Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours

     FGN38: US-INDIAN-PREESHA
     *Indian-American Preesha Chakraborty listed in world’s brightest students list
     Washington: Preesha Chakraborty, a nine-year-old Indian-American schoolgirl, was named in the "world’s brightest” students list by the prestigious Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth, based on the results of above-grade-level tests of over 16,000 students across 90 countries. *
    
     FGN48 IRAN-JAISHANKAR-LD MEETINGS
     * Jaishankar meets Iranian counterpart; discusses further developing bilateral ties
     Tehran: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian here and the two leaders discussed further developing bilateral relations and reviewed regional and international developments. *
    
     FGN49 MALDIVES-CHINA-LD MUIZZU
     * China fully backs sovereignty of Maldives; ties set to achieve new heights: President Muizzu
     Male/Beijing: Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has praised his country's strategic relationship with China, saying the two countries respect each other and Beijing fully supports the Indian Ocean island's sovereignty. *
    
     FGN46 WEF-TRUST-BAROMETER
     * India on top for trust in businesses, NGOs; 4th for media, 5th in government
     Davos: India tops the charts in terms of trust in businesses and NGOs, but it is fourth in terms of trust in media and fifth for the government, an annual trust barometer showed on Monday. *
    
     FGN33: LANKA-JAFFNA-IMF
     *IMF team overseeing Sri Lanka's bailout programme visits Jaffna first time
     Colombo: A team of senior IMF officials overseeing Sri Lanka's bailout programme has toured the Tamil-dominated Northern district of Jaffna for the first time under the current USD 2.9 billion agreement, officials said here on Monday.
    
     FGN36: US-LALL-INDIA-INDOUS
     India-US collaboration within the Quad framework enhances security, says General Atomics's Vivek Lall
     Washington: The collaboration between India and the US within the Quad framework enhances security and strengthens the ability to respond to emerging geopolitical threats and promotes a rules-based international order, according to a top Indian-American executive in the American defence industry.
    
     FGN40: US-INDIA-R&D-INVESTMENT
     India needs to enhance quality workforce and investment in R&D to achieve goal of developed nation status, says official
     Washington: To bolster its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, India needs to substantially increase the size of its quality workforce and investment in R&D in science and technology, including by the private sector, a top Indian official has said.
    
     FGN23: WEF-FUTURE-INDIA
     India ranked 35th for leveraging future possibilities; UK on top
     Davos: India has been ranked 35th on a global index of countries best placed for leveraging future possibilities while the UK topped the list released here on Monday.
    
     FGN26: US-ELECTION-HALEY
     Not interested in being vice president: Indian-American presidential candidate Nikki Haley
     Washington: Indian-American senior Republican Party leader Nikki Haley, the lone woman in the party's presidential race, has said she is not interested in being the vice president, asserting that she's running to be the next US president and is contending "to win".
    
     FGN14: WEF-GLOBAL GROWTH
     Global economic slowdown headed for worst phase in three decades: WEF study
     Davos: Global economic growth is estimated to fall to its lowest rate in three decades by 2030 amid the ongoing economic and geopolitical shocks, a new report said on Monday.
    
     FGN17: CANADA-HOUSING-STUDENTS
     Canada to look at possibility of putting cap on international students numbers; move likely to impact Indians
     Ottawa: Canada is looking at the possibility of putting a cap on the number of international students to help reduce the surge in demand for housing and fix the system that has gone out of control, Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said, a move that is likely to affect Indian students.
    
     FGN16: WEF-CHIEF ECONOMISTS-SURVEY
     Chief economists expect global economy to weaken in 2024: WEF survey
     Davos: As the top leaders from across the world gather here for their annual congregation, a survey of chief economists on Monday forecast a weakening of the global economy in 2024 and accelerated geo-economic fragmentation.
    
     FGN22: US-ELECTION-RAMASWAMY-TRUMP
     Vivek Ramaswamy ruled out as Donald Trump's running mate by ex-president’s top aide
     Washington: Donald Trump's top adviser has ruled out Vivek Ramaswamy as the ex-US president's running mate after the Republican frontrunner publicly criticised the Indian-American presidential candidate ahead of the Iowa caucus.
    
     FGN12: WEF-INDIA-GODREJ
     AI can help manufacturing, healthcare, other sectors scale new heights: Nadir Godrej
     Davos: Business leader Nadir Godrej on Sunday said manufacturing, healthcare and other sectors in India can scale newer heights with the right use of artificial intelligence.
    
     FGN31: PAK-POLLS-ECP
     Feb 8 polls can't be postponed: Pak election commission tells Senate
     Islamabad: Pakistan's election commission on Monday rejected a resolution passed by the Senate earlier this month seeking a delay in the February 8 general election, stating that all arrangements have been completed and it won't be “advisable” to put off the planned polls.
    
     FGN25: WEF-OXFAM-WEALTH
     Wealth of 5 richest men doubled since 2020; five billion people made poorer: Oxfam
     Davos: Fortunes of five richest men have more than doubled since 2020 and the world could have its first-ever trillionaire in just a decade while it would take more than two centuries to end poverty, rights group Oxfam said on Monday.
    
     FGN35: LANKA-INDIAN-FISHERMEN
     Sri Lanka arrests 10 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in its waters; second incident in week
     Colombo: The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 10 Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters, an official statement said on Monday, two days after 12 fishermen from India were apprehended on similar charges.
    
     FGN21: WEF-GATES FOUNDATION
     Gates Foundation announces record annual budget of USD 8.6 bn to fund health innovations
     Davos: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Monday announced its largest annual budget of USD 8.6 billion for 2024, a part of which will go towards advancing health innovations.* PY
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)