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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was making a "final determination" on whether to move ahead with a peace agreement with Iran, while laying out a series of conditions that Tehran would need to meet. In a lengthy social media post, Trump said Iran must permanently abandon any ambitions of acquiring nuclear weapons and ensure unrestricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz....more
BUCHAREST: A Russian drone hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, Romanian officials say. Friday's incident in the eastern town of Galați, near the border with Ukraine, was condemned by Romania's fellow members of Nato and the EU. Ukraine said it proved again that Russia posed "a real threat" to Europe....more

NEW DELHI: India's ministry of external affairs has responded sharply to references to Jammu and Kashmir in the recent joint statement by China and Pakistan. “India's position is consistent and well-known to the concerned parties. The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday....more
By Rear Admiral Dhiren Vig (Retd)
NEW DELHI: The growing instability in West Asia and the increasing weaponisation of maritime choke points have renewed calls for India to establish a National Maritime Commission (NMC) to strengthen maritime security, streamline governance and accelerate the country’s blue economy ambitions. Strategic analysts and maritime experts argue that recent geopolitical developments, including disruptions to oil and gas supply routes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), have exposed vulnerabilities in India’s maritime preparedness and highlighted the urgent need for an apex-level maritime body....more

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vihaan Jain clinched his maiden IGU Category ‘A’ (15–17 years) title with an impressive three-shot victory at the IGU Andhra Pradesh Junior Boys Golf Championship held at East Point Golf Club, Visakhapatnam. The 16-year-old displayed remarkable composure in the final round, carding a two-under 70
to finish the 72-hole championship at four-under 284....more
MOSCOW: India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the Russian President and chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board, in Moscow on Friday. The two leaders reviewed the progress of proposals discussed during Patrushev’s visit to New Delhi in November 2025, focusing on maritime connectivity, shipbuilding cooperation, defence collaboration, and the training of sailors for operations in polar waters....more

By Deepak Arora
THE HAGUE: On the first day of his visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace and discussed close cooperation in digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy. Modi also held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, focusing on trade, investment, and critical technologies....more
NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued directives on Monday for airlines following the World Health Organisation's declaration of the Ebola Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)....more

BANGALURU: Congress leader Siddaramaiah confirmed Thursday morning that he will resign as Chief Minister of Karnataka, bringing the curtain down on a three-year leadership dispute with his deputy DK Shivakumar that has, at times, sidelined and even threatened to derail the party's government. He also confirmed Shivakumar will succeed him....more
NEW DELHI: The Quad grouping on Tuesday expanded cooperation in critical minerals and energy while unveiling new measures to boost maritime surveillance and port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific against the backdrop of China’s growing military posturing in the region. The new measures were announced following a meeting of the grouping’s foreign ministers in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi....more

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he had ordered the country's military to take control of 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the terms of a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October. "We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60 per cent of the territory in the strip," he said at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, according to a video aired by Israel's Channel 12 network....more
UNITED NATIONS: India abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling on countries to comply with their obligations on climate change, voicing concern that the draft "undermines" the "sacrosanct architecture" of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The resolution was adopted in the 193-member General Assembly on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) with 141 votes in favour, eight against and 28 abstentions, including by India....more

By Daniel Twining
WASHINGTON: America was built on a radical premise: that individual liberty is an unalienable, inherent right worth fighting for in the face of tyranny. Revolutionary at the time of our founding, this idea remains the bedrock of American democracy and strength. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, we should acknowledge the endurance of these ideals and their relevance today....more
By Avica Kumar
NEW DELHI: India's energy security and industrial stability are coming under increasing strain as tensions around Iran continue to disrupt critical oil and gas supply routes. The fallout is no longer confined to global markets. Indian industries are now confronting escalating operational and financial risks, with cascading midstream and downstream impacts....more
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