Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday emphasized that India cannot afford to remain a passive spectator as geopolitical conflicts, sanctions, and tariffs continue to reshape global supply chains. Speaking at the inauguration of the Kautilya Economic Conclave 2025 in New Delhi, she said that India’s economy has shown remarkable resilience in the face of disruptions, but it must play a proactive role to secure its future. Sitharaman highlighted how global uncertainty is

After a gap of more than five years, direct flights between India and mainland China are set to resume by the end of October 2025, marking a significant milestone in the gradual thawing of relations between the two Asian giants. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on October 2 that both countries had agreed to restart air services between designated points, beginning with the winter season schedule on October 26. The resumption will depend on the decisions of airlines and the completio

President Donald Trump reportedly informed Congress through a confidential Pentagon memo that the United States is now engaged in what is described as a “non-international armed conflict” against Latin American drug cartels. Among the groups named are Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and Venezuelan organizations like Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles. The memo designates these cartels as terrorists and their members as unlawful combatants,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced into a rare public apology this week, after US President Donald Trump pushed him to directly address Qatar over a deadly airstrike in Doha. The strike, which took place on September 9, killed five people, including the son of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, and rattled Washington as well as key mediators in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks. The White House r

Mahatma Gandhi’s iconic statue at Tavistock Square in London was vandalised on Monday, just days before Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. The incident has sparked outrage in India and abroad, with the Indian High Commission in the UK strongly condemning the act as shameful and an attack on the legacy of nonviolence. The plinth of the bronze statue, which depicts Gandhi in a meditative seated posture, was defac

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s new initiative aimed at ending the Gaza conflict, describing it as a comprehensive pathway toward long-term and sustainable peace. Modi’s support comes after Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on Washington’s 20-point proposal during talks at the White House. In a statement posted on X, Modi said, We welcom

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced a comprehensive peace initiative aimed at ending the ongoing Gaza war, expanding the Abraham Accords, and setting the stage for long-term stability in the Middle East. The announcement came after an extended meeting at the White House, where both leaders addressed the press in the State Dining Room and described the day as historic. Trump declared that the plan was designed to end not just the fighting in

Russia has signaled close monitoring of the possibility that the United States may supply Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles, weapons capable of striking Moscow. The Kremlin on Monday, September 29, downplayed the potential battlefield impact of such a move but underscored concerns about who would provide targeting data if the missiles were deployed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that while the weapons themselves may not drastically alter the military balance, the question o

The Brics nations on Saturday issued a strong joint statement condemning the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, calling all acts of terrorism criminal and unjustifiable. The ministers of the grouping reiterated their unified stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations while underlining the urgent need for concerted international action. In their statement, the leaders said they condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22,

Former United States President Barack Obama has sharply criticized ageing leaders and took a direct swipe at his successor Donald Trump during a public conversation in London. Speaking with historian David Olusoga, Obama argued that a large part of the world’s problems stem from older men who refuse to step aside from power, holding on due to fear of irrelevance. He went on to say that many such leaders seek permanence by etching their names on grand projects, comparing them to pyramid

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has announced the launch of India’s first hydrogen highways at the inaugural World Hydrogen India event organized by S&P Global Commodity Insights. The initiative marks a significant step toward clean mobility and reducing India’s heavy dependence on crude oil imports. Backed by a budget of ₹500 crore, large-scale hydrogen truck trials have

Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products, a move that could trigger widespread consequences for the global drug trade and India’s pharmaceutical sector in particular. Effective October 1, 2025, Washington will impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on branded and patented pharmaceutical drugs unless the manufacturing companies are building their production facilities within the United States. The president emphasized that

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took an unusual route on his way to the United States, bypassing French and Spanish airspace in what many observers have called an extraordinary precaution. The flight departed Tel Aviv on September 24 and headed westward but chose a longer path that briefly passed over Greece and Italy before continuing across the Atlantic Ocean. The detour quickly became a topic of debate as speculation grew over whether legal and security concerns influenced the decis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a strong message of economic self-reliance while inaugurating the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show in Greater Noida. Against the backdrop of a tariff war with the United States, Modi said that “India is not ready to be dependent on anyone.” He urged traders and manufacturers to embrace the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by focusing on local production and promoting swadeshi goods.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that his presidency will end once the war with Russia concludes, making clear that his primary mission is to bring peace, not to extend his political career. In an interview with Axios, he emphasized, “My goal is to finish the war,” and said he would be “ready” to step down after the conflict. Elections in Ukraine have been indefinitely postp

US President Donald Trump has described a sequence of unusual technical failures during his visit to the United Nations as acts of deliberate sabotage. He has ordered the Secret Service to open a probe into the incidents, which he labeled as a “triple sabotage” attempt aimed at undermining both his speech and his safety. Trump recounted the events in detail, stressing that what happened was no coincidence and demanding that the UN preserve all relevant security recordings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claims that India is “funding Russia’s war in Ukraine.” Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy stated that “India is mostly with us” while acknowledging ongoing energy challenges that complicate the picture. His comments came after Trump, during a speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), dir

India and the United States appear to be finding common ground in long-stalled trade negotiations, with sources calling the latest talks in New York encouraging. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and India’s chief trade negotiator Rajesh Agarwal met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to restart discussions on a pending agreement. According to officials, both delegations expressed commitment to moving past earlier setbacks and accelerating pr

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions to win the Nobel Peace Prize depend entirely on whether he can end the ongoing war in Gaza. Speaking to France’s BFM TV from New York, Macron emphasized that Trump is the only leader with enough influence to pressure Israel to halt the conflict. According to Macron, Washington’s role in supplying weapons and equip

Addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, 2025, United States President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on India, China, and even some NATO allies. In a strongly worded speech, Trump alleged that both New Delhi and Beijing are the “primary funders” of the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine through their continued purchase of Russian oil. He claimed that these energy imports were a major reason why Moscow had been able to susta