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Amid intensifying global fragmentation and rising strategic autonomy across the Global South, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a landmark roadmap to deepen their bilateral economic engagement through 2030, aiming to take trade beyond $100 billion.  Prez Putin and PM NaMo attended the Plenary Session of the India-Russia Trade Forum The wide-ranging Programme for the Development of Strategic Areas of India–Russia Economic Cooperation till 2030 was the centrepiece of the 23rd Annual Summit held in New Delhi on December 5, with the two sides signing 29 agreements spanning energy, mobility, healthcare, customs, polar training, labour migration, media, and advanced scientific cooperation. The summit, Putin’s first visit to India since the Ukraine war began, saw both leaders publicly reaffirm the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between their countries, even as global alignments continue to shift.  “India-Russia ties have...

In a highly choreographed display of diplomatic warmth and strategic alignment, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks in New Delhi this week. Together the Russian President and the Indian Prime Minister sent a clear signal of continuity and deepening ties between the two long-standing partners even as global tensions mount over the ongoing war in Ukraine and shifting geopolitical alliances. PM NaMo welcoming President Vladimir Putin at Hyderabad House Greeting Putin with a handshake and a rare protocol-breaking hug upon his arrival, Modi hosted the Russian leader at Hyderabad House for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit.  “India is on the side of peace,” Modi said firmly, reiterating New Delhi’s consistent message throughout the Ukraine conflict.  “The welfare of the world is only through the path of peace… together, we must look for the pathways to peace.” Putin, addressing the crisis directly, thanked Modi for his att...

In a pointed message amid growing Western pressure on both New Delhi and Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that the India–Russia partnership remains focused solely on mutual interests and is not targeted at any third country.  Indian PM NaMo presenting a copy of the Gita to Russian Prez Vladimir Putin His remarks came during a high-profile two-day visit to India for the 23rd Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as both nations seek to expand their decades-old strategic collaboration in the face of increasingly fractious geopolitical alignments. Putin’s visit, his first to India since the Ukraine war began, coincides with a visible downturn in India–US relations.  Tensions escalated after Washington imposed sweeping tariffs on Indian goods, including penalties for importing Russian crude oil — a punitive move widely interpreted as a warning shot to New Delhi for its continued economic cooperation with Moscow.  In response, Putin dismi...

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening for a tightly choreographed two-day state visit. This marks a significant reaffirmation of the India–Russia strategic partnership at a time of deepening geopolitical rifts and growing divergence between India and the West over Ukraine.  Image Source: PM NaMo As Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Putin with a warm embrace at Palam Airport, the visit--Putin’s first to India since 2021 and his first anywhere in the region since the invasion of Ukraine--set in motion a high-stakes diplomatic engagement that signals India’s intent to maintain and expand its historical ties with Moscow despite rising pressure from Western capitals. The visit comes at a time when India–US relations have faced visible strain, with tensions emerging around Ukraine diplomacy, defence alignment, and global leadership postures.  Against this backdrop, the Putin-Modi summit on Friday is expected to focus on expanding bilateral de...

IndiGo, among India’s largest airline by market share, issued a formal apology on Wednesday following severe disruptions across its network, attributing the delays and cancellations to a combination of operational challenges that have unfolded over the past 48 hours.  Crazy scenes at Mumbai Airport. Pic Via: Jagriti Chandra The airline said it had taken corrective steps to stabilise operations and ease passenger inconvenience. In a statement, IndiGo acknowledged the scale of the disruption, which impacted flights at major hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.  The airline said it was grappling with “a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges,” including minor technology failures, congestion at airports, adverse winter weather, and new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules that affected crew scheduling. IndiGo’s admission follows days of growing passenger frustration, as delays mounted and services ground to a near-halt in several locations.  Da...

Air India on Tuesday issued a nationwide travel advisory after a disruption in a third-party system used for check-in operations triggered widespread delays across multiple airports and airlines.  Image Source: Aviationbrk The airline urged passengers to confirm their flight status online and allow extra time before heading to the airport, citing ongoing efforts to stabilise services. In a post on X, Air India confirmed that the disruption had affected "check-in systems at various airports," impacting its own flights along with those of other carriers.  The advisory stressed that while system recovery was underway, delays could persist until full restoration. The airline added that airport teams were working "diligently" to assist passengers and minimise inconvenience. The glitch underscores the vulnerabilities in aviation infrastructure reliant on outsourced operational technologies.  Airlines around the world commonly depend on third-party platforms for check-in...

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, in a wide-ranging address after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, issued a sharp assessment of shifting global power structures and warned that traditional rules of engagement are giving way to more fragmented, unilateral approaches led by major powers, chiefly the United States. Image Source: EAM Jaishankar Describing a world where “politics increasingly trumps economics,” Jaishankar noted that Washington, long seen as the architect and underwriter of the global rules-based order, is now dealing with nations bilaterally rather than through established multilateral frameworks.  “The United States has set radically new terms of engagement,” he said, adding that China has similarly continued to act by its own rules, intensifying the global trend toward power-based realignments. In this emerging landscape, the minister said, decisions are no longer made purely on economic efficiency b...

India has lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Beijing after a UK-based Indian woman, originally from Arunachal Pradesh, was reportedly detained for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport by Chinese immigration officials who refused to recognise her Indian passport.  The episode has escalated tensions between the two countries, with New Delhi asserting that Arunachal Pradesh remains an integral and inalienable part of India. Image Source: Romita Romi on X The traveller, Pema Wangjom Thongdok, was en route from London to Japan with a transit stop in Shanghai on November 21 when Chinese officials flagged her Indian passport as “invalid” due to her Arunachal Pradesh birthplace.  She described the ordeal as deeply distressing, noting that she was held without formal documentation and was unable to contact her embassy or family due to China’s ban on social media platforms and search engines. PTI: An Indian woman hailing from Arunachal Pradesh has said that sh...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a sweeping call for a reimagined development agenda at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg , setting out six major global initiatives and pressing for a “civilisational” rethink of growth models that leave people and the planet behind.  Image Source: PM NaMo Speaking at the summit’s opening session, Modi urged the world’s largest economies to act collectively to ensure inclusive, sustainable, and secure progress —anchored in equity, knowledge-sharing and resilience. In his address, Modi pitched for rethinking global development parameters, arguing that the current frameworks have left large sections of the world deprived and have led to the overexploitation of nature.  Drawing from India's philosophical ethos of Integral Humanism , he said development must harmonise individuals, societies and ecosystems, and cannot be dictated solely by economic metrics. Modi proposed six transformative initiatives. These include a Global T...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Johannesburg on Friday to attend the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit , marking a symbolic and strategic moment as the G20 convenes for the first time ever on African soil.  The three-day summit, running from November 21 to 23 , is being hosted by South Africa under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability”,  a continuation of the development-focused agenda advanced by previous Global South presidencies in India, Indonesia, and Brazil. Image Source: PM NaMo Modi’s visit underscores India’s growing influence in shaping global governance from a Global South lens. In his departure statement, the Prime Minister called the summit “particularly special,” noting that it follows India’s successful 2023 G20 presidency during which the African Union was formally inducted as a member of the grouping. “This summit is an opportunity to discuss key global issues,” Modi said, adding that India would present its views anchored in the civil...

An Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet crashed during an aerobatic demonstration at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, killing the pilot in a high-profile accident that has sent shockwaves through India’s defence establishment and the global aviation community.  Image Source: Flight Radar The incident occurred around 2:10 pm local time during a complex aerial manoeuvre at Al Maktoum International Airport on the final day of the international air exhibition. The HAL-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, which had been performing a loop followed by a negative-G turn, lost altitude rapidly and slammed into the ground in full view of spectators.  Videos shared online showed the aircraft nosediving and exploding in a massive fireball, sending plumes of black smoke into the Dubai sky and prompting an immediate emergency response. An IAF Tejas aircraft met with an accident during an aerial display at Dubai Air Show, today. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident. IAF deeply...

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting in Moscow, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar delivered a sharply focused address and called for urgent structural reforms in the SCO, firm action against terrorism, and deeper economic and cultural integration across the bloc. Jaishankar began by warning of an increasingly volatile global economy, where “supply-side risks have been aggravated by demand-side complexities,” demanding urgent “de-risking and diversification.”  Indian EAM Jaishankar Meets Russian Prez Putin, again! He emphasized that trade frameworks among SCO members must be “fair, transparent, and equitable,” directly tying this to India’s active pursuit of free trade agreements with multiple member states. On modernization of the SCO, Jaishankar issued a pointed reminder: “As the organization becomes more diverse, the SCO must be more flexible and adaptable.”  He urged the immediate adoption of English as an ...

In a clear signal of continuity amid a turbulent global order, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, and restated the India-Russia relationship as a “factor of stability in international relations.”  The talks, held ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled December visit to New Delhi, focused on advancing bilateral cooperation and aligning perspectives on key geopolitical flashpoints, including the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, and Afghanistan. India's EAM Jaishankar in Russia, again! Via: MEA/FM "This particular occasion, for me, is all the more important as we prepare for President Putin’s visit to India," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.  He added that multiple bilateral agreements and initiatives across sectors were under active discussion and expected to be finalized soon.  These, he said, would "add more substance and texture to our Special and Privileged Strategic Pa...

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has secured a commanding majority in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party and the JD(U) recording its best performance in over a decade.  Image Source: JP Nadda Final results from the Election Commission show the NDA winning 202 of 243 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan collapsed to just 35. The biggest structural factor behind the NDA’s sweep was a flawless seat-sharing arrangement between BJP and JD(U), which each contested 101 seats, with remaining constituencies allocated to smaller allies.  The alliance executed a tightly coordinated campaign that combined governance delivery, strategic caste consolidation, and sharp messaging around law and order. The BJP focused on consolidating upper castes and youth, while Nitish Kumar retained strong support among Kurmis and economically backward classes.  The ...