India, which sends the second largest number of women police officers annually to the United Nations Peace Keeping Force, may soon have opportunities to send more women police personnel to the world body.
A peace keeping role for India is a distinct possibility. Indian military has both the numbers and experience to carry out this job, observes Colonel Anil A Athale (Retd).
Opposition leaders across party lines have condemned the forced removal of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi, accusing the BJP-led central government of undermining democratic freedoms, curbing dissent, and choosing force over dialogue.
India has strongly protested a US military strike on the commercial vessel Settebello off the Oman coast, which left three of the 24 Indian crew members missing. The US Central Command stated it disabled the Palau-flagged vessel for violating a blockade of Iranian ports.
Special police observer Ajay Pal Sharma toured West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district during the second phase of Assembly elections, facing political controversy and allegations of intimidation from TMC leaders.
A married man and his parents have been booked for allegedly abducting a girl student from Kolkata, forcing her to convert to another religion, and then marrying her, a senior police officer said on Friday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open for normal passage of ships, describing it as an 'international waterway' amid rising tensions between the US and Iran.
India has strongly protested to the United States after three merchant ships with Indian crew members were attacked by the American military off the coast of Oman, resulting in the deaths of three Indian nationals.
A lesson for India is to clearly define objectives beforehand, so that the adversary or other parties do not attempt to mitigate them midway.
If one has to compare the tenures of the two prime ministers one must credit Nehru with laying the foundations on which Modi is building a grand edifice, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
To get its act going in Myanmar, India would need very dynamic diplomacy and not the lazy all-eggs-in-one-basket approach, points out Subir Bhaumik.
We, Indians, forgot that for Pakistan, Kashmir dispute and blood feud with India is the raison detre for its existence. It is also the excuse with which the Pak army keeps its grip over the state. Peace in Kashmir and between India and Pakistan is against the interests of the Pak army, points out Colonel Anil A Athale (Retd).
Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk has voiced his support for the online 'cockroach' movement, urging the government to engage with the concerns raised by youngsters instead of suppressing their digital expression. He described himself as an 'honorary cockroach' and praised the movement's creative and non-violent approach to dissent.
The incident took place during a routine jungle safari inside the UNESCO World Heritage site in Assam.
The West Bengal government plans to remove the football-themed sculpture outside Salt Lake Stadium, designed by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and upgrade the venue's infrastructure.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, saw a significant rebound in early trade, driven by a decline in crude oil prices. This drop followed US President Donald Trump's announcement of progress in negotiations with Iran towards an agreement to end the war, leading to a temporary pause in 'Project Freedom' to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Track Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex performance and key global triggers.
Sri Lanka's response to the Easter attacks has been slow and politically contested, unlike India's swift institutional reforms after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, observes Colonel R Hariharan (retd).
Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, expressed doubts about the United States' intentions regarding negotiations, citing conflicting actions and a desire to force Iran into accepting US demands.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the deployment of CRPF armoured vehicles during the Assembly elections, accusing the BJP-led Centre of using government resources to favour their party. She also addressed concerns of potato farmers and urged them to sell their produce in other states.
'Why are IPKF martyrs not being officially recognised and appropriately honoured? And is the government really changing its mind on this now?', asks Aditi Phadnis.
Delhi must now purge the delusional hopes of being a 'counterweight' to China in the US calculus, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Once the market decides it wants to go up, it goes up -- no amount of bad news can really hold it back.'
Is the current rally telegraphing a durable peace plan in West Asia, boosted by United States (US) President Donald Trump's incoherent and contradictory posts on social media?
A year after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, India remembers the victims and reaffirms its commitment to fighting terrorism. Families of the deceased mourn their loss, while political leaders reiterate the nation's resolve to stand united against terror.
Karex, the Malaysian company that makes roughly one in five of the world's condoms -- about five billion a year, supplying Durex and Trojan among others -- announced this week that it is raising prices by up to 30 percent. The reason is the Strait of Hormuz.
...reopen for up to six months. Until then, the Strait stays nearly closed. The world pays. And no one, including the man who started this, can say when it ends, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew against Wei Yi in the second round of the FIDE Candidates tournament, maintaining his joint lead. In the women's section, Divya Deshmukh missed a chance to take the lead, drawing with R Vaishali.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Iran was the chance to arrange a concert of nations, to actually be a Vishwaguru. Instead, we are watching from the sidelines as Pakistan, the same country that is apparently still at war with Afghanistan, hosts talks between US-Israel and Iran. The irony is hard to miss, points out Amberish K Diwanji.
Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, a decorated Kargil War hero known as the 'Lion of Ladakh' and recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra, has passed away. He was celebrated for his gallantry and leadership in securing the Chorbat-La in the Batalik sub-sector during Operation Vijay in 1999.
According to the Justice Department, Tellis, 64, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment think-tank, served as an unpaid senior adviser to the State Department and was also a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the Department of Defense.
India's concerns over a planned naval exercise between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the strategically important waters of Trincomalee led to the shelving of the drills weeks ago. The exercise was planned as part of regular engagements between the two navies, but India expressed its apprehensions to the Sri Lankan government. Trincomalee, situated on Sri Lanka's northeastern coast, is considered a significant hub in the Indian Ocean region, particularly for India's maritime security interests. The Pakistani Navy's close cooperation with China's PLA Navy has raised concerns in New Delhi about any Pakistani warship presence in Trincomalee. This incident follows previous diplomatic rows between India and Sri Lanka over the docking of Chinese vessels at Sri Lankan ports. India has been actively supporting Sri Lanka's development of Trincomalee's energy infrastructure and has recently signed a defense pact with the country to boost military cooperation.
'Mark had such a profound understanding of India, which was, of course, the land of his birth as well as of his death... He loved India, and lived two-thirds of his life here.'
India's handling of the Iran crisis reflects a growing strain between strategic autonomy and geopolitical alignment, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Moments like this remind us how fragile life really is.'
The pause gives the US time to breathe, to regroup, to move its expeditionary force into position without risk of interception along the way. It gives Iran nothing -- on the ground, attacks against its infrastructure continue apace. Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
Western Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar reports a sustained decline in militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing the army's readiness to respond to any misadventures by Pakistan and its support for terrorist activities.
When the country has been at war, the Opposition has buried its differences with the government, points out Aditi Phadnis.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
