European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says India and the EU are close to a 'historic trade agreement' that could create a market of two billion people and account for almost a quarter of the global GDP.
'There are very few issues and a political call needs to be taken about some of them.'
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
In their talks, Modi and Merz are likely to deliberate on trade and investment ties as New Delhi is looking at deepening economic engagement with Europe against the backdrop of Washington's 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, people familiar with the matter said.
The matter came up for discussion during their wide-ranging dialogue that was aimed at expanding overall ties.
The two leaders are likely to finalise the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, which will be formally signed in January next year after the due process of 'legal scrubbing' is over, sources said. The CECA, once signed, might come into force from July 2011.
The MEA release said that the embassy of India in Kabul will further augment India's contribution to Afghanistan's comprehensive development.
The Election Commission has directed enforcement agencies and security forces to take proactive measures during the Bihar elections to prevent the use of drugs, liquor, and cash to influence voters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer discussed the need to prevent the misuse of democratic freedoms by extremist ideologies. They also addressed terrorism and trade ties.
'The biggest point of contention is market access for US agricultural and dairy products.'
Asserting that democracy is an 'alien' concept for Pakistan, India has called upon Islamabad to end grave human rights violations in territories under its illegal occupation, where the population is in 'open revolt' against military occupation, repression, brutality and exploitation.
India and Singapore will hold bilateral talks on a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement after completion of a joint study on free trade, Singapore President S R Nathan indicated on Monday. \n\n
India and Chile on Tuesday announced starting negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership pact as PM Modi and Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font held wide-ranging talks focusing on boosting the ties in areas of trade, defence, critical minerals and health.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's sudden resignation after only a year in office has thrown Japan into political turmoil, raising doubts about how the country will handle economic and regional challenges, observes Dr Rajaram Panda.
India joined Russia, China, and other nations in opposing the deployment of foreign military infrastructure in Afghanistan during 'Moscow Format' talks. The discussions focused on bringing prosperity and development to Afghanistan, with participants emphasizing the need to eliminate terrorism and integrate Afghanistan into regional connectivity.
Experts believe it would be far-fetched to believe that Riyadh would support Pakistan militarily in any conflict with India, which has robust strategic and economic relations with Saudi Arabia.
India on Monday asserted that its friendly ties with the Maldives will continue as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu unveiled a blueprint for comprehensive economic and maritime cooperation, signalling a reset of the relationship that had hit a rough patch last year due to anti-New Delhi rhetoric.
Ahead of the visit, officials from key government departments held intense discussions to identify key trade-related proposals.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, a kind of a free trade pact, between India and Mauritius which is aimed at liberalising norms to boost two-way commerce
India will sign trade pacts with Japan and Malaysia within a week.
China on Friday said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in Tianjin later this month will be the largest in the bloc's history, with 20 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attending it.
While both sides have announced the decision to restart talks for a trade deal, government officials said discussions are continuing virtually.
The BRICS nations have expressed concern over the proliferation of trade-restrictive actions in the form of 'indiscriminate rising' of tariffs, particularly measures used as a means of 'coercion', cautioning that such practices risk marginalising the Global South countries.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is expected to visit Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur between February 14 and 18 for signing the pacts -- Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement with Malaysia, an official told PTI.
India and Malaysia on Friday signed a landmark pact that paves the way for freer flow of trade in goods and services, besides enhanced investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Buoyed by a 54 per cent growth in trade at $7.6 billion, India and China have decided to work out 5-year programme to enhance economic cooperation including a free-trade agreement.
An influential US lawmaker claims his visit to India helped catalyze "early signals" that New Delhi may reduce its imports of Russian oil, a step he described as "meaningful" in weakening Moscow's ability to fund its war in Ukraine.
This approval was given after a meeting of the Trade and Economic Relations Committee in New Delhi, Media Advisor to the PM Sanjaya Baru.
As a protege of Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to scale bilateral ties much higher. Trade and investment shall grow. People-to-people contacts shall be scaled up, points out Dr Rajaram Panda.
President Pezeshkian on Saturday said that Iran unequivocally denounces such "inhumane acts", Iran's embassy in New Delhi said in a post on X.
Russia needs to be held accountable for the tragic loss of lives in Ukraine following its 'terrible' invasion of that country, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday at a virtual summit with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violation of Qatar's sovereignty following Israeli air strikes on Doha, targeting Hamas leaders. He conveyed India's deep concern to the Emir of Qatar and reiterated support for peace and stability in the region.
Modi hailed the close defence cooperation between the two countries and welcomed the completion of the logistics agreement between the two navies.
'If China shows greater concerns for Indian interests, ties could improve. Otherwise, the thaw could be short-lived.'
New Delhi 'will have to take a call which supply source suits us the best,' the finance minister said, pointing out that crude oil accounts for the bulk of India's foreign exchange spend.
India and Indonesia today agreed to fast track the ongoing negotiations for early conclusion of the proposed comprehensive market opening pact, aimed at enhancing bilateral economic engagement between the countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it is important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order as he asserted that New Delhi is ready to advance bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a tri-services ceremonial welcome in Colombo, Sri Lanka, marking the first time such an honor has been bestowed upon a foreign leader. The welcome took place at the historic Independence Square, the venue for national day celebrations. Modi's visit comes as Sri Lanka shows signs of recovery from a recent economic crisis, with India playing a significant role in providing assistance. During the visit, both leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues, including defense cooperation, energy, and digital initiatives.
'Things may get much worse before they get better,' predicts Ajay Chhibber.
