As and when the pandemic recedes from these shores, rebuilding the economy will be the biggest challenge for Modi in the remaining three years of his term, observes Virendra Kapoor.
Dismissing allegations that it is singling out China in maritime disputes, the United States has said in the last one year it has challenged the maritime territorial claims of 18 countries, including some of friendly nations like India and Brazil.
Considering Modi's style of practicing diplomacy, it is likely that a clear message would be conveyed to China that it is high time Beijing stops using its good relations with Pakistan as a pressure tactic against India. This is imperative not only for strengthening India-China relations at the bilateral level but also for maintaining stability at the regional level, says Sana Hashmi.
A US RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft on Wednesday flew near the ongoing Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in the South China Sea, a day after another US spy plane, a U-2, trespassed into another PLA exercise restricted zone, state-run Global Times reported.
United States Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for meetings with top Chinese leaders amid an international spat over China's new air defence zone over the disputed islands in the East China Sea.
'With Punjab and Kashmir in flames, it would not have been politically wise to alienate the West.' 'It would have inclined Western countries towards Pakistan.' 'It would have been a self-goal.'
A celebratory lunch at Windsor to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth's reign has been marred by a row over the guest list, with campaigners criticising the invitation to monarchs from countries like Bahrain and Swaziland with allegedly poor governance record.
Coming ahead of the transition of power from Donald Trump's administration to President-elect Joe Biden's administration after the November 3 US presidential election, the detailed policy document highlights that China is undermining the security, autonomy and economic interests of many nations in the region.
Pakistan on Wednesday announced that it will not host next month's Commonwealth Parliamentary Union meeting amid a row with India over its refusal to invite the Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir assembly for the conference.
'IOC has in the past sent letters to International Federations not to award major events to Spain after athletes from Kosovo were not allowed to participate under their own flag at the Karate World Championships. And you never know it might be India next'
Triggering a fresh controversy, the US State Department has now posted a new map of India which reflects the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir with dotted lines, thereby projecting it as a disputed territory.
A realistic assessment will tell us that not much has changed between India and Pakistan; the relationship remains as fraught as before with little prospect of reconciliation, notes Ajai Shukla.
Maharashtra on Saturday made a strong plea to the Centre to declare Belgaum and other disputed boundary areas as an Union Territory in the wake of "repression by Karnataka on Marathi-speaking people" there. An all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard. The delegation, which comprised Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, also raised the issue of handing over Indu Mill land in central Mumbai
China having no reservation over the inclusion of heads of governments of POK and Gilgit-Baltistan in Zardari's delegation underlines once again that the Chinese no longer considers POK and GB as disputed territory, says B Raman.
Maintaining that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of India, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay high court on Monday that it wants to withdraw cases against a man seeking to be deported to the disputed region. This submission was made by the state government in the case of PoK native Siraj Khan, who claimed to have accidentally entered Indian territory as a 9-year-old.
China on Wednesday accused India of "trampling" on the Panchsheel principles and asked New Delhi to "correct its mistakes" as soon as possible by pulling back troops.
Kotak Bank was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by ITC, PowerGrid, M&M, HDFC, Asian Paints and NTPC. On the other hand, Maruti rallied over 4 per cent. Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank and Bajaj Finance were also among the gainers.
No conclusive end was reached in the talks.
Although the Malabar is a routine exercise which has been carried out for several years now, security experts attach a lot of traction to it in view of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea, observes Rup Narayan Das.
There's still little indication of forward movement in Indo-US defence relations.
An agreement between India and Pakistan, however tenuous, has its own meaning and impact. We have not heard the last word about the ceasefire agreement, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Without naming Pakistan, he said there are some who are trying to project an 'alarmist approach' to the situation in Kashmir, which is far from the ground realities.
An Arunachal Pradesh minister on Tuesday warned of a 'Kargil-like' situation in the border state as he spoke of a lack of development forcing locals to migrate away from far-flung areas and giving China an opportunity to venture deeper inside Indian territory.
The government said that far from targeting any US entity, the purpose was to ensure fairness, healthy competition, and to exercise the ability of governments to tax businesses having a nexus with the Indian market through digital operations.
Robust military preparedness along the entire perimeter of our nation is the only iron-clad permanent guarantee for our security, asserts Vivek Gumaste.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin "called in" India's envoy in Beijing Ashok Kantha to lodge a protest on Modi's visit on Friday
China is opposed to India's oil exploration in the South China Sea because it is a disputed area, but regards its ambitious US $46 billion (Rs 2.9 lakh crore) economic corridor through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir a "livelihood project" with issues left over from history.
China said on Monday it regretted that two Indian athletes were blocked last week from going to China but defended measures it has put in place in response to a border dispute which led to the ban on the pair travelling.
Hardening its stance further, India has once again virtually rejected Pakistan's latest invitation for talks on Kashmir.
Under the deal, Israel would suspend its plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys a close relationship with Shinzo Abe. For Abe, "a strong India is in the best interest of Japan, and a strong Japan is in the best interest of India."
It also took exception to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's call for resolving the Doklam issue peacefully
'The Chinese -- up to the highest leadership -- will avoid a conflict because they know they will be badly licked.' 'The reputation they have painstakingly built over the last two-three decades of being a global power will be destroyed.'
France and Canada, the UN, the US and the UK condemned the attack in which 18 soldiers were martyred.
Modi's hardline policy towards Pakistan and J&K has created numerous leverages and bargaining positions that New Delhi can bring to the bargaining table and translate into concessions, argues Ajai Shukla.
Reacting strongly to reports that China has in its recent map shown Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, India on Saturday said "cartographic depictions" do not change reality on the ground and asserted that Arunachal was an integral part of the country.
Speaking in the National Assembly during a debate on the Line of Control situation, Aziz said Pakistan is fully capable to defend its border and will not accept any "Indian influence or hegemony" under any circumstances.
Referring to their ties with China, India and Japan on Monday agreed that it was essential to engage China in a closer, more open and productive dialogue as both Tokyo and New Delhi are desirous of peace in the region. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan discussed the issue of boundary disputes with China -- while India faces border issues over land, Japan is engaged in a maritime territorial row -- in Tokyo.
'The use of military power to settle disputes is not always preferred and is the last preferred option, but it certainly remains an option.'
'It will be a repeated folly to ever think that China will not attack us.'
