Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the USA at the end of June provided an opportunity for the two countries to strengthen their relations at a time of growing geopolitical tensions. On the one hand, there are the usual US tensions with Russia and China over the Ukraine crisis, the Taiwan issue and the US-China trade war. On […]

With millions more internally displaced as well as an estimated 2.3 million residing in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, Afghan refugees are among the biggest and longest-lasting refugee communities in the world. After the Soviet invasion in 1979, the civil war in the 1990s, and the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States in 2001, the bulk of Afghan refugees left […]

In a major development, India is planning to buy 26 Rafale fighter aircraft and three Scorpene class conventional submarines from France. The proposals have been placed before the Defence Ministry. As per the proposal, the Indian Navy will get 22 single-seated Rafale Marine aircraft along with four trainer aircraft. The Navy had been pressing for acquiring these fighter aircraft and […]

Prime Minister Modi has just wrapped up a two-day visit to France, where he was guest of honour at France’s Bastille Day Parade. This is a rare honour, given that it’s not every year that the parade has a foreign chief guest—the last time was in 2018 when Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong was the guest of honour. This is […]

India announced a new multi-billion-dollar deal for French fighter jets on Thursday (13 July) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Paris for a two-day trip in a sign of deepening trade and diplomatic ties to counter a rising China. Modi’s visit this week as a guest of honour during France’s national day celebrations comes as the two countries celebrate the […]

India is one of the world’s largest armaments importers and continues to expand the scope and range of its defence and strategic cooperation with countries like the U.S., France, Israel, and Russia. In 2016, the U.S. recognised India as a “Major Defence Partner”, a title that consents on India buying more cutting-edge and sensitive technologies from the U.S. at par […]

The focus is on violence in Manipur, but the entire range of rights issues is to be debated The European parliament is discussing the human rights in India with the focus on the violence in the North Eastern Indian State of Manipur. The EU Parliament’s resolution on India says that minorities, civil society, human rights defenders and journalists regularly face […]

In India, data is being treated as a strategic resource that needs to be safeguarded from external exploitation and made available for domestic requirements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi even went so far as to say that ‘data is the new gold’. Data is a new currency that flows across borders, enabling information exchange and facilitating transactions at record speeds. While […]

The Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed Mr. Qadir Shah to the post of Chief Envoy from his previous position as Trade Counselor at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, nominated by former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, has expressed his dissent towards the said nomination. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has not yet accepted Mr. […]

Militance by separatist insurgents in Jammu, part of India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory, is resurfacing after a gap of 14 years, a former top military officer told VOA June 20. There have been at least six deadly attacks, resulting in the loss of 33 lives, including 10 civilians, since 2021. The first wave of militancy emerged in 1990. Deependra Singh […]