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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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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Building bridges? India proposes inviting Chinese firms back to public projects

By Junaid Kathju India plans to lift long-standing restrictions on Chinese companies bidding for government contracts, a move officials say is aimed at easing shortages and project delays as relations with Beijing show tentative signs of stabilising. The proposal, first reported by Reuters, would roll back curbs, imposed after the two countries’ deadly 2020 border […]

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Germany’s Merz pledges to fast track India-EU trade deal during first official Asia visit

By Biman Mukherji German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first visit to Asia has raised India’s hopes for a long-awaited trade pact with the European Union as Berlin pushes for deeper engagement with South Asia amid heightened global tensions. Merz began his two-day visit to India on Monday by paying homage to India’s founding father Mahatma Gandhi […]

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Defence Sourcing Not Driven By Ideology, Says India On Germany’s ‘Offer’

New Delhi: India’s policy of choosing from where to source defence hardware is driven by national interest, and is not at all ideological, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in response to a question by NDTV linked to the official visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The German leader, who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi […]

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Germany’s Merz visits India to push defense industry ties ahead of EU trade deal

NEW DELHI: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to push for defense industry cooperation ahead of India’s awaited free trade agreement with the EU. Merz’s two-day trip is his first since taking office in May and he is accompanied by German business leaders. The visit started in Ahmedabad in […]

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