Why India’s focus on Middle East is on trade despite defence ties with UAE

By Biman Mukherji India’s increasing engagement with Gulf nations is driven more by trade and energy security, even as it seeks to forge a defence partnership with the United Arab Emirates amid deepening rivalries in the region, according to analysts. Last week, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made a brief stop in […]

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EU leaders begin India visit ahead of ‘mother of all deals’ trade pact

New Delhi: Europe’s top leaders have arrived in New Delhi to participate in Republic Day celebrations on Monday, ahead of a key EU-India Summit and the conclusion of a long-sought free trade agreement. European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in India over the weekend, […]

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India to recreate ‘Operation Sindoor’ at upcoming Republic Day parade

The Indian military is set to recreate its tri-services campaign against Pakistan from last May during the 77th Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on 26 January. The display, an annual exhibition of the country’s military and diplomatic reach, will feature the specific aircraft formations and hardware used during the 88-hour conflict. Air Commodore Manish […]

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‘Yunus A Murderous Fascist’: Sheikh Hasina In 1st Public Address In Exile

New Delhi: In her first address to a public gathering in India since leaving Bangladesh in 2024, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina launched a blistering attack on Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of running an “illegal, violent” regime and plunging the country into what she described as an age of terror, lawlessness and democratic […]

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India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

By Biman Mukherji India and the European Union are stepping up a long-delayed push for a free-trade agreement as New Delhi prepares to host the bloc’s top leaders later this month, with both sides signalling urgency amid mounting pressure from US tariffs and a shifting global order. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in […]

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India signs $3 billion LNG agreement with UAE, vows to double trade, as U.S. deal remains elusive

India said it plans to double bilateral trade with the UAE to $200 billion by 2032, in a step toward diversifying its partnerships as a deal with the Asian country’s biggest trading partner, the U.S., remains elusive. In a whirlwind, three-hour long meeting late Monday between UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and […]

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India, UAE agree on defence partnership, civil nuke collaboration

India and the United Arab Emirates today (19 January) agreed to look at a strategic defence pact and explore bilateral collaboration in civil nuclear sectors as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan laying out a broad agenda to shore up ties. Modi welcomed Al […]

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Bankim Chandra’s Vande Mataram to be main theme of India’s Republic Day parade

India has selected the national song Vande Mataram as the main theme for the Republic Day parade to be held in New Delhi on 26 January, marking 150 years since it was written. Bengali litterateur Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram in the 1870s as a poem, and it remains a prominent cultural and patriotic […]

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India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces US tariff threat

By Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on countries that do business with Iran has dented India’s ambition for the strategic Chabahar port and affected New Delhi’s trade with Tehran. Trump’s latest threat could curtail shipments of Indian basmati rice to Iran, but is likely to have a […]

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Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

By Junaid Kathju India is facing multiple geopolitical challenges in the region as Bangladesh and Myanmar show signs of drifting away from New Delhi’s orbit amid its long-standing disputes with Pakistan and China. Dhaka has been drawing closer to Islamabad following the downfall in 2024 of its former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who had close […]

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