Forbes list: Saudi Crown Prince 8th most powerful person in the world, PM Modi 9th

Agencies
May 9, 2018

New Delhi: Forbes released its 2018 list of the 75 most powerful people who make the world turn, on Wednesday, which declared Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the ninth most powerful person in the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has topped the list this year replacing Russian President Vladimir Putin who was at the top for four consecutive years.

Beating the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Theresa May, Kim Jong-un and Justin Trudeau, Modi made it to the top 10.

About Modi being the 9th most powerful person, Forbes said: “India's populist prime minister remains hugely popular in the second most populous country on earth, with a population of 1.3 billion people.”

Forbes also cited sudden demonetisation step taken by Modi. It said  “In November 2016 he unexpectedly announced plans to eliminate India's two largest banknotes in a bid to reduce money laundering and corruption.”

“Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as warming affects millions of his country's rural citizens.”

Mukesh Ambani, the only Indian, apart from Modi who made it to the list this year has been ranked 32. Forbes cited: “In 2016, Reliance sparked a price war in India's hyper-competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio. Jio has signed on 160 million customers by offering free domestic voice calls, dirt-cheap data services and virtually free smartphones.”

Forbes opened the list with the introductory lines “There are nearly 7.5 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 75 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of The World’s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most.”

Here is the list of top 10 among the 75 most powerful people in world:

1.            Xi Jinping (China)

2.            Vladimir Putin (Russia)

3.            Donald Trump (United States)

4.            Angela Merkel (Germany)

5.            Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com)

6.            Pope Francis (Roman Catholic Church)

7.            Bill Gates (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

8.            Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (Saudi Arabia )

9.            Narendra Modi (India)

10.          Larry Page    (Google)

You can check the full list by following the link in this tweet:

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 7,2025

envoy.jpg

Since 1946, the United States has attempted 93 coups or “regime change” operations across the world — including two in Iran, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has admitted.

Speaking to the UAE-based IMI Media Group, in remarks published by The National, Barrack said Washington tried twice to overthrow the Iranian government but failed both times. 

“For (Trump) then to be imputed with regime change — we had two regime changes in Iran already. Neither one worked. So I think wisely leave it to the region to solve,” said Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey.

His comments come six months after the US joined Israel in airstrikes against Iran during ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

On June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran that killed at least 1,064 people and hit civilian infrastructure. Days later, the United States targeted three nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — in what Iran called a clear violation of international law. Iranian retaliation eventually forced a halt to the assault on June 24.

Barrack further claimed that US President Donald Trump and Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio are “not into regime change” and prefer a regional approach driven by Middle Eastern countries themselves. According to him, regional dialogue and non-interference by outside powers offer a more durable path forward.

He added that Washington is still open to an agreement with Tehran if Iranian authorities show “seriousness” and willingness to engage constructively.

However, Iran maintains the US has not shown readiness for meaningful talks. In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations could advance only if Washington acknowledges Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and lifts unilateral sanctions.

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