India’s total trade. 


Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids
Updated 11 sec ago

Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids
  • Move would allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind
  • Since June, the Los Angeles region has been a battleground in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration strategy
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles County officials will vote Tuesday on whether to declare a state of emergency that would give them power to provide assistance for residents they say have suffered financially from ongoing federal immigration raids.
The move would allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind as a result of the crackdown on immigrants. A local state of emergency can also funnel state money for legal aid and other services.
Funds for rent would be available to people who apply via an online portal that would be launched within two months, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office said. The motion could also be a first step toward an eviction moratorium, but that would require a separate action by the supervisors.
Landlords worried it could be another financial hit after an extended ban on evictions and rental increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since June, the Los Angeles region has been a battleground in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for more than a month. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the US from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms. Some US citizens have also been detained.
Horvath and Janice Hahn said the raids have spread fear and destabilized households and businesses.
“They are targeting families, disrupting classrooms, silencing workers, and forcing people to choose between staying safe and staying housed,” Horvath said in a statement, referencing actions by the Trump administration. She added declaring an emergency “is how we fight back.”
Last week the five-member board voted 4-1 to put the declaration up for a vote at its regular Tuesday meeting. The sole “no” vote came from Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who argued that the immigration raids did not meet the criteria of an emergency and that it could be unfair to landlords.
“I’m sure we’re going to be challenged legally,” Barger said. The county’s eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple lawsuits.
Landlords are “still reeling” from the COVID-era freezes that cost them “billions of dollars in uncollected rent and prohibited annual rent increase,” said Daniel Yukelson, CEO of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.
He said housing providers are sympathetic to tenants and their family members affected by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities. But, he said, the association isn’t aware of anyone unable to pay rent due to immigration enforcement.
“If local jurisdictions once again allow rent payments to be deferred due to ICE enforcement activities, this will lead to the further deterioration and loss of affordable housing in our community,” Yukelson said.

WHO warns of contaminated India cough syrups

WHO warns of contaminated India cough syrups
Updated 35 min 30 sec ago

WHO warns of contaminated India cough syrups

WHO warns of contaminated India cough syrups
  • Affected medicines are specific batches of Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma

The World Health Organization on Monday issued a health advisory warning about three contaminated cough syrups identified in India, urging authorities to report any detection of these medicines in their countries to the health agency.
The WHO said the affected medicines are specific batches of Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma.
The agency said the contaminated products pose significant risks and can cause severe, potentially life-threatening illness.
India’s health authority, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, informed the WHO the syrups were reportedly consumed by children, all under the age of five, who recently died in the central state of Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district.
The cough medicine contained toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit.
CDSCO said none of the contaminated medicines have been exported from India and there is no evidence of illegal export.
The US Food and Drug Administration confirmed on Friday that these toxic cough syrups had not been shipped to the United States.


Madagascar’s cornered president says sheltering in ‘safe space’

Madagascar’s cornered president says sheltering in ‘safe space’
Updated 13 October 2025

Madagascar’s cornered president says sheltering in ‘safe space’

Madagascar’s cornered president says sheltering in ‘safe space’
  • Andry Rajoelina says he is sheltering in a 'safe space' after attempt on his life

ANTANANARIVO: Madagascar’s embattled President Andry Rajoelina said Monday he was sheltering in a “safe space” after an attempt on his life and called for the constitution to be respected as pressure mounted for him to resign.
The twice-delayed speech marked his first public address since a mutinous army unit backed anti-government protests afollowed by reports he had fled the country off the east coast of Africa.
“Since 25 September, there have been attempts on my life and coup attempts. A group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me,” the 51-year-old leader said in a live address.
“I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life,” he said, without revealing his location.
The protests, led by mostly young demonstrators, initially focused on chronic power and water cuts in the impoverished country but developed into a broader anti-government movement that called for Rajoelina to resign.
Rajoelina, a former mayor who came to power on the back of a coup, on Monday called for the constitution to be respected to resolve the deepening political crisis.
“There is only one way to resolve these issues; that is to respect the constitution in force in the country,” he said.
Radio France Internationale said Rajoelina left Madagascar on a French military plane at the weekend but French officials did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for confirmation.
French President Emmanuel Macron also refused to confirm this.


Zelensky to visit Washington seeking long-range weapons

Zelensky to visit Washington seeking long-range weapons
Updated 13 October 2025

Zelensky to visit Washington seeking long-range weapons

Zelensky to visit Washington seeking long-range weapons
  • Meeting between Ukraine leader and Trump could take place as early as Friday
  • US president warned Russia Sunday he may send Kyiv Tomahawk missiles

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he will travel to the United States this week for talks on the potential US provision of long-range weapons, a day after US President Donald Trump warned Russia he may send Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles.
A meeting between Zelensky and Trump could take place as early as Friday, the Ukrainian president said, adding that he also would meet with defense and energy companies and members of Congress.
“The main topics will be air defense and our long-range capabilities, to maintain pressure on Russia,” Zelensky said.
He spoke at a meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. He said he also would seek further US assistance to protect Ukraine’s electricity and gas networks, which have faced relentless Russian bombardment. The US visit follows what Zelensky described as a “very productive” phone call with Trump on Sunday. Trump later warned Russia that he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles if Moscow doesn’t settle its war there soon. The missiles would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Moscow has expressed “extreme concern” over the US potentially providing Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has previously suggested that the US supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine would seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington.
Zelensky will join a Ukrainian delegation already in the US for preliminary talks, led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks targeting electricity and gas infrastructure ahead of winter, in an effort to cripple Ukraine’s power grid ahead of freezing temperatures to erode public morale. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the worst attacks early Monday using drones and missiles occurred around the Black Sea port of Odesa and in the northern Chernihiv region, where one person was killed.
Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, pledged continued pressure on Moscow. She also expressed confidence that objections led by Hungary to a new Russia sanctions package would be overcome, even if the process drags on past a meeting of EU leaders next week. “On funding, the needs are enormous. We must help Ukraine defend itself so we don’t later spend even more repairing destroyed infrastructure,” Kallas said. “We are 27 member states, and 27 democracies, so debates take time ... I’m positive that, as before, we’ll achieve a decision.”


UK quietly hosts talks on Gaza reconstruction

Palestinians collect water from a broken pipe surround destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians collect water from a broken pipe surround destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP)
Updated 13 October 2025

UK quietly hosts talks on Gaza reconstruction

Palestinians collect water from a broken pipe surround destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP)
  • UK’s foreign ministry quietly brought together Middle East and European officials at an isolated mansion deep in the southern English countryside
  • Aim of the three-day conference was to start the “crucial planning and coordination efforts for postwar Gaza” which would be Palestinian-led

LONDON: Dozens of top officials from Middle East and European nations huddled Monday with leading global financial institutions for talks in the UK on rebuilding the devastated Gaza Strip.
Far from a high-profile Gaza summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the UK’s foreign ministry quietly brought together Middle East and European officials at an isolated mansion deep in the southern English countryside.
The aim of the three-day conference was to start the “crucial planning and coordination efforts for postwar Gaza” which would be Palestinian-led, the UK prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“We must be ready to act — to clear rubble, rebuild homes and set up infrastructure, restoring access to education and health care,” junior foreign minister Hamish Falconer added in a statement.
“We know the scale of the task. We know how urgent it is, and how complex it will be,” he added, highlighting it “will take years and cost billions.”
The Israeli assault on Gaza — triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel — has left much of the Palestinian territory in ruins and most of its population displaced.
The UK government said the talks in Wilton Park, West Sussex, which is managed by the Foreign Office, brought together “representatives from businesses, civil society and governments, to convene crucial planning and coordination efforts for postwar Gaza.”
The Palestinian Authority was represented along with officials from countries such as Jordan, , Germany and Italy, the UK prime minister’s office said.
Officials from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development were also attending to support what Falconer called an Arab Reconstruction Plan.
“We must also lay the groundwork for long-term economic development,” Falconer said, insisting that “Gaza and Palestine more broadly, has real economic potential.”
The talks aimed to examine how to “unlock the vast resources needed, not just through traditional donor finance, but by thinking creatively to bring in private capital,” he said.
The UK was well-placed to help, with “deep expertise in private investment and strong links to the City of London,” he added.