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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day visit to West Asia and Africa from December 15.
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00:00Hello and welcome, I'm Geeta Mohan and you're watching India Today Global.
00:03Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day visit to West Asia and Africa.
00:08He would be visiting three countries, Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman, from the 15th to the 18th of December.
00:15Prime Minister Modi will first visit Jordan King Abdullah II
00:19and it will also mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Jordan.
00:25Both countries will focus on strengthening bilateral relations and areas of collaboration.
00:31Prime Minister Modi will then embark on a state visit to Ethiopia
00:35and will also be his first visit to the country.
00:39Then he will wrap up his trip by visiting Oman.
00:42It will be Prime Minister's second visit to Oman.
00:45Both countries share a comprehensive strategic partnership, including trade and strong people-to-people ties.
00:52It will also be the 70th year of diplomatic relations since Sultan Haytham bin Tariq's visit to India in 2023.
01:01The countries will review trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture.
01:12Staying with the story, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to Jordan,
01:16which will be his first, marks a major push in India's West Asia strategy,
01:22strengthening political dialogue, trade and regional security cooperation
01:26at a time when West Asia faces its most volatile moment in years.
01:31Farhan Khan with this report.
01:38Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to kick off his three-nation tour to Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia
01:44with a highly significant stop in Jordan from 15th to 16th December.
01:51And while the visit may appear normal on paper,
01:53it comes at a moment when West Asia is more volatile than it has been in years,
01:59making Modi's engagement with Oman both timely and strategically important.
02:05This will be Modi's first full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan.
02:09His last interaction with the country was a brief transit stop in 2018 en route to Ramallah.
02:17But this time, the visit stands on its own and carries weight.
02:22India and Jordan are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations
02:25and both sides are preparing to review the entire gamut of ties,
02:30as the Ministry of External Affairs has put it.
02:34Jordan may not dominate headlines the way other West Asian countries do,
02:38but it holds an outsized influence in regional politics.
02:43It is a frontline state on the Israel-Palestine issue,
02:46the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem
02:48and home to a large number of Palestinian refugees.
02:53In the aftermath of the Gaza conflict and shifting Arab alignments,
02:57Jordan's voice has become even more critical.
03:00Modi's visit therefore signals India's intention
03:02to engage directly with a moderate Arab monarchy
03:05that often acts as a stabilizing force in the region.
03:08Jordan is a respected name in historical and religious heritage of the world.
03:19Under the far-sighted leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah,
03:26Jordan has achieved sustainable and inclusive growth,
03:32its progress in economic, social and cultural development
03:38has been remarkable.
03:41In an important region of the world,
03:46Jordan has emerged as a powerful voice
03:50and a global symbol of moderation and inclusivity.
03:58It has emerged as a moral state,
04:04living in peace with its neighbors
04:07and is a symbol of stability and a voice of reason.
04:14His Majesty, the King, continues to play a key role
04:21in the promotion of peace in West Asia.
04:26Experts stress that Jordan's geography and political posture
04:29make it indispensable in conversations about regional stability.
04:34Amman consistently supports a two-state solution,
04:37a position India also backs.
04:40And it has quietly played mediator during moments of crisis.
04:44The visit will allow the two countries to exchange assessments
04:47on the fast-changing situation in West Asia,
04:51counter-terrorism concerns,
04:52and ways to prevent further escalation.
04:55But this trip is not just about geopolitics.
04:58There is a strong economic dimension as well.
05:02India is Jordan's fourth-largest trading partner
05:04with bilateral trade touching nearly $2.9 billion in 2023-24.
05:10India imports key fertilizers and phosphates from Jordan,
05:13essential for its agricultural sector,
05:16while exporting machinery, chemicals, cereals, frozen meat, and other products.
05:22There is also growing interest around the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor,
05:26or IMEC, which is expected to pass through Jordan.
05:30As Amman undertakes economic reforms and seek fresh investments,
05:35sectors like fintech, renewable energy, automobiles,
05:38and advanced manufacturing are opening up.
05:41Experts argue that this is an opportunity for Indian businesses
05:45to expand their presence in a country
05:47that traditionally hasn't been given enough attention in India's West Asia policy.
05:52Energy cooperation remains another promising frontier.
05:55Jordan is located close to the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean basin
05:59and is exploring ways to attract investment in the sector.
06:02Indian companies could play a key role as Amman diversifies its energy sources
06:07to ensure long-term stability.
06:10Jordan has also supported India's foreign policy positions,
06:13including on Kashmir and the broader neighborhood first agenda.
06:16The political warmth and steady goodwill between the two countries
06:20provide a strong foundation for Modi's upcoming visit.
06:23In essence, Modi's Jordan visit is more than a symbolic anniversary gesture.
06:28It is India's attempt to cement ties with a dependable partner
06:32at a time of regional turmoil.
06:35By deepening political dialogue, economic cooperation, and strategic coordination,
06:40New Delhi is signaling that Amman will remain an essential pillar
06:43of its West Asia engagement.
06:45With Farhan Khan, Bureau Report, India Today Global.
06:49The United States has intensified pressure on Venezuela,
06:56with President Trump announcing fresh sanctions on relatives
06:59and associates of President NicolƔs Maduro.
07:02The move comes amid growing scrutiny over a recent military strike
07:06and follows the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker,
07:10escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
07:19As U.S. lawmakers mourn pressure on Trump administration
07:23to release the raw video of the September 2nd strike on vote
07:27as a part of Operation Sudden Spear,
07:30President Trump announced new sanctions on family members
07:33of Venezuelan President NicolƔs Maduro.
07:37President Trump has stressed the need to put an end to drug trafficking
07:41and accuse the Maduro government of smuggling drugs into the United States.
07:45The sanctions have been imposed on three nephews of Maduro's wife,
07:50Celia Flores, a Maduro-affiliated businessman
07:53and six shipping companies operating in Venezuela's oil sector.
07:58Earlier, the nephews, dubbed as narco-nephews,
08:02were convicted in 2016 on charges that they tried to carry out
08:06a multi-million dollar cocaine deal
08:08and sentenced to 18 years in prison
08:11but were released in a 2022 prison swap with Venezuela.
08:17This also comes within days of the U.S. government's revamped
08:2033-page national security strategy
08:23wherein the administration has stressed
08:25on readjustment of the U.S. military presence
08:28in the Western Hemisphere to counter-migration,
08:31drug trafficking and what it describes
08:34as the rise of adversarial powers in the region
08:37based on the Monroe Doctrine.
08:42Well, it's about a lot of things
08:44but one of the things it's about
08:45is the fact that they've allowed millions of people
08:47to come into our country from their prisons,
08:49from gangs, from drug dealers
08:51and from mental institutions,
08:53probably proportionately more than anybody else.
08:56They came in from many countries.
08:57We're getting them out.
08:58We had 11,888 murderers come into our country.
09:03Many of them are from Venezuela.
09:05We had thousands of Trende Aragua,
09:07the gang, come in from,
09:09which they say is the most violent gang.
09:11I don't know.
09:12MS-13 is pretty bad.
09:14But Trende Aragua, they say,
09:15is the most violent gang.
09:16It came out of the prisons of Venezuela.
09:19It came out of the prisons of Venezuela.
09:22The sanction follows
09:23the oil tanker's seizure by the U.S.
09:25on the coast of Venezuela.
09:28As you probably know,
09:31we've just seized a tanker
09:34on the coast of Venezuela,
09:36a large tanker, very large.
09:39Largest one ever seized, actually.
09:42And other things are happening,
09:45so you'll be seeing that later
09:47and you'll be talking about that later
09:48with some other people.
09:51Meanwhile, Maduro had condemned
09:53the seizure of oil tanker
09:55and ordered for legal and diplomatic action.
09:57Yesterday, they committed
10:04an absolutely criminal and illegal act
10:06when they proceeded to carry out
10:08a military assault, kidnapping and robbery
10:11like Paris of the Caribbean
10:12on a private civilian commercial merchant ship,
10:15a ship of peace that was assaulted
10:18almost as it was reaching the Atlantic.
10:20They kidnapped the crew,
10:22they stole the ship.
10:24They have ushered in a new era,
10:26the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.
10:30So Venezuela reject its entirety,
10:32this act of criminal piracy
10:34against the entire Caribbean.
10:36And I have already given sufficient instructions
10:38for all the necessary legal
10:39and diplomatic actions
10:41to be taken
10:42and measures to be implemented
10:43because Venezuela will secure all ships
10:45to guarantee the free trade of its oil
10:47to the world.
10:48The U.S. Treasury Department
10:55said it has imposed sanctions
10:57on six shipping companies
10:59moving Venezuelan oil
11:01as well as six crude oil tankers
11:03that it said
11:04have engaged in deceptive
11:06and unsafe shipping practices
11:07and continue to provide financial resources
11:10that fuel Maduro's corrupt
11:12narco-terrorist regime.
11:14In an exclusive interview
11:24to India Today Global,
11:25Celso Amorim,
11:26Chief Advisor to Brazil's President
11:28Luis Inacio Lula de Silva
11:30spoke about Venezuela
11:31and if Brazil
11:32would help the Venezuelan government
11:34by granting political asylum to Maduro
11:36if the U.S.-Venezuela standoff goes south.
11:40For the entire interview,
11:41please watch India Today Global's YouTube channel.
11:44Well, I, you know,
11:47what happened inside Venezuela
11:51it's a Venezuelan question.
11:55It's for them to decide.
11:58I don't, I mean, of course,
12:01I was there during the elections.
12:04I didn't think the elections
12:06were fully as they should have been,
12:09but we continue to have relations with that
12:13because we consider this
12:14a problem of an internal problem of Venezuela.
12:18We from outside can give some help,
12:20but only when there are people in dialogue.
12:23And there is no dialogue now.
12:24And, of course,
12:25these acts of aggression
12:28or economic isolation,
12:30I mean, all that only aggravates the situation.
12:32It doesn't help at all.
12:33I mean, we had the example in the past
12:36when the U.S. government
12:39recognized another gentleman,
12:41Mr. Guaido, as president.
12:43Did that help?
12:44Not at all.
12:45In the end,
12:46even Mr. Guaido,
12:47nobody speaks about him anymore.
12:50He's a non-being almost.
12:53So this is not a way of acting
12:55by pressure, by violation.
12:57I think we have to do it in a different way.
13:00I think it's our duty to help.
13:04If there is room for it,
13:05to help in a peaceful solution.
13:07And if there is no room for it,
13:09then we'll have to think.
13:10But I'd prefer not to...
13:12Mexico has announced
13:16one of its biggest tariff strikes in decades,
13:19hitting more than 1,400 products
13:21from countries without a trade pact,
13:23and India is one of the biggest targets.
13:26From cars to steel,
13:27the impact is huge.
13:28So what does this mean for India's exports?
13:31Here is a report by Jyoti Shukla.
13:40Mexico has triggered
13:41one of its biggest protectionist moves in decades,
13:44and India is caught right in the middle of it.
13:47Starting January 1st, 2026,
13:49Mexico will impose tariffs
13:50between 5% and 50%
13:52on more than 1,460 products
13:55from any country
13:56that does not have a free trade agreement with it.
13:59India is one of those countries.
14:01China, too.
14:02So what's behind this sudden tariff strike?
14:05There are four clear reasons.
14:07First, Mexico wants to stop
14:09the flood of cheap Chinese imports.
14:11China's trade surplus with Mexico
14:13has crossed $100 billion.
14:15Mexican steel, auto parts,
14:17and textiles have been badly hit.
14:19Many Chinese companies
14:20are also using Mexico
14:22as a base to re-export goods into the US.
14:25Mexico wants to shut that route down.
14:28Second, Mexico is signalling loyalty to Washington.
14:30The US-Mexico trade deal
14:32comes up for review in 2026.
14:34Both Biden and Donald Trump
14:36have warned Mexico
14:37about being a gateway for Chinese goods.
14:40By taxing non-FTA countries,
14:42Mexico is telling the US,
14:44we're on your side.
14:46Third, politics.
14:47The Shinbom government is selling this
14:50as a move to protect local industries and jobs.
14:53And fourth, revenue.
14:55These tariffs will generate
14:57nearly $4 billion a year
14:58for Mexico's budget.
15:01So how badly does this hit India?
15:03Quite hard.
15:04After China,
15:05India is one of the biggest losers
15:06under this new regime.
15:08India exports nearly $1 billion
15:10worth of passenger vehicles
15:11to Mexico every year.
15:13From January,
15:14these cars will face a 50% tariff,
15:16more than double the current rate.
15:19That makes Indian cars
15:20almost unviable
15:21unless companies start assembling in Mexico.
15:24Auto parts worth up to $700 million
15:26will face tariffs of 25 to 50%.
15:29Iron and steel exports around $900 million
15:32will now attract duties of 35 to 40%.
15:36Textiles, apparel and footwear worth
15:39over half a billion dollars
15:40will face duties above 30%.
15:42And chemicals and pharmaceuticals
15:44will see moderate tariffs between 15 and 30%.
15:48In total,
15:49India exported nearly $9 billion
15:51worth of goods to Mexico last year.
15:53A 25 to 40% fall
15:55is now expected in the affected sectors.
15:58India has taken the issue up diplomatically.
16:01The push now is for a fast-track trade agreement
16:03or at least partial tariff relief
16:05covering automobiles and steel.
16:07In short,
16:08Mexico's move is aimed at China,
16:10but India becomes collateral damage.
16:12The winners are Mexican domestic industries
16:15and the US.
16:16The losers,
16:17Indian exporters,
16:18Chinese firms
16:19and ultimately Mexican consumers
16:21who will now pay more.
16:23With Jyoti Shukla,
16:24Bureau Report,
16:25India Today Global.
16:29And here are some other stories
16:31we couldn't really focus on
16:32in World at a Glance.
16:34Kilmer Abrego,
16:48whose wrongful deportation case
16:49drew attention under President Donald Trump's
16:51immigration policies,
16:53said he would stand firm against
16:55all of the injustices
16:56this government has imposed.
16:58After a US judge ordered his release
17:00from the immigration detention,
17:02He was allowed to return
17:03to his Maryland home
17:05despite repeated declarations
17:07from Trump administration officials
17:09that he would never again be free
17:11in the United States.
17:13The Trump administration plans
17:14to appeal the ruling.
17:19NATO Chief Mark Ruta
17:21urged allies to step up defense efforts
17:23to prevent a war
17:24waged by Russia
17:25that could be on the scale of war
17:27our grandparents
17:28and great-grandparents endured.
17:30He also said Russia
17:32could be ready
17:33to use military force
17:34against NATO
17:35within five years.
17:36Meanwhile,
17:37the Prime Ministers of Latvia,
17:39Estonia,
17:40Lithuania
17:40met for discussions
17:42focusing on regional security
17:43and NATO cooperation
17:45amid ongoing tensions
17:46in Eastern Europe.
17:48The meeting aimed at
17:49strengthening NATO's presence
17:50in the region,
17:51especially the eastern flank.
17:53Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
17:59Go Jiakun said
18:00Japanese militarism
18:02is the enemy of people worldwide.
18:04Go said this
18:05on the 12th National Memorial Day
18:07for Nanjing Massacre victims
18:08which falls on December 13th.
18:11This year marks
18:12the 80th anniversary
18:13of the victory
18:14of the Chinese People's War
18:15of Resistance
18:16Against Japanese Aggression
18:17and the World Anti-Fascist War
18:19as well as China's recovery of Taiwan.
18:23President Donald Trump's decision
18:27to dismantle
18:28the U.S. Agency
18:29for International Development
18:30and slash global aid programs
18:32severe lifelines for children.
18:34The U.S. agency
18:35was funding the purchase
18:36and distribution
18:37of roughly half the world's
18:38supply of ready-to-use
18:40therapeutic food,
18:41a nutrient-dense
18:42peanut-based paste
18:43used to treat children
18:45with the most lethal form
18:46of undernourishment
18:47known as severe acute,
18:49malnutrition or wasting.
18:50UNICEF,
18:51the world's largest buyer
18:52and distributor of RUTF,
18:54said the nutritious paste
18:56in parts of Kenya
18:57were reaching health facilities
18:58in more critical condition.
19:04That's all on this edition
19:05of India Today Global.
19:06But before I go,
19:07here's statecraft for you
19:08on the upcoming elections
19:10in Bangladesh.
19:11With Awami League out,
19:13Hasina exiled,
19:14BNP set to sweep elections,
19:16what does it mean?
19:27Bangladesh is racing toward
19:29a February 2026 election
19:31that already looks
19:33less like a democratic comeback
19:34and more like a political deja vu
19:37soaked in irony, rage
19:39and recycled chaos.
19:41Nobel laureate Mohamed Yunus,
19:43now the unlikely administrator
19:45of a post-uprising nation,
19:47has announced
19:48the first national vote
19:50since the students' uprising
19:51that toppled Sheikh Hasina.
19:53But instead of a glorious
19:55democratic reset,
19:56the country is spiraling back
19:58into the same old cycle.
20:00Boycotts, bans, bitterness
20:02and ballot box theatre.
20:05The Awami League
20:06has been struck off the map.
20:07Hasina herself in India
20:09after fleeing the 2024 revolt
20:11is facing the death penalty
20:13in her home country.
20:15Her party has been banned
20:17and is now refusing
20:18to touch these polls.
20:19BNP is positioned to win.
20:22Jamaat is back.
20:23Student leaders are scrambling
20:25and the ghost of 2014
20:27hangs over the entire country.
20:30With February 2026
20:32turning into a mirror
20:33of past betrayals,
20:35will Bangladesh
20:35ever see real democracy?
20:38Hello and welcome.
20:39You're watching Statecraft
20:40with me, Geeta Mohan.
20:49To understand how explosive
20:51this moment truly is,
20:53you have to rewind
20:54to the contradictions
20:55built into Bangladesh's history.
20:57In this nation,
20:58democracy always arrives
21:00with conditions,
21:02warnings,
21:02coups,
21:03boycotts
21:04and retribution.
21:06Eunice calls
21:07the February 2026 election
21:08an important milestone,
21:10a turning point
21:11after the historic
21:122024 uprising.
21:14But the Awami League
21:15says it's nothing
21:17more than the same
21:17old power grab
21:18in a new outfit.
21:20In 2014,
21:22BNP boycotted
21:23Hasina's election
21:24because she scrapped
21:25the caretaker system.
21:27Hasina's banned
21:28Awami League
21:28is boycotting
21:30because they claim
21:31Eunice's administration
21:32isn't neutral either.
21:34The decision to
21:35deregister Awami League
21:37wasn't framed as a ban,
21:38but the effect
21:39is the same.
21:40They cannot contest
21:42February 2026.
21:44Over 1,300
21:45Awami League leaders
21:46are jailed.
21:47Hasina's name
21:48is tied
21:49to war crimes probes.
21:51Key figures
21:51are exiled,
21:53assets frozen,
21:55activists hunted,
21:56and the party
21:57is being pushed
21:58into a corner
21:59it once pushed
22:00others into.
22:01The irony bites deep.
22:03The same Awami League
22:04that crushed
22:05BNP's ability
22:06to compete
22:06in 2014
22:07and 2018
22:08is now being crushed
22:10under the Eunice
22:11administration
22:12in 2026.
22:14The ground reality
22:15is brutal.
22:16Without the Awami League,
22:18the February 2026
22:19election will be
22:20more competitive
22:21than Hasina-era elections
22:23but less inclusive
22:24than meaningful
22:25democracy demands.
22:27BNP,
22:28Jamaat,
22:28and smaller groups
22:29may sweep,
22:30but sweeping
22:30a tainted field
22:32doesn't heal
22:33the wounds
22:33of legitimacy.
22:35Millions of Awami League
22:36supporters risk
22:37being left
22:37politically homeless.
22:39Hasina,
22:40speaking from India,
22:41warns that if her
22:42party remains excluded,
22:44her supporters
22:45will boycott
22:45the vote en masse.
22:47That means
22:48the turnout
22:49could collapse,
22:50the mandate
22:51could be questioned,
22:52and the victory,
22:53whoever claims it,
22:55could be fragile
22:55from day one.
22:57The army wants
22:58the election sooner
22:59to stabilize the country.
23:01BNP wants
23:02December 2025.
23:05Eunice chose
23:05February 2026.
23:08And Awami League
23:09wants no election
23:10unless they're allowed
23:12back in.
23:12Can a nation
23:14with this much
23:15political memory
23:16ever start fresh?
23:18When every party
23:18remembers decades
23:20of betrayal,
23:21when every victor
23:22uses the state
23:23to crush opponents,
23:24when every loser
23:25claims victimhood,
23:27Bangladesh cycles
23:28through vengeance,
23:29not transition,
23:31through purges,
23:32not healing,
23:33through exclusion,
23:35not inclusion.
23:36and the future.
23:39Transcription by CastingWords
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