China says India’s app blocking is discriminatory, against international trade

The Chinese embassy in India has called the Indian move to block 59 apps from China as ‘discriminatory’ and ‘against the general trend of international trade and E-commerce’. India blocked the apps yesterday in response to China ratcheting up its military presence on the Indian border, ostensibly in preparation for an attack on India. The […]

In a win for China, Nepal starts stapling visas for Taiwanese

In a diplomatic victory for China, Nepal has started issuing stapled visas to Taiwan passport holders, departing from its previous policy of issuing regular visas to citizens of the island nation. Diplomatic sources in the Taiwan Embassy in New Delhi say that the matter came to their attention shortly after China’s President Xi Jinping’s visited […]

India’s water position vulnerable vs China: Brahma Chellaney

China’s use of water as an “unconventional weapon” of warfare against India is a major geopolitical and environmental concern for New Delhi, strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney warned, as he recalled how Beijing’s refusal to provide New Delhi with hydrological data in 2017 had caused “preventable deaths.” “As an upper-stream state, China is obliged to […]

BSF asked to cultivate Kashmir’s “silent minority,” ace “hybrid warfare”

A “silent minority” in the Kashmir region favours complete integration with India and back Centre’s decision to change Article 370, the top commanders of the Border Security Force have been told during a specially-arranged closed door meeting addressed by a former Indian Army general. “The BSF should identify and empower these people,” a former three-star […]

Masood Azhar’s terror tag more a diplomatic victory than a strategic win

In what is considered a major diplomatic victory for India and an extra push for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the middle of the general elections, the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday declared Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan based terror group Jaish-e –Mohammad, a designated terrorist. The way was cleared for declaring the terror […]

Nikki Haley again urges India to respect religions and avoid “divisions”

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley again urged India to ‘respect’ all religions so as to avoid ‘divisions’ within the country. Soon after arriving in India on Tuesday, Haley had emphasized ‘freedom of religion’ in a comment to the media. She also urged India to relook at its relationships with Iran and Russia […]

Before leaving, Emmanuel Macron leaves a ‘Thank You’ message for Indians

Unlike other foreign leaders feted by Indian in recent years, French President Emmanuel Macron left a message directly to Indian people before stepping on to the plane back home. In a video message posted on Twitter, Macron sounded less like a politician and more like a ordinary person as he thanked everyone for making possible […]

ONGC, IOCL, BPCL acquire 10% in Abu Dhabi oil block

A consortium of companies, including ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, have taken a 10% stake in Lower Zakum Concession. The “participation fee” paid by the Indian consortium is 2.2 billion UAE dirhams (Rs 3,850 cr). The onshore field is located inside the UAE and is owned by the Abu Dhabi […]

Masood Azhar warns Pakistan against ‘kneeling before Trump’

Maulana Masood Azhar, the founder of terror-cum-charity group Jaish-e-Mohammed, has warned the Pakistan government against giving in to the demands of the Americans, who want it to destroy all terror groups. Azhar said Pakistani media and intellectuals are trying to scare the people of the country into giving in to Trump’s demands. His comments come […]

India-Myanmar-Thailand highway to be ready in 3 years; work starts

The Indian government has awarded all the contracts under the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway over the last three months and the highway is likely to be ready in three years, the external affairs ministry said. “Government of India is implementing two projects as part of Trilateral Highway between India, Myanmar and Thailand. These are construction of 69 […]

China has not restarted construction in Doklam area – Sushma Swaraj

Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday denied reports that China has restarted construction activity at or near the site of a stand-off between the two countries earlier this year. “Since the disengagement of Indian and Chinese border personnel in the Doklam area on 28 August 2017, there have been no new developments at […]

Chinese soldiers start working with Pak army on Gujarat, Rajasthan border – BSF

A report by the Border Security Force has flagged what it called increasing presence of Chinese military personnel on India’s border with Pakistan. While the presence of Chinese troop in the Gilgit Baltistan region near the trijunction of the three countries was already known, the activities of Chinese soldiers and engineers have now spread to […]

DOKLAM 2: Why India is not sending troops to stop Chinese construction

Doklam is in the news again, 40 days after the Chinese pulled back their construction equipment on the border plateau in deference to Indian sensitivities. With two weeks to go for the crucial National Congress of the Communist Party of China, India’s northern neighbor has again started construction activity near Doklam. Apart from some verbal […]

After Doklam, Modi confirms attendance at BRICS summit, to visit Myanmar

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China to attend the upcoming conference of the BRICS forum on September 3-5, the Prime Minister’s Office said today. On the way back, he will also conduct a three-day visit to Myanmar, it added. “At the invitation of the President of People’s Republic of China, Prime Minister Shri […]

DOKLAM STAND-OFF: India, China agree to ‘disengage’

The External Affairs ministry of Government of India has said that India and China have agreed to an ‘expeditious disengagement’ of border personnel at the Doklam plateau in Bhutan. In a statement, the external affairs ministry said: “In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During […]

India draws closer to US under Modi, to restart ‘COPE INDIA’

The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government of India is ramping up defense cooperation with the United States, and will restart COPE INDIA, a mock combat exercise between the US and Indian Air Force. COPE INDIA was first conducted in 2004, and subsequently in 2005, 2006 and 2009, after which it was abandoned. The exercise […]

Nawaz Sharif Proves Unlucky For The Third Time

Nawaz Sharif is third time unlucky to have to abandon his term as the democratically elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. With the Supreme Court disqualifying him over the corruption cases for ten years, sixty-seven-year-old Sharif’s premiership comes to end one year before his term expires. It also potentially means the termination of an eventful political […]

Pakistan Army protests cross-border attacks by India

Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations protested Indian attacks on the Line of Control in Kashmir in a meeting with his Indian counterpart. According to a statement released by the Indian side, Pakistan complained that Indian Army had killed four Pakistani soldiers and one civilian by cross-border firing. India and Pakistan are engaged in a […]