The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has voted to allow teams from Russia and Belarus to return to official competitions and fully restored the rights of youth players from both countries, while postponing a final decision on the use of national flags and anthems in adult team events.
Russia, being bogged down by the Ukraine war and prioritising the requirements of its own armed forces, along with India's consistent diversification policy, will remain a major challenge to the bilateral partnership, note Harsh V Pant and Aleksei Zakharov.
Pranjali Dhumal won gold in the women's 25m pistol event -- her third medal in the Deaflympics, in Tokyo, on Monday.
The pair had earlier equalled their own Deaf World and Olympic record in qualification.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine starting from midnight of May 7-8 to mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. Putin urged the Kiev regime to follow suit, stating that the ceasefire will be in effect until midnight of May 10-11. Russia also reiterated its readiness for peace talks without preconditions and called for constructive interaction with international partners. The announcement comes as Russia prepares for its Victory Day celebrations on May 9, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Returning after a year away from international action and a draining battle with Hepatitis A, Preeti Pawar marked her comeback in style, securing a medal for India at the World Boxing Cup Finals in Greater Noida on Sunday.
The Russians have termed Putin's visit to India, his first to this country since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, as 'Druzhba Dosti', which means 'friendship' in Russian and Hindi respectively.
Portugal qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday with a 9-1 hammering of Armenia that included hat-tricks from both Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves.
Abhinav Deshwal won India's 15th medal in shooting at the Deaflympics, clinching the gold in the 25m pistol event in Tokyo on Sunday.
Putin is keen on establishing a good personal rapport with Trump and anchor a meaningful US-Russia partnership, realistic enough to accept that Trump is as good an American president as Russia would ever get, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
A group in Varanasi organized an 'India-Russia Friendship March' to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his visit to India for the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The march highlighted the strong ties between the two nations and expressed hope for strengthened cooperation and global peace.
The new US national security strategy signals a retreat from global dominance while reaffirming continuity in India's role in Indo-Pacific security and Quad cooperation, points out former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
China has reacted positively to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, emphasizing the importance of trilateral ties between China, Russia, and India for regional and global peace and stability.
Putin's State visit will centre on fixing the huge India-Russia trade imbalance, with both sides pushing to lower duties, ease non-tariff barriers, and seal a landmark mobility pact to send more Indian workers to Russia.
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
The 2025 US National Security Strategy marks a major pullback, with America turning backward and effectively allowing China greater dominance in Asia. while long-time partners like India are left to face an increasingly unstable global order largely on their own, observes Rajeev Srinivasan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Russian President Vladimir Putin for a private dinner and summit, focusing on defence, trade, and geopolitical issues, including the Ukraine conflict and the impact of US sanctions.
India has expressed concern over the increasing number of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army and has urged Moscow to halt the recruitment of Indians into its military.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the armed forces' performance during Operation Sindoor, emphasizing the importance of technology and adaptability in modern warfare. He urged air force commanders to learn from the operation and stay prepared for future challenges.
India's exports to the US contracted 8.6 per cent to $6.3 billion in October, while imports rose 13.9 per cent to $4.5 billion leading to a trade surplus of $1.8 billion during the month.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, Putin said that Russia agrees with the proposals to cease hostilities but "proceeds from the assumption that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the crisis."
Reliance Industries Ltd on Thursday said it has halted the use of Russian crude at its export-only refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, as the company moves to comply with European Union sanctions. Reliance is India's largest buyer of Russian oil, which it processes and turns into fuel, such as petrol and diesel, at its giant oil refining complex at Jamnagar.
The Congress party has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi following repeated claims by former US President Donald Trump that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan.
"... It's time to stop this madness. It's time to halt the killing. It's time to end the senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides," Trump said.
US President Donald Trump claimed India will stop buying oil from Russia, while also stating China will cut back substantially. He also discussed the conflict between India and Pakistan, reiterating his claim of helping settle the conflict.
Indian private sector and State-run refiners continued to receive crude oil from Russian suppliers even after November 21 -- the winding-down date for US sanctions on supplies from leading Russian oil producers imposed in October -- as new intermediaries sprung up in West Asia to sell the oil, according to senior refining sources and ship tracking data.
The five largest exporters of major arms in 2020-2024 were the US (43 per cent), France (9.6 per cent), Russia (7.8 per cent), China (5.9 per cent), and Germany (5.6 per cent).
From Rs 73k to over Rs 1.2L between January-December 2025 -- is buying gold in 2026 still sensible?
Whether Trump will actually press ahead with the oil sanctions remains unclear, since keeping Russian oil out of the world market risks high oil prices which could boomerang on the US economy and be damaging politically for Trump, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India's Anish Bhanwala endured two nerve-wracking shoot-offs in a high-quality 25m rapid-fire pistol final to clinch the biggest medal in his shooting career, a silver at the ISSF World Championships (Pistol/Rifle), in Cairo on Sunday.
However, these are understood to be exploratory talks, with an agreement unlikely to be formalised during the current visit.
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his upcoming diplomatic trip to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, highlighting a significant meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
United States President Donald Trump's special envoy for Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Keith Kellogg, has been excluded from high-level discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to a report in NBC News.
India abstained on two UN General Assembly resolutions calling for a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine. The resolutions were adopted on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with the UN Secretary General stressing that the war in Ukraine stands as a grave threat to the peace and security of Europe and the core principles of the United Nations.
The White House has claimed that India has begun 'scaling back' its oil purchases from Russia at the 'request' of President Donald Trump.
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, describing it as "a big step" in efforts to increase global pressure on Moscow.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the United Kingdom, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire proposal to present to the United States, Al Jazeera reported.
Mothers competing in elite chess will be able to take advantage of a new set of family-friendly policies being introduced by the International Chess Federation
US President Donald Trump, who has campaigned aggressively this year for a Nobel Peace Prize, was given FIFA's inaugural peace prize for his efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in some of the world's biggest hotspots.
His assertion came after Trump claimed that his "friend" PM Modi has assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, a move he described as a big step toward increasing pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
