By Yashraj Sharma New Delhi, India – Two of the world’s biggest militaries, Russia and India, have made their most substantive defence pact yet, allowing them to station soldiers and aircraft on each other’s territory. The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) bilateral agreement, which was signed last year and is now operational, facilitates the […]
By Dinakar Peri On April 3, 2026, India’s nuclear triad crossed a major milestone with the quiet commissioning of INS Aridhaman—the country’s third nuclear ballistic missile submarine or SSBN (Submersible Ship Ballistic Nuclear)—at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. While no formal announcement was made on the “boomer,” as SSBNs are referred […]
Mumbai: India’s forex reserves jumped by USD 2.362 billion to USD 703.308 billion during the week ended April 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the forex kitty had increased by USD 3.825 billion to USD 700.946 billion. The country’s forex reserves had expanded to an all-time […]
By Orange Wang From Taiwan to Tibet, French President Emmanuel Macron has touched Beijing’s nerves on a range of sensitive issues over the past few weeks. On a trip to Japan earlier this month, he and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi “emphasised the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and urged a […]
The United States has sanctioned a Chinese oil refinery for buying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil. Ahead of potential new talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran, the US Treasury Department on Friday said that it was targeting Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, China’s second-largest “teapot” or independent refinery. Hengli is […]
By Orange Wang From Taiwan to Tibet, French President Emmanuel Macron has touched Beijing’s nerves on a range of sensitive issues over the past few weeks. On a trip to Japan earlier this month, he and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi “emphasised the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and urged a […]
A memorandum and agreements were signed between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan regarding the Trans-Caspian route, according to Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY). According to a statement by the ADY, Chairman Rovshan Rustamov participated in the regular meeting of the Governing Board of the Association of Legal Entities of the International Association of Trans-Caspian International Transport Route during […]
The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) agreement is a bilateral defence pact between India and Russia that allows their armed forces to use each other’s military bases, ports and airfields in both peacetime and conflict. Negotiated over eight years and ratified by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December, the agreement became operational on 12 […]
Türkiye could consider taking part in multinational demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz after a possible peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said late Friday. Speaking to reporters in London, Fidan said Türkiye “would be open to” participating in a coalition tasked with clearing naval mines in the Strait […]
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has presented Tehran’s “views and considerations” on ending the ongoing conflict during meetings with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad, as diplomatic efforts to sustain a ceasefire continue. In a statement following his meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, Araqchi said discussions focused on the latest developments surrounding the Iran-US ceasefire […]
By Yashraj Sharma New Delhi, India – Two of the world’s biggest militaries, Russia and India, have made their most substantive defence pact yet, allowing them to station soldiers and aircraft on each other’s territory. The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) bilateral agreement, which was signed last year and is now operational, facilitates the […]
SEOUL: North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, days after the UN’s nuclear watchdog warned that North Korea was making “very serious” advances in efforts to build nuclear weapons. The missiles fired from the North’s Sinpo area flew about 140 kilometers (87 miles) each in a direction […]
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday termed the ground situation of the West Asia conflict as uncertain and volatile, and emphasised the need for India to remain prepared for any fresh escalation. In a post on X, he wrote that “the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to take swift […]
By Lawrence Chung in Taipei Taiwan’s parliament is set to prioritise review of a disputed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget bill when its new session begins on Tuesday, as pressure mounts from Washington. But US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about consulting Chinese President Xi Jinping on arms sales could complicate the debate, […]
By Jeoffrey Maitem The United States’ plan to expand deployments of advanced missile systems and unmanned platforms in the Philippines is less about hardware than geography and what it signals about Washington’s long-term strategy in the region, analysts said. Announced after the 12th Philippines–US Bilateral Strategic Dialogue this week, the move reflects a steady effort […]
Mumbai: India’s forex reserves jumped by USD 2.362 billion to USD 703.308 billion during the week ended April 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the forex kitty had increased by USD 3.825 billion to USD 700.946 billion. The country’s forex reserves had expanded to an all-time […]
The US naval blockade of Iranian ports and Iran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz has escalated pressure on global energy flows, raising questions about how long Tehran can sustain itself under restricted export conditions. Analysts say Iran’s survival timeline depends on a mix of stored oil, alternative revenues, and political resilience, with some […]
The United States has sanctioned a Chinese oil refinery for buying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil. Ahead of potential new talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran, the US Treasury Department on Friday said that it was targeting Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, China’s second-largest “teapot” or independent refinery. Hengli is […]
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative, Ding Xuexiang, stated on Friday that the successful launch of the fourth phase of the Galkynysh gas field will take China-Turkmenistan energy cooperation to a new level. Ding, also Chinese vice premier and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China […]
DHAKA: Despite efforts to mitigate supply disruptions, Bangladesh was forced to hike fuel prices on Sunday, as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s economic stabilization plans are facing a setback from the US–Israeli war on Iran. A country of 170 million people, which relies on imports for 95 percent of its energy needs, Bangladesh has been struggling […]
A groundbreaking Central Asian ecological summit has endorsed a Kazakh plan to establish an International Water Organization under UN auspices while pledging to better coordinate efforts to address the consequences of climate change. A three-day Regional Ecological Summit 2026 wrapped up in the Kazakh capital Astana on April 24 by publishing a declaration of intent […]
BANGKOK – Thailand could face extreme heat conditions comparable to those seen today in the Sahara by 2070, according to a growing body of climate research that suggests global warming is steadily pushing parts of the world beyond the temperature range in which human societies have historically flourished. The warning was highlighted by director of […]
LAHORE/HANOI: Authorities in Pakistan have ordered enhanced screening of people entering the country for signs of infections of the deadly Nipah virus after India confirmed two cases, adding to the number of Asian countries stepping up controls. Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam have also tightened screening at airports. The Nipah virus can […]
NEW DELHI: When Mohana Talapatra returned to Delhi to care for her aging parents, she planned to stay for good, but last year, after they both died, she left for Bangalore to save her own health and life. Brought up in the Indian capital, she had been away since 1995 — first to study abroad […]
NEW DELHI: Indian authorities said they had contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirming two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, as several Asian countries tightened health screenings and airport surveillance for travelers arriving from India. India’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that two Nipah cases had been detected since December and that all […]
