News articles and essays on the Indian diplomacy at work around the world.
During the visit, PM Modi will hold bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja. He will also address the India–Norway Business and Research Summit along with the Norwegian Prime Minister, placing trade, technology, research and investment at the centre of the visit.
The Chattogram port call was not a routine harbour visit. It included diplomatic engagements, professional exchanges, cross-deck visits, operational discussions, cultural interactions and a joint maritime exercise with the Bangladesh Navy. According to News On AIR, the deployment carries personnel from 17 nationalities, including Bangladesh, making IOS Sagar a multinational maritime platform aimed at strengthening professional training, regional cooperation and combined maritime action.
India and the UAE have already built one of New Delhi’s most important partnerships in the Gulf. Over the past few years, the relationship has expanded beyond traditional trade and energy ties into infrastructure, technology, defence, logistics and strategic connectivity. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has given the two countries a wider platform to work together on long-term economic and security priorities.
The new Act enhances the statutory employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days in every financial year for every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work. The government has positioned the law as a shift from a standalone wage-support programme to a broader rural development framework that combines employment generation, durable asset creation, livelihood security, climate resilience and technology-enabled governance.
The fear is not merely economic dependence. It is strategic vulnerability. In recent years, geopolitical tensions have repeatedly demonstrated how supply chains can become instruments of coercion. Countries dependent on a single supplier for critical technologies or industrial inputs risk economic disruption, industrial paralysis, price manipulation, and national-security vulnerabilities during periods of conflict or diplomatic confrontation.
The ceremony was held during Jaishankar’s official visit to Trinidad and Tobago from May 8 to 9, 2026. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the first set of 2,000 laptops was handed over to selected schoolchildren in the presence of Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar. The initiative was presented as a message of learning, awareness and opportunity, showing how India’s development cooperation is increasingly extending into education and digital access.
The visit also carried a strong naval training component. The Commanding Officer interacted with Sr Capt Ho Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Naval Academy of Vietnam, where talks centred on cooperation in naval education and training. Officers and cadets from the academy also visited INS Sagardhwani, where they were briefed on the ship’s operational role and onboard capabilities.
The International Big Cat Alliance is an inter-governmental international organisation headquartered in India. It has been established for the conservation of seven major big cat species — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma. Of these, five species — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah — are found in India, giving the country a special role in global big cat conservation.
According to Jaishankar, the discussions involved a comprehensive review of India–Trinidad and Tobago relations and focused on implementing commitments made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Caribbean region last year. Both sides also explored new ideas and collaborative initiatives across multiple sectors.
According to Naval News, the proposed purchases are linked to India’s earlier US$500 million defence line of credit for Vietnam. Of this, projects worth around US$300 million have already been identified, including 14 high-speed patrol boats and three to four offshore patrol vessels, depending on final tender costs. The remaining US$200 million may be used for upgrading Vietnam Navy ships and procuring submarine batteries.
