NEW DELHI: Ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit, the announcement from Tokyo of a $42 billion low interest loan commitment to India sparked some speculation. It was combined with Kishida’s publicly voiced intention, when he met Narendra Modi, to encourage a unified approach on Ukraine. Kishida was quoted as saying: “Since the Russian […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Delhi will be deluged with VIPs from the weekend. Beginning Saturday, Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (he took over from Yoshihide Suga last October) will be in the capital for a day, resuming the bilateral tradition of high level visits that was short-circuited by the pandemic. The Americans are expected next […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The liberalised trade deal with the UAE is India’s first in well over a decade (the last one was with ASEAN in 2010). Diplomats and trade experts say it will boost the confidence of negotiators going forward, also given that there is political will to lock up free trade agreements with the Gulf […]Read More
NEW DELHI: For those in India galvanized by the sale of the BrahMos missile to the Philippines, take a breather. Elections there are less than two months away and going by the precedence in many democracies, big-ticket agreements or sales are generally put on hold for the next government to decide upon. Actually this suits […]Read More
NEW DELHI: For a country notoriously squeamish and selective about exporting offensive weaponry, the BrahMos missile sale to the Philippines could be a turning point for India. Until now, except for the odd Dornier aircraft, Dhruv helicopter or patrol boats supplied to littoral navies, neighbours and friends, big ticket military exports have been rare. The […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The U.S.-Russia negotiations over Ukraine are being closely watched from Delhi. India cannot influence the direction of the talks; nevertheless, it has very high stakes in a successful resolution. If the two sides are able to strike an agreement, from Delhi’s point of view there are two important fallouts: Russia can step back […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The U.S. has begun the new year in India on a strangely absent note: a new ambassador has yet to move into Roosevelt House (although Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is expected to win Senate approval soon); there’s no word on the next 2+2 dialogue (of defence and foreign ministers) to be held […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Here’s a view on CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) and whether it would apply to India. When Turkey received the first S400 system in July 2019, the very next week Washington stopped the sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to the Turkish air force. CAATSA sanctions followed the very next year in […]Read More
NEW DELHI: What’s the way forward for India and China in the new year? Indications from the 14th round of border talks between senior army officers of the two sides have been negative although there are plans to meet again. But even if China relents to some extent on India’s proposed path of disengagement, the […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The New Year could see diplomatic and political space opening up for India in Afghanistan, but much will depend on how deftly South Block plays its cards. A beginning has been made with the dispatch of over a ton of life-saving medicines to Kabul last month. More consignments are being sent with the […]Read More
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
Macron Warns ‘Europe Could Die,’ As He Calls For Stronger Defences
US, China Resume Military Contacts At Qingdao Naval Symposium
Venice First City To Impose Tourist Fee: 5 Euros For Day-Trippers
Hackers Target Anti-China Politicians In UK, Also Belgium
‘No Ideological Boundaries’, Hungary Announces Visit by President Xi Jinping in May
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 Northeast
The Indian Air Force & The China, Pakistan Two-Front Ladakh Threat: Leh AFS AoC InterviewMacron Warns ‘Europe Could Die,’ As He Calls For Stronger DefencesUS, China Resume Military Contacts At Qingdao Naval SymposiumVenice First City To Impose Tourist Fee: 5 Euros For Day-TrippersHackers Target Anti-China Politicians In UK, Also Belgium‘No Ideological Boundaries’, Hungary Announces Visit by President Xi Jinping in May© 2024, SNG. All rights reserved
