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U.S. Clears Sale Of Javelin Anti-Tank Missile To India
In a major defence deal, U.S. State Department has approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missile system and Excalibur guided artillery munitions worth $93 million to India, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Wednesday.
The deal aims to boost India’s precision-strike capability, strengthen deterrence, and integrate seamlessly with existing force structures.
The Deal
The purchase of U.S. defence equipment is India’s first under Washington’s foreign military sales programme since ties soured in August after President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% as punishment for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
It follows a re-order this month of fighter jet engines made by General Electric to power more of India’s home-produced Tejas combat aircraft.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the U.S.-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions,” the DSCA said in a statement.
The Indian government had requested to buy up to 216 Excalibur tactical projectiles and 100 units of the Javelin system, the DSCA said. India already uses the Excalibur artillery ammunition in its M-777 Howitzer guns.
The Economic Times reports that the package further encompasses various non-major defence equipment, including Portable Electric Fire Control Systems with Enhanced Platform Integration Kits, along with U.S. government technical assistance, technical data, repair-and-return services, and comprehensive logistics and program support.
The initial tranche includes 100 FGM-148 Javelin rounds, one Javelin FGM-148 missile (fly-to-buy), and twenty-five (25) Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LwCLU) or Javelin Block 1 Command Launch Units (CLU). This shipment is designed to fulfill urgent operational needs while the Army works on a longer-term co-production agreement.
Enhancing India’s Military Capabilities
The DSCA said the procurement will enhance India’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing precision-strike capability, increasing “first strike accuracy” within its brigades. The systems can be integrated into India’s existing force structure without difficulty.
The principal contractors for the sales will be RTX Corp for the Excalibur projectiles and its joint venture with Lockheed Martin for the Javelin systems, the DSCA said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Philippine Ex-Mayor Guo Sentenced For Life For Human Trafficking
A Philippine trial court has sentenced a former mayor accused of having ties to Chinese criminal syndicates to life imprisonment after finding her guilty of human trafficking, a government anti-crime agency said on Thursday.
Alice Guo ran for mayor in Bamban, an agricultural town north of the capital Manila, as a Filipino citizen, but she was later identified by law enforcement as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.
“This eagerly awaited ruling is not only a legal victory but also a moral one. It delivers justice to victims, reaffirms the government’s united stance against organised crime,” the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) said in a statement.
Probe Into Guo
Guo’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Guo has previously denied links to criminals and has also maintained that she is a natural-born Philippine citizen.
The Philippine Senate launched a congressional probe into Guo in May last year, two months after a police raid revealed a scam centre operating out of a facility built on land partially owned by Guo. It was one of many such centres to spring up across Southeast Asia in recent years.
The raid uncovered hundreds of trafficked workers, including foreign nationals, resulting in a human trafficking complaint against Guo from PAOCC.
The court also convicted seven other individuals for trafficking and sentenced them to life imprisonment, the PAOCC said. The facility was ordered to be forfeited to the government.
Guo’s case has gripped the Philippines, where suspicions about China’s activities have been building as a result of escalating tensions in the South China Sea, in which the two nations have overlapping claims.
Guo Arrest
The Senate held Guo in contempt and ordered her arrest after she later refused to attend congressional hearings. She fled the country but was later captured in Indonesia and deported to the Philippines in September 2024.
Guo, who was removed from office by the Ombudsman in August 2024 for grave misconduct, also faces other criminal charges, including graft and money laundering.
The controversy surrounding Guo intensified calls for a crackdown on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, which are largely run by Chinese nationals catering to clients in China.
These operations thrived during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration but later came under heavy scrutiny and were eventually banned by President Ferdinand Marcos.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Chinese Space, Missile Tracking Vessels In North Pacific
Data from a Guam-based group shows that five Chinese research vessels, including ships used for space and missile tracking and underwater mapping, were active in the northwest Pacific last month amidst increased U.S. military exercises in the region.
Increase in Military Activities
Rapid militarisation in the northern Pacific gets insufficient attention, says the Pacific Center for Island Security, adding that it makes island populations a potential target in any great-power conflict.
“If you look at the number of U.S. and bilateral and multilateral exercises, there is a lot of activity,” Leland Bettis, the director of the group that seeks to flag regional security risks, said in an interview.
“Is the fact that the Chinese are sending research vessels into this area to map what is effectively undersea battle space surprising? Probably not.”
The centre’s Micronesia Security Monitor, launched on Thursday, shows three Chinese research vessels, including the space and missile tracking ship Yuanwang 7, near the tiny Pacific island of Kiribati over the last month.
A Pacific Ocean neighbour of Hawaii with close ties to Beijing, Kiribati has a vast exclusive economic zone spanning 3.6 million sq km (1.4 million sq miles).
Last year it expressed concern at China’s test of an intercontinental missile that landed near its waters.
Two more Chinese research vessels travelled east of the U.S. territory of Guam, near island states with U.S. defence compacts, the Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Islands, the monitor showed.
U.S. Growing Footprint
Between August and November, the United States has held nine multilateral war drills near Guam with allies such as Australia, India, Japan and South Korea, the monitor showed.
The United States has military bases in Guam and Marshall Islands, and overflight rights and maritime access to three freely associated states, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.
The monitor’s visuals also show the spread of the U.S. military footprint across Micronesia, including upgraded wharves and airfields.
The project is funded by commercial donors, the Carnegie Corporation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
COP31: Turkey To Host Summit, Australia To Lead Negotiations
Turkey will host next year’s UN climate summit while Australia will lead the conference’s negotiations among governments, under a compromise deal taking shape in talks in Brazil, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.
The annual COP conferences are the world’s main forum for driving climate action. The compromise would resolve a stand-off between Australia and Turkey over who would stage COP31. Both bid in 2022 to host it and refused to stand down.
Turkey-Australia Agreement
The two sides were now close to a deal that would see Turkey hosting COP31 as summit president, with a pre-COP event staged in the Pacific and Australia as president of negotiations, Albanese said.
“What we’ve come up with is a big win for both Australia and Turkey,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp Radio.
The two nations now have just a year to prepare for an event that attracts tens of thousands of people and requires months of diplomatic legwork to reach consensus around climate goals.
“There’s a little way to go in these discussions,” Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen told reporters at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, adding that the compromise would achieve Australia’s aims.
“It would be great if Australia could have it all. But we can’t have it all,” he said on Wednesday. “It was important to strike an agreement.”
COP Negotiations
The deal envisages Bowen leading COP negotiations. “I would have all the powers of COP presidency to manage, to handle the negotiations, to appoint co-facilitators, to prepare draft text, and to issue the cover decision,” Bowen said.
The Turkish government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said it was a disappointing result for the Pacific region, which had wanted to be the main focus at the summit.
“It is very important that the Pacific is completely involved in pre-COP events as we are the ones that are affected by climate change the most, and we give out zero emissions,” he told Reuters in an interview.
“Our people and countries are suffering because of the inability of others to make things happen.”
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers told Sky News, however, that even with the compromise agreement, “we’ve made sure that the Pacific is front and centre, which is really one of our most important objectives in all of this.”
Pacific Concerns
Australia pitched its bid as a “Pacific COP”, done in partnership with island nations and emphasising their exposure to climate change and rising sea levels.
It says it has already spent A$7 million ($4.5 million) on preparing to host, reflecting confidence that backing from a large number of countries would enable it to fend off Turkey’s bid.
Turkey, which will host COP31 in the city of Antalya, has said that as an emerging economy, it would promote solidarity between rich and poor countries at its summit, which would have a more global rather than regional focus.
Earlier this week, Albanese rejected prospects of co-hosting the event, citing United Nations rules. Turkey had urged a joint model and said the sides had discussed potential frameworks in September.
“It is a good outcome,” said David Dutton, a director of research at the Lowy Institute and who was, until September, Australia’s assistant secretary of climate diplomacy.
“It alleviates some of the cost and burden of organising the COP while creating opportunities for Australia and the Pacific to do something with it.”
(with inputs from Reuters)
Lai Ching-te Shows Solidarity with Japan as China Threatens Seafood Ban
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed solidarity with Japan on Thursday by sharing a sushi lunch made from Japanese seafood, after China signalled plans to ban all imports of fish and other marine products from Japan.
The move comes amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
In photos posted on his Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts, Lai was seen enjoying sushi and miso soup featuring yellowtail from Kagoshima and scallops from Hokkaido. “Today’s lunch is sushi and miso soup,” he wrote in Mandarin and Japanese, a subtle but clear show of support for Tokyo.
Dispute Deepens Over Taiwan and Trade
The diplomatic flare-up follows remarks by Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who said earlier this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could trigger a military response. Beijing reacted sharply, warning of consequences and accusing Tokyo of undermining regional stability.
China’s threat to halt seafood imports from Japan echoes similar trade restrictions it has imposed on Taiwan in recent years. Taipei has faced bans on products such as pineapples and fish, which officials described as part of Beijing’s broader campaign of economic coercion.
Taiwan Urges Resistance to Chinese ‘Bullying’
Speaking to reporters earlier on Thursday, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung condemned China’s growing use of economic and military pressure against neighbouring countries. “China’s acts of coercion and intimidation are already too numerous to mention,” Lin said. “At this critical juncture, we must support Japan in stabilising the situation and halting the Chinese communists’ bullying behaviour.”
Japan and Taiwan maintain close, though unofficial, ties built on shared democratic values and strong cultural and economic links. Japan ruled Taiwan from 1895 until the end of World War Two, and the two societies continue to enjoy deep mutual affinity.
Lai’s lunch choice simple yet symbolic reflects Taiwan’s message of unity with Japan as both face mounting pressure from Beijing.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Trump Finally Signs Bill To Release Epstein Case Files
President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — files eagerly sought by both his political opponents and members of his own base who have pressed for greater transparency in the case.
The material could shed more light on the activities of Epstein, who socialized with Trump and other notable figures before his 2008 conviction on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
The scandal has been a thorn in Trump’s side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Many Trump voters believe his administration has covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.
Until recently, Trump had urged Republican lawmakers to oppose the measure, warning that releasing internal investigative records could set a precedent he viewed as harmful to the presidency, according to two congressional aides. But he reversed course this week as it became clear the bill had enough bipartisan support to pass with or without his backing.
Exposing The ‘Truth’
Trump, a Republican, celebrated the signing in a social media post, saying the measure would help expose “the truth about certain Democrats and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein”.
Trump accused Democrats of weaponizing the Epstein scandal to undermine his accomplishments and divert attention from what he called Republican policy victories. He portrayed Epstein as a Democratic ally and said the upcoming document release would expose “their associations” with him.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed,” he wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
At a news conference earlier in the day, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Justice Department will release its Epstein-related material within 30 days, as required by legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday.
“We will continue to follow the law and encourage maximum transparency,” Bondi said.
‘May Not Be Comprehensive’
The release of files, however, may not be comprehensive, because the legislation passed by Congress allows the Justice Department to hold back personal information about Epstein’s victims and material that would jeopardize an active investigation.
Only 20% of Americans – including just 44% of Republicans – approve of how Trump has handled the Epstein case, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. Some 70% of poll respondents – including 87% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans – said they believe the government is hiding information about Epstein’s clients.
Trump last week ordered the agency to investigate several Democratic figures who were associated with Epstein, and officials could decide not to release any information tied to those people.
The Justice Department regularly cites the need to protect ongoing investigations when withholding information from the public.
Courts had previously rejected requests by Trump’s Justice Department this year to unseal transcripts of proceedings before grand juries that investigated Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
(with inputs from Reuters)
The US-China G2 Illusion And India’s Opportunity
Whenever Washington attempts strategic accommodation with Beijing, the usual anxiety is felt in New Delhi. The fear cannot be dismissed: a hypothetical US-China “G2”, a condominium of the two largest global powers managing world affairs, would sideline India, dilute its strategic relevance, and reduce its diplomatic space. The recent tactical thaw in US-China relations has reignited these concerns.
Yet, the historic record of previous G2 attempts is dubious, and panic is unwarranted. The G2, as a concept, historically collapses due to incompatible worldviews, asymmetrical expectations, and Chinese overreach.
India’s approach, therefore, should not be to whine about this temporary détente. Instead, India should prepare for the post-G2 world, in which US-China rivalry escalates after the unrealistic expectations of a détente fail.
India’s strategic opportunity lies not only in managing a stable US-China balance, but in preparing for the imbalance that will follow a failed G2 attempt.
G2: An Idea That Fails
The notion of a U.S.–China G2 “condominium” i.e the two largest powers jointly managing global affairs, resurfaces every time a new U.S. president imagines cooperation will moderate Beijing. Each attempt follows the same trajectory: early optimism, Chinese assertiveness, and eventual strategic correction.
President Bill Clinton renewed MFN for China, saying: “This decision… offers us the best opportunity to lay the basis for long-term sustainable progress in human rights.”
He pushed China’s WTO entry and cast it as a “responsible stakeholder,” expecting economic integration would liberalise Beijing. Instead, China accelerated state-led industrial expansion, military modernisation, and internal repression.
President Barack Obama declared: “The relationship between the United States and China will shape the 21st century.”
His global-governance outreach, made amid U.S. financial-crisis weakness, was read in Beijing as strategic weakness. China hardened its South China Sea posture and abandoned Deng’s “bide your time” restraint. Obama’s answer was the “Pivot to Asia,” with India elevated as a core partner.
Donald Trump boasted: “He just wrote me a beautiful letter… let’s work together.”
He flirted with transactional engagement, but Beijing garnered concessions and pressed ahead with tech theft, coercive lending, and military assertiveness. Trump then swung abruptly to confrontation, reinforcing bipartisan recognition of China as a systemic rival and accelerating U.S. convergence with India.
Every G2 moment follows the same trajectory:
- Washington courts Beijing to stabilise global systems and reduce its economic and military burdens.
- Beijing interprets it as a weakness and a strategic opportunity for duplicity and coercion.
- The American establishment belatedly rediscovers Chinese revisionism.
- Confrontation resumes, harsher than before.
Why would this time differ? If anything, China has become more powerful, more revisionist, more confident, and perhaps even more brittle internally.
Threats, Opportunities For India
India may face short-term challenges as Washington temporarily shifts focus toward stabilizing its bilateral ties with China, which could soften current pressure. Beijing will likely manoeuvre to isolate India diplomatically, stall border talks, and enhance its influence in India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean.
However, the fundamental structural rivalry remains unchanged. China’s ambition to dominate the Asian security order and expel the US from East Asia is firm. The American establishment views China as a revisionist challenger, making the current thaw purely tactical.
When Beijing predictably overplays its hand, in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, or economic arenas, US anger will return.
At that juncture, Trump is likely to face strained allies, limited traction against Russia, and a costly, unpopular foreign entanglement. The United States would then need reliable and capable partners such as India.
In this inevitable circumstance of heightened hostility and political urgency, the consequences of G2 failure will disproportionately benefit India. To capitalize, India must prepare effectively to be an indispensable partner, ensuring China’s assumed parity becomes its undoing.
What India Must Do
India’s response to the current strategic environment must be pragmatic preparation with two objectives: mitigating short-term hazards and maximizing long-term gains.
To minimize risk, India must maintain calm strategic communications with Washington, reinforcing its centrality to maritime security and economic diversification.
It must also diversify strategic partnerships with Tokyo and European capitals, avoiding over-dependence on a distracted US. India should practice sober, quiet independence rather than loud hedging, and manage Beijing’s outreach without trading tactical peace for strategic diminishment.
To position for long-term gains, India needs domestic reform to accelerate capacity building and quickly secure deep defense-industrial partnerships (e.g., jet engines, drones) before US urgency returns.
Finally, India must develop Indo-Pacific economic security institutions and expand regional influence by being a development partner that delivers, not just talks.
Strategic Bottom Line
Let us be frank: this is not Nehruvian non-alignment. It is characterized by a bold and realistic multi-alignment with a strategic bias toward Washington. The goal is simple, to emerge as America’s indispensable Asian counterweight once Washington’s China illusions shatter again.
India’s greatest risk is psychological: reacting defensively, interpreting transient tactical manoeuvres as permanent shifts, and vacillating in self-doubt. Its greatest opportunity is structural: the next US-China rupture will be deeper than the last, and the world will seek a stabilizing power in Asia.
India’s task is to ensure that when history knocks, it has the capabilities, credibility, and strategic clarity to open the door. India should not moan with slogans about autonomy or nostalgia for a”balanced order” that no longer exists.
The G2 is not India’s crisis. It is India’s pre-crisis opportunity. To waste it would be strategic negligence. To prepare for it would be statecraft. As Chanakya would.
Brig Raman is with the Takshashila Institution where he researches US domestic politics and foreign policy. Views expressed are his own.
Another Obstacle For Indians Waiting For US Green Card
All those million plus Indians waiting for the Green Card, which guarantees permanent residency in the US, need to step back a bit. New changes proposed to the immigration rules would deny applicants the coveted card if officials decide they could become dependent on the state.
Reports say the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has already made public its plans for the new conditions underlying the grant of Green Cards. Rules require a mandatory 30-day period so the public can send their views and recommendations before the new rule is implemented.
Some of the conditions the DHS is planning will closely scrutinise age, health, family status, assets, financial resources, education and skills. DHS officials, say reports, will weigh the “totality of circumstances” before making a decision on grant of Green Card.
The changes could give more power to the Citizenship & Immigration Officers to decide who or which person could become a “public charge” or dependent on government benefits. This is in keeping with President Donald Trump’s view that government benefits should not encourage immigration.
Meanwhile, a Newsweek report says a federal court has blocked “significant fee increases” for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program, reducing costs for Green Card applicants who rely on this pathway to permanent residency.
The program allows foreign investors to obtain Green Cards by investing in US job-creating enterprises. The action by the court reverts to the earlier lower cost of the EB-5 visa, reducing cost barriers for foreign investors and regional centers invested in US job creation.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Service indicated compliance with the court ruing but underscored that “The Court’s decision is incorrect but are working to implement it.”
The statement indicated disagreement with the Court ruling and hinted that they could appeal against it. There’s also the fact that in future, new rules promulgated by the Federal Government could setback the ruling.
President Trump To Meet New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani
US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will meet New York City’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, at the White House this Friday. The meeting will mark the first encounter between the Republican president and the progressive Democrat who won this month’s mayoral election.
In a post on social media, Trump said the meeting would take place at the Oval Office on November 21. Mamdani’s team had previously confirmed reaching out to the White House to arrange the discussion. A spokesperson for the mayor-elect said he plans to meet Trump in Washington “to discuss public safety, economic security, and the affordability agenda.”
Political Rivals Set to Meet
The upcoming meeting is notable given the two leaders’ stark political differences. Trump had openly supported Mamdani’s opponent, former governor Andrew Cuomo, during the mayoral race and threatened to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding from New York City if Mamdani won.
The US federal government contributes roughly $7.4 billion to New York City’s annual budget, accounting for about 6.4% of total spending, according to the New York State Comptroller.
During the campaign, Trump labelled Mamdani a “communist,” a characterisation widely dismissed by fact-checkers. Mamdani, a democratic socialist and vocal critic of Trump’s immigration policies and his administration’s support for Israel during the Gaza conflict, made opposing the president’s agenda a key part of his platform.
Focus on Cooperation Despite Divisions
While deep ideological divisions remain, Mamdani has signalled a willingness to work with the federal government on shared priorities. His team said Friday’s meeting will focus on practical issues affecting New Yorkers, including housing affordability and job security.
Observers see the meeting as a test of whether the two can find common ground despite their sharp political contrasts. Mamdani is set to take office on January 1, ushering in a new era of leadership for America’s largest city.
(with inputs from Reuters)
G20 Summit: US Boycott Undermines Group, Warns South Africa’s Envoy
South Africa, current G20 president, is hopeful of a “substantial outcome” at the summit in Johannesburg over the weekend despite the US decision to not attend.
Describing the US move as unfortunate, Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s high commissioner to India, told StratNewsGlobal that it undermines the very ethos on which the multilateral grouping was formed post the 2008 financial crisis.
“The G20 is about being inclusive and decisions are made on the basis of consensus,” he said adding that “I think the irony of this position is that when you had the financial crisis of 2008 and when the G20 was elevated to the status of a summit level meeting, and the first summit was convened by the USA in Washington, so Washington played a pivotal role in bringing us all together.”
The US move was one among other challenges that the G20 had to face, Sooklal recalled.
“The past four summits, which have been presided over by countries of the Global South, have been the most challenging for a number of reasons. Firstly, when Indonesia inherited the presidency, we were just coming out of Covid. And, Covid was a major factor in terms of the impact it had, not just on the financial and economic architecture, but on various dimensions of our development trajectory as developing countries.”
Specifically about South Africa, Sooklal pointed to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Gaza conflict and a United States that has “weaponized trade through tariffs.”
“South Africa has to deal with all of these. But I think what we have demonstrated as countries of the Global South that even though we steered the G20 at its most difficult period, we were able to find consensus and have substantive outcomes as countries of the Global South, demonstrating our ability to lead and to deal with complex issues in an inclusive manner,” he said adding that Pretoria is facing “multi-layered challenges”.
As the Global North and South, there is a need to work in an inclusive manner, to find a solution to a very challenging situation that we experienced, that impacted, not just on the Global North, which was the epi-centre of the financial crisis, but the impact it had on the world as a whole.”