Author: Shradhanjali Mukherjee

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a striking declaration on Wednesday in defense of India, shortly after participating in China’s grand military parade in Beijing. Speaking to reporters, Putin pushed back against the growing economic pressure directed at both India and China, asserting that the two nations are global economic powers that deserve respect. “You cannot talk to India or China like that,” Putin remarked firmly, sending an unmistakable signal about shifting global dynamics. His words underscored how Moscow views New Delhi and Beijing as key players in a multipolar world order where power is more evenly distributed. Elaborating further, Putin…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has, for the first time, shared details of his candid conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their drive in Tianjin after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Putin revealed that part of their one-on-one dialogue centered around his recent Alaska Summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. After attending the SCO proceedings, Modi and Putin traveled together in the Russian leader’s limousine to the location of their bilateral talks. The journey itself was just 15 minutes, but instead of stepping out upon arrival, the two leaders remained inside the vehicle for nearly an hour, continuing…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the second day of the fourth edition of SEMICON India 2025 at Yashobhoomi, the India International Convention and Expo Centre, on Wednesday. The event is part of India’s drive to transform itself into a global semiconductor hub. Opening the summit on Tuesday, PM Modi had described semiconductors as the “digital diamonds” of the modern age, comparing their importance today to oil in the last century. While oil wells dictated the global economy in the 20th century, he noted, the power of the 21st century lies in the tiny microchips that drive technological progress worldwide. The…

Param Sundari, featuring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, had a sharper-than-expected dip on its first Monday but still managed to deliver steady numbers. Thanks to decent overseas earnings along with its Indian run, the film has already crossed the $6 million milestone at the global box office, making it Malhotra’s top-grossing film in the post-COVID era. Four-day worldwide performance The romantic comedy, backed by Maddock Films, is benefiting from positive word-of-mouth and brand credibility. In India, the movie collected around $3.8 million net in its first four days. After adding taxes, the domestic gross stands at about $4.5 million. Overseas,…

Chinese President Xi Jinping extended a warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. Xi described friendship between India and China as the “right choice” and recalled their previous meeting in Russia’s Kazan during the BRICS Summit in October 2024. Addressing Modi, Xi said, “It is a great pleasure to meet you again, Mr Prime Minister. We are two ancient civilisations, the world’s most populous nations, and important members of the Global South. Together, we shoulder the responsibility of improving the lives of…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his official visit to Japan, emphasized a renewed phase in India-Japan cooperation while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Addressing the media after their discussions, Modi announced that both countries would collaborate on the upcoming LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration) mission, part of the Chandrayaan program. This mission aims to study the permanently shadowed regions of the moon’s south pole, a scientific leap that promises to deepen humanity’s understanding of lunar resources and space exploration. Highlighting the broader vision, Modi stressed that cooperation between India and Japan is not limited to space but extends to global…

Archaeologists in Tamil Nadu have unearthed a striking 10th-century Buddha idol without its head, discovered along the banks of an irrigation tank in Avudaiyarkovil, Pudukkottai district. The find, made on Tuesday by the Pudukkottai Archaeological Research Forum during a routine survey, is a significant addition to the growing body of evidence highlighting the region’s Buddhist past. Manikandan, the Forum’s founder and a researcher with the Department of Ancient Science at Tamil University, Thanjavur, noted that the excavation is part of a larger project documenting Pudukkottai’s historic monuments under the guidance of Forum President Karu. Rajendran. The idol was located near…

Postal agencies in Australia and Switzerland have become the latest to suspend parcel shipments to the United States, joining a fast-growing list of countries impacted by Washington’s abrupt tariff reforms. The move comes just days before new U.S. trade levies take effect on Friday, August 29. Australia Post confirmed on Tuesday that it would “partially suspend postal sending to the United States and Puerto Rico, effective August 26 until further notice.” The agency said the decision was unavoidable after the Trump administration introduced sweeping changes to customs and tariff rules. These include ending the de minimis exemption for low-value imports…

United States Vice President JD Vance has strongly defended the Biden administration’s decision to impose secondary sanctions and tariffs on India, calling them an essential component of Washington’s broader economic strategy against Moscow. Speaking on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, Vance explained that the measures were aimed at tightening restrictions on Russia’s oil revenue streams, which continue to fuel its war in Ukraine. “The President has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example the secondary tariffs on India, to make it harder for Russia to profit from its oil economy,” Vance stated. He added that Russia could only return…

Against the backdrop of rising friction in India-US relations, Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra has stepped up diplomatic outreach with a series of meetings with senior US lawmakers. The talks come after President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports, alongside a 25 per cent penalty on New Delhi’s imports of Russian crude oil. Kwatra met Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Judiciary GOP Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, AI and the Internet, where the two discussed the importance of energy security and mutually beneficial trade. In a post on social media, Kwatra expressed gratitude for Issa’s…