NEW DELHI: In about five years from now or even sooner, the Indian Ocean could see the entry of a Chinese naval battle group led by an aircraft carrier (total six to eight ships including a submarine), in an impressive flag showing exercise. Various assessments suggest the battle group could transit the Malacca Straits, make […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The Tibetan government-in-exile in India has not taken “any official position on Chinese villages in Arunachal Pradesh,” said Penpa Tsering, the newly elected Sikyong or political head of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala. But he sensed insecurity in the Chinese leadership. He believes the Chinese are pushing Tibetans towards the boundaries with […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Early next year, IIT Madras plans to hold trials of its home grown 5G equipment on its 700-acre campus in Chennai. The trials should start around January or February 2022 and continue till about April. “We have developed a stack entirely in-house, we have the nucleus or the core, the base station and […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Among the conclusions being drawn from the attacks on Durga Puja pandals all over Bangladesh is that these were planned and there were two targets: Sheikh Hasina, for the hard line she has followed against Islamist groups at home and her close relationship with India. “Sheikh Hasina has been tough with the Islamist […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Remember Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, accused of helping cover up the origins of the coronavirus in China? Well, he’s on track to win a second term, unusually without the support of his own country Ethiopia (because he accused it of human rights violations in Tigray). How did […]Read More
NEW DELHI: “Now is the time for Prime Minister Modi to test the U.S., ask for things we would not normally have and see the response.” That’s from a former ambassador to the U.S. on the Modi-Biden summit on Saturday, their first since the latter moved into the White House in January. Much has changed […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Next year will mark the 73rd anniversary of India and Turkey establishing diplomatic relations. It’s not clear if either side will be in any mood to celebrate that officially. Bilateral relations have been going through a difficult phase ever since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took umbrage when the Indian government reworked its constitutional […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The ball for this piece was set rolling during a conversation with Nandan Unnikrishnan of the Observer Research Foundation. As he pointed out, despite having three consulates in three key cities of Afghanistan (apart from of course the embassy in Kabul), India appeared to have no idea that the Ghani government would collapse […]Read More
NEW DELHI: On February 15, 1989, Gen. Boris Gromov, commander of the Soviet 40th Army in Afghanistan walked down the Friendship Bridge over the Amu Darya river into Uzbekistan, signalling the end of the decade-long Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. A little over three decades later, his U.S. counterpart Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue left […]Read More
NEW DELHI: A 45-minute chat between Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin on Tuesday saw agreement on establishing a “bilateral channel” to discuss Afghanistan. Reports said they will consult each other over developments in Afghanistan and will set up combined teams comprising foreign ministry and national security officials to assess the future course of action. Neither […]Read More
NEW DELHI: On a day the Taliban entered Kabul, with a so-called assurance that they will not take the capital by force, President Ashraf Ghani and his core team left the country, possibly for Tajikistan, as per some media reports. In a Facebook message, Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the Council for National Reconciliation referred to […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Many things are not what they seem, perhaps more so in the high-stakes game of modern diplomacy where seemingly unconnected events combine to transform the strategic landscape. Let’s begin with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s just concluded visit to Russia. Some of the media focus and commentary saw great virtue in Jaishankar stopping off […]Read More
NEW DELHI: One would presume that microblogging site Twitter with an estimated 34 million users in India and a growing revenue base would do anything to safeguard and promote its business. But Twitter’s behaviour has been decidedly odd. Over the last month, it has had four criminal cases filed against it (one for posting child […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Late last month, at memorial ceremonies in the United Nations for slain peacekeepers, it was a moment for India to remind the world of the 164 lives it had sacrificed in the service of UN missions worldwide. For Indian diplomats and military personnel, it was also time to reflect on an uncomfortable fact: […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Shen Ming-Shi is a former colonel of the Taiwan army and is presently a Fellow at the Institute for National Defense Security Research in Taipei. He closely studies China’s military, looking particularly at their recruitment, training and equipment. In his view, China will never rule out a military invasion and occupation of Taiwan […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Call it the Covid effect but the third Arctic Science Ministerial hosted virtually by Iceland and Japan last month happened with apparently little notice. But to those interested in the Arctic, it signalled India’s renewed focus on a region more than 4000-km distant yet critical to its economy. Scientists and officials involved in […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Fifteen white papers since the 1990s and there could be more to come. So what explains China’s issuance of so many white papers on Tibet? It reflects China’s insecurities about Tibet despite invading and occupying it 70 years ago, argues Tenzin Lekshay, director of the Tibet Policy Institute in Dharamshala. Speaking exclusively to […]Read More
NEW DELHI: In about four months from now, India faces a potentially crippling shortage of Helium gas due to falling levels of production in the United States. India imports around ₹55,000 crore ($733 million) of Helium from the U.S. every year for use in rockets and nuclear reactors to MRI scans and electronics. In fact, […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The ASEAN summit in Jakarta appears to have given considerable rope to the Myanmar military junta. That is the view of many critics. But the sense in India is better ASEAN than some other countries. “The last thing we want is for Myanmar to become another proxy battle ground for the superpowers,” a […]Read More
NEW DELHI: For an organisation committed to non-interference in each member’s internal affairs, a summit of some ASEAN leaders with Myanmar’s general Min Aung Hlaing in Jakarta is probably historic. Add to that consensus on five points was reached, according to various reports: There will be immediate cessation of violence All parties will begin a […]Read More
US Sanctions 280 Chinese Firms, Others In Bid To Cripple Russia
Historic Warsaw Synagogue Which Survived WWII Firebombed, 16-Yr-Old Held
Harvey Weinstein, Former Hollywood Mogul, To Be Retried For Rape In New York
Growing Cherry Tomatoes On Mars? Ancient Mayans Show The Way
After Fine for Violating Gag Order, Trump Plans Rallies In Key Swing States
IAF Tezpur Base; Centre Of Chain To Foil Any Chinese Intrusion In The East
Thoise: India’s Northernmost Air Base Against The China-Pakistan Two Front Threat
Siachen Glacier—A Triangular Wedge In The Pakistan, China Threat At The World’s Third Pole
Crossing The Sela Heights: The Roads To Tawang, Much Light At The End Of Game-Changing Tunnels
Unveiling the Legacy of Assam Rifles: Guardians of India’s NortheastUS Sanctions 280 Chinese Firms, Others In Bid To Cripple RussiaHistoric Warsaw Synagogue Which Survived WWII Firebombed, 16-Yr-Old HeldHarvey Weinstein, Former Hollywood Mogul, To Be Retried For Rape In New YorkGrowing Cherry Tomatoes On Mars? Ancient Mayans Show The WayAfter Fine for Violating Gag Order, Trump Plans Rallies In Key Swing States© 2024, SNG. All rights reserved
