Russian President Putin is expected to visit India on 5, 6th December for the annual summit. This annual summit comes in a year when both countries are celebrating 15 years of "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership". Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week confirmed that plans are underway for the upcoming visit of the Russian President to India.&nbsp;&nbsp;The India-Russia Annual Summit is key element of India and Russia time, and the mechanism was established in 2000. The summit alternate between the two countries, with few gaps after the Covid pandemic. PM Modi first invited Putin during his July 2024 visit to Moscow for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. The Kremlin formally confirmed acceptance on May 5, 2025, after a phone call where Modi also congratulated Putin on the 80th anniversary of Russia's Victory Day in World War II.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippines-hit-by-another-quake-with-60-seismic-events-a-day-why-is-the-asian-nation-prone-to-so-much-ground-shaking-1759310112637">Philippines hit by another quake: With 60 seismic events a day, why is the Asian nation prone to so much ground shaking?</a>&nbsp;Focus during the visit will be defence ties, energy relationship. Both sides are going to discuss cooperation in grouping like BRICS, SCO. Russia supports India's bid for permanent membership of UNSC. Undoubtedly, war in Ukraine is something that will be something both sides have conversation on. India has called for dialogue &amp; diplomacy for early resolution of the conflict, that has escalated the prices of food, fuel and commodity prices, impacting the global south. The upcoming visit of Russian President will be his first ever visit to India since the war in Ukraine started in 2022.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-president-mallikarjun-kharge-admitted-bengaluru-hospital-ahead-of-kohima-rally-1759309679504">Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge admitted Bengaluru hospital ahead of Kohima rally</a>

Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to visit India on two-day visit from December 5

Russian President Putin is expected to visit India on 5, 6th December for the annual summit. This annual summit comes in a year when both countries are celebrating 15 years of "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership". Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week confirmed that plans are underway for the upcoming visit of the Russian President to India. The India-Russia Annual Summit is key element of India and Russia time, and the mechanism was established in 2000. The summit alternate between the two countries, with few gaps after the Covid pandemic. PM Modi first invited Putin during his July 2024 visit to Moscow for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. The Kremlin formally confirmed acceptance on May 5, 2025, after a phone call where Modi also congratulated Putin on the 80th anniversary of Russia's Victory Day in World War II. Also Read: Philippines hit by another quake: With 60 seismic events a day, why is the Asian nation prone to so much ground shaking? Focus during the visit will be defence ties, energy relationship. Both sides are going to discuss cooperation in grouping like BRICS, SCO. Russia supports India's bid for permanent membership of UNSC. Undoubtedly, war in Ukraine is something that will be something both sides have conversation on. India has called for dialogue & diplomacy for early resolution of the conflict, that has escalated the prices of food, fuel and commodity prices, impacting the global south. The upcoming visit of Russian President will be his first ever visit to India since the war in Ukraine started in 2022. Also Read: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge admitted Bengaluru hospital ahead of Kohima rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi first invited Putin during his July 2024 visit to Moscow for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit

The Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar has welcomed PM Modi's statement on Trump Gaza peace plan. Speaking to&nbsp;WION's Sidhant Sibal, Ambassador said,'we welcome the statement of PM Modi, it is a great sign that we have India with us, with the International vision to ending the war in Gaza". Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, calls for an immediate end to the war upon acceptance by both sides, with Hamas releasing all Israeli hostages within 72 hours in exchange for Israel's release of 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained post-October 7, 2023.Earlier in the day, PM Modi, welcomed President Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict which he said, 'provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people'. Asked, if any plans on India joining the stabilization force, he said, 'it's up to India. India has lot to contribute'Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India's role in the peace plan?&nbsp;PM Modi has welcomed President Trump's peace plan?Reuven Azar: We welcome the statement by PM Modi, it is a great sign that we have India with us, with the International vision to ending the war in Gaza.&nbsp;Think that we share the principles and the ideology that is necessary in order to promote peace in our region, rejecting terrorism, committing to de radicalization and creating Development and Environment. So I hope this works.Sidhant Sibal: Do you see India joining the stabilizing force?Reuven Azar: It is upto India. India indeed has a lot to contribute. Only three weeks ago we had here a delegation from the finance ministry that invited Indian infrastructure companies to build Israel. We're going to issue tenders more than $200 billion in the next 10 years. And for sure, the Gaza reconstruction will need a lot of effort as well. So yes, India has a lot to offer.Sidhant Sibal: We hope we saw the Pakistani side also joining in welcoming it. And we have seen there has been engagement between the Pakistan side and the US President. How do you see the Pakistani role? And do you see a moment in future where the Pakistani government also recognizes the State of Israel?Reuven Azar: Well, I&nbsp;hope so. I think that the fact that Arab and Muslim countries have joined this vision, gives me a lot of room for hope, because until now, there was this gap we had that we could jump to the Palestinian statehood without the preconditions of it, without actually creating reform, without committing to peace, without recognizing Israel. And the fact that countries have adopted Trump's vision for that is something that is very positive. The mere fact that countries in West Asia, in this region, are actually committed to rejecting terrorism is a very positive thing, I think, for you as well.Sidhant Sibal: So my final question to you is about this peace plan. How hopeful are you that it will be successful and it will lead to a lasting peace in the region?Reuven Azar: I am hopeful. The region is very tired. We are tired from this war. We want to see an end to it, and when the international community unites around the goals,&nbsp;demilitarization of the Gaza strip,&nbsp;committing to reforms, this is a very important development that gives me hope, because for a long time, Sidhant, countries have been ignoring these facts. I hope that this time it will work.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal: If it doesn't work?Reuven Azar: it is very clear, by statements of President Trump and PM Netanyahu. We will have to take military action. We hope it doesn't happen, but it could happen if Hamas doesn't.&nbsp;

Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar praised PM Modi’s support for Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, highlighting India’s potential role in stabilisation, reconstruction, demilitarisation, and promoting long-term regional peace.

The Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar has welcomed PM Modi's statement on Trump Gaza peace plan. Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, Ambassador said,'we welcome the statement of PM Modi, it is a great sign that we have India with us, with the International vision to ending the war in Gaza". Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, calls for an immediate end to the war upon acceptance by both sides, with Hamas releasing all Israeli hostages within 72 hours in exchange for Israel's release of 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained post-October 7, 2023. Earlier in the day, PM Modi, welcomed President Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict which he said, 'provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people'. Asked, if any plans on India joining the stabilization force, he said, 'it's up to India. India has lot to contribute' Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India's role in the peace plan? PM Modi has welcomed President Trump's peace plan? Reuven Azar: We welcome the statement by PM Modi, it is a great sign that we have India with us, with the International vision to ending the war in Gaza. Think that we share the principles and the ideology that is necessary in order to promote peace in our region, rejecting terrorism, committing to de radicalization and creating Development and Environment. So I hope this works. Sidhant Sibal: Do you see India joining the stabilizing force? Reuven Azar: It is upto India. India indeed has a lot to contribute. Only three weeks ago we had here a delegation from the finance ministry that invited Indian infrastructure companies to build Israel. We're going to issue tenders more than $200 billion in the next 10 years. And for sure, the Gaza reconstruction will need a lot of effort as well. So yes, India has a lot to offer. Sidhant Sibal: We hope we saw the Pakistani side also joining in welcoming it. And we have seen there has been engagement between the Pakistan side and the US President. How do you see the Pakistani role? And do you see a moment in future where the Pakistani government also recognizes the State of Israel? Reuven Azar: Well, I hope so. I think that the fact that Arab and Muslim countries have joined this vision, gives me a lot of room for hope, because until now, there was this gap we had that we could jump to the Palestinian statehood without the preconditions of it, without actually creating reform, without committing to peace, without recognizing Israel. And the fact that countries have adopted Trump's vision for that is something that is very positive. The mere fact that countries in West Asia, in this region, are actually committed to rejecting terrorism is a very positive thing, I think, for you as well. Sidhant Sibal: So my final question to you is about this peace plan. How hopeful are you that it will be successful and it will lead to a lasting peace in the region? Reuven Azar: I am hopeful. The region is very tired. We are tired from this war. We want to see an end to it, and when the international community unites around the goals, demilitarization of the Gaza strip, committing to reforms, this is a very important development that gives me hope, because for a long time, Sidhant, countries have been ignoring these facts. I hope that this time it will work. Sidhant Sibal: If it doesn't work? Reuven Azar: it is very clear, by statements of President Trump and PM Netanyahu. We will have to take military action. We hope it doesn't happen, but it could happen if Hamas doesn't.

Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar praised PM Modi’s support for Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, highlighting India’s potential role in stabilisation, reconstruction, demilitarisation, and promoting long-term regional peace.

Israel welcomes PM Modi's comments on Trump's Gaza Peace plan

Brazil’s Ambassador to India Kenneth da Nóbrega has said that his country is looking to expanding trade ties with India, especially with the review of India-MERCOSUR PTA or Preferential Trade Agreement and further firming up defence industry ties. Speaking to WION’s Sidhant Sibal, Ambassador Nóbrega said, “Stock taking on how we could push forward to expand our trade preferences, agreement. I think there is political will on both sides to do that”, with inclusion of areas like agriculture, pharma. In 2024-25, bilateral trade reached USD 12.20 billion, with Indian exports to Brazil amounting to USD 6.77 billion and imports from Brazil totalling USD 5.43 billion.&nbsp;The ambassador backed UNSC reforms, and his country’s commitment to the BRICS group. Brazil is the chair of the BRICS grouping and earlier this year hosted the summit. India and Brazil, both are members of the G4, a grouping that pushes for UNSC reforms and BRICS as well. Asked about US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments that India and Brazil need to be “fixed”, ambassador Nóbrega said, “It’s kind of interesting to see somebody who has a limited knowledge of our countries make such statements.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;How do you see India, Brazil relations?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Well, Brazil-Indian relations will soon turn eighty years old, and I venture to say that we are living at their best historical moment. A good word to describe our relations is trust, mutual trust developed and built through decades of political coordination, and this mutual trust has been now more as a fleet, providing a very solid base for the development of our economic and technological relations that are thriving as never before. before.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;Earlier this year, we saw the Indian Prime Minister traveling to Brazil. This is a visit that saw several announcements as well. How do you plan to build on that visit?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;I think it was a quite successful visit. And if you see the joint statement that was issued. I think it testifies to what I have said. You know, taking into account that in the last two years or so, we have had an exchange of more than 120 or 130 missions, business missions between Brazil and India. Our two leaders charted the course for the next decade based on what they have seen, based on what the business interest has shown. So they have selected five areas to concentrate our efforts , to boost our relations. One is defense, agriculture, energy, DPIs and health. They are now our roadmap.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;But are we expecting visits from Brazil to India? Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Well, if everything goes according to plan, President Lula will come to India for a state visit early next year and and now we are in the process of preparing that visit. So the day after tomorrow, the Brazilian NSA is coming to India, followed by a meeting at the Secretary of State level of our trade monitoring mechanism, and then probably other federal ministers from Brazil coming, still not confirmed. So I don't want to mention what ministers are coming, but I think they are coming. Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;India and Brazil are two large global south countries representing a large portion of the global population. How can both of them work together to deal with major challenges? One, of course, is the issue of trade as well, in terms of increasing their trade. You talked about the trade monitoring mechanism.Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Yes, not only trade. The mechanism is called trade monitoring mechanism, but it goes beyond that. It's a mechanism that goes through the stock of the whole bilateral economic relations, so includes trade, investment and technological cooperation.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;In terms of trade, any plans for the review of the preferential trade agreement between India and the Mercosur trading region.Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Yes, yes, we are working on that. We are ready to announce that, but we are working on, devising a plan, stock taking on how we could push forward to expand our trade preferences, agreement. I think there is political will on both sides to do that. So I’m confident that this will. Expanding the tariff lines, in terms of goods and services, areas like agriculture, pharma. Sidhant Sibal: Both the countries essentially are part of major groupings like the BRICS. You are the current chair of the BRICS. India will be the next chair of the BRICS. So what kind of coordination has been happening? Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Well, this coordination between Brazil and India in the international forum has been going on for more than almost eight years, and it has to do with the idea of pushing forward the interests of the global south and pushing for the reform of global governance institutions, basically the UN.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;But are you hopeful of UN reforms?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Well, this is a long term gain. Yeah, we are not expecting short term gains, but this is a matter of setting a long term course. Because it's about making the United Nations more functional and more inclusive, more legitimate. So it’s a permanent goal.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;In terms of the BRICS expansion as well. But will BRICS be able to continue with its commitments, or its commitments will get diluted as the group becomes biggerKenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;First of all, I think the mere fact that a number of countries wants to to be members of BRICS says a lot about how the United Nations bodies are blocked in terms of negotiations and political will to make progress based on consensus. Expanded BRICS is a challenge in the sense that we have to work more to build consensus, from 5 to 10. But I think that BRICS, I worked as a BRICS Sherpa for some years, and I think the BRICS DNA has been from the start, the idea that acknowledgement of diversity and focusing on what the countries have in common, not on their differences. And this explains why BRICS has achieved some very tangible results, BRICS bank.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;Plan for an Agriculture bank?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;I wouldn’t say a bank of agriculture, but the idea is that BRICS members, among the BRICS members, have big among the largest agricultural producers in the world, India, Brazil, China. So the idea is how these countries can coordinate in terms of creating resilience to climate change, resilience to extreme weather events, and also a measure of predictability to agriculture trade, because business needs predictability to thrive.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;World is facing a lot of policy changes, to put it mildly. In many ways, tariffs are one thing that has been a concern for India and Brazil. How is it a challenge, or perhaps an opportunity as well?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Well, we live in times when, when our solid, multilateral rules are no longer efficient. Need to find rules of engagement, as you have mentioned, and this can be built among trusted friends, trusted partners. And so India and Brazil, they are, have been coordinating, also on the economic front, to sail through these uncharted waters. So we have already been seeing, as I have mentioned at the outset, the intensification of business interests from both sides.I would say that this new geopolitical environment has made us more proactive in looking for complementarities. Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;We saw the comments by the US Commerce Secretary, Mr. Lucknick, who said that India and Brazil need to be fixed. What’s the view like in Brazil?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Well, we wonder what he meant by this observation. I don't know if it's just a slogan, a sentence to be published on X but anyway, I think that we know better. I think because we live in our countries and we have solid think tanks and state institutions to figure out what needs to be improved in our economic system,&nbsp;it's kind of interesting to see somebody who has a limited knowledge of our countries make such statements. Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;President of Brazil's upcoming India visit, I know it's too early to talk about what is being talked about, or it's still, I think, four or five months, but what kind of conversations can one expect?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;I think that our leaders as they did back in July, I think they will compare normal notes and their perceptions regarding the evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape, and they will take one more stock of how our technological and economic relations are faring. I've been in India as ambassador of Brazil to India for the last two years, a little more than two years now, and I have already seen tangible results in terms of investment and technological agreements being hammered out.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;Are you looking to buy defense equipment from India? Any plans like that? Or has India offered you?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;Yes, of course, when you talk about trading defence, we need to be careful when mentioning details, as you know. But just to tell you, among the 130 plus missions we actually exchanged in the last two years, we had a sizable portion of these missions were defense missions and we see the possibility, really, of our interest in industrial bases in connection, in terms of joint ventures. And, yes, there are some defense products from India that are being carefully examined by the Brazilian government to be acquired, and also India is looking at some interesting Brazilian defense products. So I don't want to go into details when it comes to defense, but yes, we have a good outlook in that area. Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;Counter Terrorism. India has been a victim of cross border terrorism. We saw the terror attack by Pakistan train terrorists. We also saw President Lula condemning that as well during the Prime Minister's visit earlier this year. So essentially, what's your view about the scourge of terrorism?Kenneth da Nóbrega:&nbsp;President Lula called honorable Prime Minister Modi after the Pahalgam attacks, to convey an unmistakable support for India, and of course, saying that there is not any justification whatsoever of these horrendous attacks. And it's true that we are blessed in our region in terms that we don't have the threat of terrorism and terrorist attacks in our region, but we have always supported India in multilateral forum when it comes to condemning terrorism myself when I was a negotiated within BRICS statements on terrorism in various occasions, and Brazil always stood by the side of India.

Asked about US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments that India and Brazil need to be “fixed”, ambassador Nóbrega said, “It’s kind of interesting to see somebody who has a limited knowledge of our countries make such statements.”

Brazil’s Ambassador to India Kenneth da Nóbrega has said that his country is looking to expanding trade ties with India, especially with the review of India-MERCOSUR PTA or Preferential Trade Agreement and further firming up defence industry ties. Speaking to WION’s Sidhant Sibal, Ambassador Nóbrega said, “Stock taking on how we could push forward to expand our trade preferences, agreement. I think there is political will on both sides to do that”, with inclusion of areas like agriculture, pharma. In 2024-25, bilateral trade reached USD 12.20 billion, with Indian exports to Brazil amounting to USD 6.77 billion and imports from Brazil totalling USD 5.43 billion. The ambassador backed UNSC reforms, and his country’s commitment to the BRICS group. Brazil is the chair of the BRICS grouping and earlier this year hosted the summit. India and Brazil, both are members of the G4, a grouping that pushes for UNSC reforms and BRICS as well. Asked about US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments that India and Brazil need to be “fixed”, ambassador Nóbrega said, “It’s kind of interesting to see somebody who has a limited knowledge of our countries make such statements.” Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India, Brazil relations? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Well, Brazil-Indian relations will soon turn eighty years old, and I venture to say that we are living at their best historical moment. A good word to describe our relations is trust, mutual trust developed and built through decades of political coordination, and this mutual trust has been now more as a fleet, providing a very solid base for the development of our economic and technological relations that are thriving as never before. before. Sidhant Sibal: Earlier this year, we saw the Indian Prime Minister traveling to Brazil. This is a visit that saw several announcements as well. How do you plan to build on that visit? Kenneth da Nóbrega: I think it was a quite successful visit. And if you see the joint statement that was issued. I think it testifies to what I have said. You know, taking into account that in the last two years or so, we have had an exchange of more than 120 or 130 missions, business missions between Brazil and India. Our two leaders charted the course for the next decade based on what they have seen, based on what the business interest has shown. So they have selected five areas to concentrate our efforts , to boost our relations. One is defense, agriculture, energy, DPIs and health. They are now our roadmap. Sidhant Sibal: But are we expecting visits from Brazil to India? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Well, if everything goes according to plan, President Lula will come to India for a state visit early next year and and now we are in the process of preparing that visit. So the day after tomorrow, the Brazilian NSA is coming to India, followed by a meeting at the Secretary of State level of our trade monitoring mechanism, and then probably other federal ministers from Brazil coming, still not confirmed. So I don't want to mention what ministers are coming, but I think they are coming. Sidhant Sibal: India and Brazil are two large global south countries representing a large portion of the global population. How can both of them work together to deal with major challenges? One, of course, is the issue of trade as well, in terms of increasing their trade. You talked about the trade monitoring mechanism. Kenneth da Nóbrega: Yes, not only trade. The mechanism is called trade monitoring mechanism, but it goes beyond that. It's a mechanism that goes through the stock of the whole bilateral economic relations, so includes trade, investment and technological cooperation. Sidhant Sibal: In terms of trade, any plans for the review of the preferential trade agreement between India and the Mercosur trading region. Kenneth da Nóbrega: Yes, yes, we are working on that. We are ready to announce that, but we are working on, devising a plan, stock taking on how we could push forward to expand our trade preferences, agreement. I think there is political will on both sides to do that. So I’m confident that this will. Expanding the tariff lines, in terms of goods and services, areas like agriculture, pharma. Sidhant Sibal: Both the countries essentially are part of major groupings like the BRICS. You are the current chair of the BRICS. India will be the next chair of the BRICS. So what kind of coordination has been happening? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Well, this coordination between Brazil and India in the international forum has been going on for more than almost eight years, and it has to do with the idea of pushing forward the interests of the global south and pushing for the reform of global governance institutions, basically the UN. Sidhant Sibal: But are you hopeful of UN reforms? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Well, this is a long term gain. Yeah, we are not expecting short term gains, but this is a matter of setting a long term course. Because it's about making the United Nations more functional and more inclusive, more legitimate. So it’s a permanent goal. Sidhant Sibal: In terms of the BRICS expansion as well. But will BRICS be able to continue with its commitments, or its commitments will get diluted as the group becomes bigger Kenneth da Nóbrega: First of all, I think the mere fact that a number of countries wants to to be members of BRICS says a lot about how the United Nations bodies are blocked in terms of negotiations and political will to make progress based on consensus. Expanded BRICS is a challenge in the sense that we have to work more to build consensus, from 5 to 10. But I think that BRICS, I worked as a BRICS Sherpa for some years, and I think the BRICS DNA has been from the start, the idea that acknowledgement of diversity and focusing on what the countries have in common, not on their differences. And this explains why BRICS has achieved some very tangible results, BRICS bank. Sidhant Sibal: Plan for an Agriculture bank? Kenneth da Nóbrega: I wouldn’t say a bank of agriculture, but the idea is that BRICS members, among the BRICS members, have big among the largest agricultural producers in the world, India, Brazil, China. So the idea is how these countries can coordinate in terms of creating resilience to climate change, resilience to extreme weather events, and also a measure of predictability to agriculture trade, because business needs predictability to thrive. Sidhant Sibal: World is facing a lot of policy changes, to put it mildly. In many ways, tariffs are one thing that has been a concern for India and Brazil. How is it a challenge, or perhaps an opportunity as well? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Well, we live in times when, when our solid, multilateral rules are no longer efficient. Need to find rules of engagement, as you have mentioned, and this can be built among trusted friends, trusted partners. And so India and Brazil, they are, have been coordinating, also on the economic front, to sail through these uncharted waters. So we have already been seeing, as I have mentioned at the outset, the intensification of business interests from both sides.I would say that this new geopolitical environment has made us more proactive in looking for complementarities. Sidhant Sibal: We saw the comments by the US Commerce Secretary, Mr. Lucknick, who said that India and Brazil need to be fixed. What’s the view like in Brazil? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Well, we wonder what he meant by this observation. I don't know if it's just a slogan, a sentence to be published on X but anyway, I think that we know better. I think because we live in our countries and we have solid think tanks and state institutions to figure out what needs to be improved in our economic system, it's kind of interesting to see somebody who has a limited knowledge of our countries make such statements. Sidhant Sibal: President of Brazil's upcoming India visit, I know it's too early to talk about what is being talked about, or it's still, I think, four or five months, but what kind of conversations can one expect? Kenneth da Nóbrega: I think that our leaders as they did back in July, I think they will compare normal notes and their perceptions regarding the evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape, and they will take one more stock of how our technological and economic relations are faring. I've been in India as ambassador of Brazil to India for the last two years, a little more than two years now, and I have already seen tangible results in terms of investment and technological agreements being hammered out. Sidhant Sibal: Are you looking to buy defense equipment from India? Any plans like that? Or has India offered you? Kenneth da Nóbrega: Yes, of course, when you talk about trading defence, we need to be careful when mentioning details, as you know. But just to tell you, among the 130 plus missions we actually exchanged in the last two years, we had a sizable portion of these missions were defense missions and we see the possibility, really, of our interest in industrial bases in connection, in terms of joint ventures. And, yes, there are some defense products from India that are being carefully examined by the Brazilian government to be acquired, and also India is looking at some interesting Brazilian defense products. So I don't want to go into details when it comes to defense, but yes, we have a good outlook in that area. Sidhant Sibal: Counter Terrorism. India has been a victim of cross border terrorism. We saw the terror attack by Pakistan train terrorists. We also saw President Lula condemning that as well during the Prime Minister's visit earlier this year. So essentially, what's your view about the scourge of terrorism? Kenneth da Nóbrega: President Lula called honorable Prime Minister Modi after the Pahalgam attacks, to convey an unmistakable support for India, and of course, saying that there is not any justification whatsoever of these horrendous attacks. And it's true that we are blessed in our region in terms that we don't have the threat of terrorism and terrorist attacks in our region, but we have always supported India in multilateral forum when it comes to condemning terrorism myself when I was a negotiated within BRICS statements on terrorism in various occasions, and Brazil always stood by the side of India.

Asked about US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments that India and Brazil need to be “fixed”, ambassador Nóbrega said, “It’s kind of interesting to see somebody who has a limited knowledge of our countries make such statements.”

Brazil, India looking at expanding trade, firming up defence industry ties, says Ambassador Kenneth da Nóbrega

Russian Embassy's deputy chief of mission Roman Babushkin, talking about India-Russia defence cooperation, has said that Brahmos missiles have an "absolutely unlimited potential for upgradation". BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile, is a product of an India-Russia joint venture, combining Indian DRDO and Russian NPOM expertise. BrahMos was conceived in the mid-1990s amid India's push for advanced cruise missile capabilities.The top Russian diplomat said that this upgrade in "terms of its tactical parameters" &amp; "certainly one of the best examples of advanced and trusted defence cooperation between any 2 countries that can happen". Brahmos was used by India to thwart Pakistan's attack, after Rawalpindi launched an attack on India, post the counter-terror operation, Operation Sindoor. It has been exported as well, to the Philippines, with a $375M deal with more countries keen to buy.Asked about more future defence cooperation, Babushkin said, "We have a very advanced dialogue with India on all types of defence cooperation which is available right now...sharing right now with India, based on our modern war experience". He added, "We really, as the only country in the world, can offer to India sophisticated weapons like 5th generation fighter jets, common joint production of its components and licensed production".Both India, Russia are currently working on the upcoming visit of Russian President Putin to India in the month of December. Describing the upcoming visit as a landmark, the Russian diplomat pointed out that this year, both countries are celebrating 15 years of Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. He was hopeful about labour market mobility between the 2 countries, as in "Russia, we need a labour force, people to work in Russian industry, India has an excessive labour force" and this makes a "perfect sense of mutual complementarians, which can play very well".On the presence of Indians in the Russian army, he said, "This is a problem of great mutual concern. From the very beginning, we kept saying the Russian army doesn't need Indians to fight. We have never recruited intentionally." As per the latest Indian data, 27 Indian nationals are presently serving in the Russian army, and the Indian government has strongly urged all Indian nationals to stay away from the offers being made to serve in the Russian army, as they are fraught with danger and risk to life. DCM Babushkin pointed to a mechanism of coordination by the Indian embassy in Moscow and the Russian defence ministry to resolve such matters.

Brahmos was used by India to thwart Pakistan's attack, after Rawalpindi launched an attack on India, post the counter-terror operation, Operation Sindoor.

Russian Embassy's deputy chief of mission Roman Babushkin, talking about India-Russia defence cooperation, has said that Brahmos missiles have an "absolutely unlimited potential for upgradation". BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile, is a product of an India-Russia joint venture, combining Indian DRDO and Russian NPOM expertise. BrahMos was conceived in the mid-1990s amid India's push for advanced cruise missile capabilities. The top Russian diplomat said that this upgrade in "terms of its tactical parameters" & "certainly one of the best examples of advanced and trusted defence cooperation between any 2 countries that can happen". Brahmos was used by India to thwart Pakistan's attack, after Rawalpindi launched an attack on India, post the counter-terror operation, Operation Sindoor. It has been exported as well, to the Philippines, with a $375M deal with more countries keen to buy. Asked about more future defence cooperation, Babushkin said, "We have a very advanced dialogue with India on all types of defence cooperation which is available right now...sharing right now with India, based on our modern war experience". He added, "We really, as the only country in the world, can offer to India sophisticated weapons like 5th generation fighter jets, common joint production of its components and licensed production". Both India, Russia are currently working on the upcoming visit of Russian President Putin to India in the month of December. Describing the upcoming visit as a landmark, the Russian diplomat pointed out that this year, both countries are celebrating 15 years of Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. He was hopeful about labour market mobility between the 2 countries, as in "Russia, we need a labour force, people to work in Russian industry, India has an excessive labour force" and this makes a "perfect sense of mutual complementarians, which can play very well". On the presence of Indians in the Russian army, he said, "This is a problem of great mutual concern. From the very beginning, we kept saying the Russian army doesn't need Indians to fight. We have never recruited intentionally." As per the latest Indian data, 27 Indian nationals are presently serving in the Russian army, and the Indian government has strongly urged all Indian nationals to stay away from the offers being made to serve in the Russian army, as they are fraught with danger and risk to life. DCM Babushkin pointed to a mechanism of coordination by the Indian embassy in Moscow and the Russian defence ministry to resolve such matters.

Brahmos was used by India to thwart Pakistan's attack, after Rawalpindi launched an attack on India, post the counter-terror operation, Operation Sindoor.

Brahmos has absolutely unlimited potential for upgradation: Top Russian diplomat Roman Babushkin

The Indian Army's head of Artillery division, Lt Gen Adosh Kumar, has said that India was able to "neutralise" Pakistan's "imported weapons" during operation Sindoor. The counterterror operation by India, after the Pahalgam terror attack, saw India striking at terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Speaking to Sidhant Sibal on the WION podcast, Kumar said, “Our indigenous weapons successfully neutralised the enemy's fancied imported weapons and equipment. We need to sustain this momentum. We need to invest more in R&amp;D”. &nbsp;&nbsp;Kumar was commissioned into the Indian Army in June 1986 and has over 39 years of experience. He took charge as the Director General of Artillery in May 2023. The regiment of artillery is the second largest operational arm of the Indian Army, after the infantry. Comprising over 250 units, the regiment manages a wide array of artillery systems, guns, rockets, missiles, and surveillance assets. &nbsp;&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal: Artillery played a major part in the success of Op SINDOOR. What are the lessons for Artillery? &nbsp;&nbsp;Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: We have witnessed a paradigm shift in India's strategic signalling. We have moved beyond a reactive response of the 2016 strikes and 2018 Balakot strikes to a multi-domain, high precision, offensive targeting so as to achieve our political-military aims, and also while retaining control over the escalatory ladder. And you would have noticed during this ongoing operation, there has been a perceptible shift in our mindset. Zero Tolerance is a new normal. We are going in for punitive retaliation, and the aim is to inflict considerable destruction on the enemy's infrastructure so as to deter him from any misadventure in the future. We've also witnessed a whole-of-nation approach with the multi-domain synergy between the three services as far as planning and execution is concerned. You would have seen that the operation name was very well chosen. It struck an emotional chord with the masses. What has been redeeming about this operation is the success of our Atmanirbharata drive, especially in Defence. Our indigenous weapons successfully neutralised the enemy's fancied imported weapons and equipment. We need to sustain this momentum. We need to invest more in R&amp;D, and also, the defence industry must have the ability to surge production in case required. As far as the regiment of artillery is concerned, a number of issues have emerged. The first being that non-contact kinetic warfare is the new normal. We have seen effective use of rockets, effective use of missiles, and loiter munitions. So, we need to augment this capability to engage targets at longer ranges with precision. Loiter munitions, we have seen their effective use in the destruction of precision targets. You are aware, these are low-cost, high-impact weapon systems, which were used for targeting the enemy's infrastructure and their weapon systems. So, we need to, as a regiment of artillery, invest more in loiter munitions. And what I mean is, you know, having loiter munitions with more range, with more endurance, ability to fire different warheads, and, equally importantly, ability to operate in a dense electronic warfare environment. Also, I think, in the regiment of Artillery, we already have a modernisation plan, the ability to quickly move from one place to another, especially in the mountainous terrains. Alongside the guns, I think there's a need to have more precision, guided, or terminally guided munitions. I think another thing that comes to my mind is the need for persistent surveillance at all levels we need, whether it's at strategic levels or operational levels, or tactical level through your satellite imageries, through your air photos, through our radars, or even through our surveillance drones. Now this is required, not only for us, for our target acquisition, but also for the direction of our own artillery fire, as well as for post-strike damage assessment. In the future, we need our gun areas to have more overhead protection. We need guns, like I said, with greater mobility, so that they can quickly shoot and scoot and move to different positions before the enemy detects our own gun areas. So, we need to augment our electronic warfare capability to be able to operate effectively. I can also assure you, I think we are fully alive to all these issues, and we are addressing them on a war footing. Sidhant Sibal: &nbsp;We have seen a number of global conflicts from Europe to Asia. How do you visualise the nature of future wars and consequent changes required in the application of Artillery Firepower?&nbsp;Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: It'll be difficult to predict the exact contours of future warfare, because they'll be dependent on a host of features, especially the geopolitical situation. However, I do believe that the future wars will be complex, hybrid, and multi-domain in character. They will also be escalatory. And I think, the battlefield will be characterised by intensity of operations, by simultaneity of operations going on, and by increased battlefield transparency, which brings out that the firepower will have to be employed in a very synergised manner. Now, as far as I think engagements are concerned, these engagements would be, you know, both non-contact kinetic and non-contact non-kinetic, to degrade or destroy the enemy's combat potential. As far as this non-contact warfare is concerned, I think nations around the world have been devising a strategy of winning wars without incurring physical casualties in close combat. The application of artillery is concerned or, or I think the first thing that comes to my mind is that capability development needs to be aligned with technological developments. A one module fits all sizes will be inadequate to tackle the threats due to the dynamics of terrain, space, or force. Our capability development should be futuristic, but also it should be time-based. Secondly, I think we need a balance of equipment. The efficacy of long-range vectors has been effectively seen in non-contact warfare due to their range and lethality being well established. Equally, I think the tube artillery has resulted in a lot of destruction and broken the enemy's will to fight. We need a judicious mix of guns, rockets, and missiles to accrue the operational advantages of each of these systems. I will again re-emphasise the importance of unmanned aerial systems. I think they have a very important role to play in any future battlefield. So, we need, you know, AI-enabled unmanned aerial systems, which will be able to carry out precision targeting.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal: Capability development plays a pivotal role for any operationally ready Army to meet the contemporary and futuristic challenges. Can you highlight the Regiment of Artillery's capability development plans in the context of the induction of modern weapon systems and ammunition?&nbsp;Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: Today in the regiment of artillery, we are graduating from neutralisation to destruction. We are graduating from quantitative to qualitative firepower, or, I would say, changing from an arm of influence to an arm of decision. Now you asked me about the capability development plan, so I think a capability development plan is premised on six factors. The first is the modernisation of our guns. We are looking at increasing the inventory of our rockets and missiles because of their long range and precision. We are also looking at having more modern and lethal ammunition in our inventory. Looking at reorganising our surveillance architecture, and equally importantly, we are looking at digitising and automating at all levels. We have the ultra-light howitzers which are with us. We have the Dhanush guns. You are aware that, in December last year, we signed a contract for a larger number of K9 guns. These will be delivered in the next two to three years to our regiments. As far as rockets are concerned, I think more regiments of our Pinakas are being added in the near future. In capability development, we are also looking at more missile systems, both cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. As far as munitions, or ammunition, is concerned, I think we are engaged very closely not only with the defence industry, but with academia, also in many projects where we can increase the range of ammunition as well as their lethality. So, there's a lot of progress going on in that field. As far as the unmanned area system is concerned, our Shaktiban regiments and the Divyastra Batteries are being raised to further augment our UAS capability.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal: &nbsp;In terms of use and deployment of rockets and missiles, what are the future plans for these systems?&nbsp;Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: As far as rockets are concerned, we have in our inventory several rocket systems. We have these Grad rocket systems, we have the Pinaka rocket systems, and we have these smudge rocket systems. So, as far as the Pinaka rocket systems are concerned, like I just mentioned to you, we are inducting more regiments of the Pinakas. And, in fact, the Pinaka rocket system has been a success story of India's Atmanirbharta. &nbsp;We are also now looking at guided, extended ranges which can be fired from Pinaka rockets. The trials of this are already over, and we are hopeful of signing this contract in this financial year itself. You know what this will lead to? This will double the range of my existing Pinaka rockets, and equally importantly, it will give me long precision with this guided as the name implies. So, we are also initiating a case shortly for you to know the capability to fire rockets with 120- and 300-kilometre range, which can be fired from the Pinaka rockets. So, what we're going to have in the near future is a rocket system which can fire a variety of rockets, a variety of rockets in terms of range, a variety of rockets in terms of warheads. Sidhant Sibal: Drone warfare is the new normal in modern-day warfare, and the same has been established by recent conflicts. How is the Regiment of Artillery addressing this important aspect?&nbsp;Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: The advent of unmanned aerial systems has revolutionised modern warfare because they offer a very wide array of applications. In the recent conflicts, we have seen the innovative, imaginative use of operations in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In Operation Spider Web, we saw the Ukrainians use their kamikaze drones against the Russian strategic bombers and causing some damage. In the Israel-Iran conflict, in Operation Rising Lion, we saw these kamikaze drones being used by Israelis against Iran's air defence, which was quite effective. So, I think you know, it will not be incorrect to say that land warfare has somewhat transitioned into drone warfare. And you know what they say, if it can be seen, it can be hit. So, whether it's a soldier who's carrying a launcher, or whether it's a gun system, or whether it's a tank, or whether it's a command-and-control centre, if you can see it, you can hit it with precision.&nbsp;Sidhant Sibal: In the light of technological advancement and changing warfare dynamics, how is the training methodology re-aligned to meet the requirements? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: Procuring equipment is one thing, but the ability to operate it effectively is another thing. So, I think we need to train our people to operate these systems very confidently and effectively. So, I think training pedagogy has changed with the advent of this niche technology equipment, both at our training centres, our formation level, and our school of instruction. We've established a Drone Experience Centre. Simulators have been positioned there so that the training is carried out uninterrupted. And this is not restricted only to training on simulators; once they have gathered the requisite proficiency, then we expose them to live firing with these weapon systems. Also, you know, in the school of artillery, we have put these virtual reality observation post simulators. So, our observation post officers can get more realistic training in a realistic environment. Sidhant Sibal: &nbsp;As Head of the Arm, what is your vision and way forward for the Regiment of Artillery?&nbsp;Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: Artillery today represents the true essence of military power by dominating the battlefield. I think modern weaponry has given us increased range and destructive prowess, which has further enhanced our versatility. As far as vision is concerned. I think our vision stems from our Chief of Army Staff's vision, or for decades of transformation to transform the Indian army into an agile and integrated modern force. So, our vision is to transform the arm into a comprehensive and integrated force that can provide all firepower solutions using niche technologies and cutting-edge solutions. Our modernisation is progressing at an appropriate pace. It is giving us time to adapt to these changes. It is giving us time to imbibe technology at all levels. And put into place optimum employment philosophies. It is based on the principle of modernisation through indigenisation, and I think most importantly, it is all-encompassing. It is not only restricted to guns, but also to rockets to missiles to ammunition, and to host of other equipment. Both the public and private sector companies have been fully integrated. We have regular interactions with them. We had one just as recently as last week. So, they are aware of our current and future requirements, and they are fully integrated with them. So, all in all, we are looking at the regiment of artillery in the future, which will be a force to reckon with and on the battlefield, which will be an arm of decision, and which will have a decisive say in the outcome of any battle.

The regiment of artillery is the second largest operational arm of the Indian Army, after the infantry. Comprising over 250 units, the regiment manages a wide array of artillery systems, guns, rockets, missiles, and surveillance assets.  

The Indian Army's head of Artillery division, Lt Gen Adosh Kumar, has said that India was able to "neutralise" Pakistan's "imported weapons" during operation Sindoor. The counterterror operation by India, after the Pahalgam terror attack, saw India striking at terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Speaking to Sidhant Sibal on the WION podcast, Kumar said, “Our indigenous weapons successfully neutralised the enemy's fancied imported weapons and equipment. We need to sustain this momentum. We need to invest more in R&D”. Kumar was commissioned into the Indian Army in June 1986 and has over 39 years of experience. He took charge as the Director General of Artillery in May 2023. The regiment of artillery is the second largest operational arm of the Indian Army, after the infantry. Comprising over 250 units, the regiment manages a wide array of artillery systems, guns, rockets, missiles, and surveillance assets. Sidhant Sibal: Artillery played a major part in the success of Op SINDOOR. What are the lessons for Artillery? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: We have witnessed a paradigm shift in India's strategic signalling. We have moved beyond a reactive response of the 2016 strikes and 2018 Balakot strikes to a multi-domain, high precision, offensive targeting so as to achieve our political-military aims, and also while retaining control over the escalatory ladder. And you would have noticed during this ongoing operation, there has been a perceptible shift in our mindset. Zero Tolerance is a new normal. We are going in for punitive retaliation, and the aim is to inflict considerable destruction on the enemy's infrastructure so as to deter him from any misadventure in the future. We've also witnessed a whole-of-nation approach with the multi-domain synergy between the three services as far as planning and execution is concerned. You would have seen that the operation name was very well chosen. It struck an emotional chord with the masses. What has been redeeming about this operation is the success of our Atmanirbharata drive, especially in Defence. Our indigenous weapons successfully neutralised the enemy's fancied imported weapons and equipment. We need to sustain this momentum. We need to invest more in R&D, and also, the defence industry must have the ability to surge production in case required. As far as the regiment of artillery is concerned, a number of issues have emerged. The first being that non-contact kinetic warfare is the new normal. We have seen effective use of rockets, effective use of missiles, and loiter munitions. So, we need to augment this capability to engage targets at longer ranges with precision. Loiter munitions, we have seen their effective use in the destruction of precision targets. You are aware, these are low-cost, high-impact weapon systems, which were used for targeting the enemy's infrastructure and their weapon systems. So, we need to, as a regiment of artillery, invest more in loiter munitions. And what I mean is, you know, having loiter munitions with more range, with more endurance, ability to fire different warheads, and, equally importantly, ability to operate in a dense electronic warfare environment. Also, I think, in the regiment of Artillery, we already have a modernisation plan, the ability to quickly move from one place to another, especially in the mountainous terrains. Alongside the guns, I think there's a need to have more precision, guided, or terminally guided munitions. I think another thing that comes to my mind is the need for persistent surveillance at all levels we need, whether it's at strategic levels or operational levels, or tactical level through your satellite imageries, through your air photos, through our radars, or even through our surveillance drones. Now this is required, not only for us, for our target acquisition, but also for the direction of our own artillery fire, as well as for post-strike damage assessment. In the future, we need our gun areas to have more overhead protection. We need guns, like I said, with greater mobility, so that they can quickly shoot and scoot and move to different positions before the enemy detects our own gun areas. So, we need to augment our electronic warfare capability to be able to operate effectively. I can also assure you, I think we are fully alive to all these issues, and we are addressing them on a war footing. Sidhant Sibal: We have seen a number of global conflicts from Europe to Asia. How do you visualise the nature of future wars and consequent changes required in the application of Artillery Firepower? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: It'll be difficult to predict the exact contours of future warfare, because they'll be dependent on a host of features, especially the geopolitical situation. However, I do believe that the future wars will be complex, hybrid, and multi-domain in character. They will also be escalatory. And I think, the battlefield will be characterised by intensity of operations, by simultaneity of operations going on, and by increased battlefield transparency, which brings out that the firepower will have to be employed in a very synergised manner. Now, as far as I think engagements are concerned, these engagements would be, you know, both non-contact kinetic and non-contact non-kinetic, to degrade or destroy the enemy's combat potential. As far as this non-contact warfare is concerned, I think nations around the world have been devising a strategy of winning wars without incurring physical casualties in close combat. The application of artillery is concerned or, or I think the first thing that comes to my mind is that capability development needs to be aligned with technological developments. A one module fits all sizes will be inadequate to tackle the threats due to the dynamics of terrain, space, or force. Our capability development should be futuristic, but also it should be time-based. Secondly, I think we need a balance of equipment. The efficacy of long-range vectors has been effectively seen in non-contact warfare due to their range and lethality being well established. Equally, I think the tube artillery has resulted in a lot of destruction and broken the enemy's will to fight. We need a judicious mix of guns, rockets, and missiles to accrue the operational advantages of each of these systems. I will again re-emphasise the importance of unmanned aerial systems. I think they have a very important role to play in any future battlefield. So, we need, you know, AI-enabled unmanned aerial systems, which will be able to carry out precision targeting. Sidhant Sibal: Capability development plays a pivotal role for any operationally ready Army to meet the contemporary and futuristic challenges. Can you highlight the Regiment of Artillery's capability development plans in the context of the induction of modern weapon systems and ammunition? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: Today in the regiment of artillery, we are graduating from neutralisation to destruction. We are graduating from quantitative to qualitative firepower, or, I would say, changing from an arm of influence to an arm of decision. Now you asked me about the capability development plan, so I think a capability development plan is premised on six factors. The first is the modernisation of our guns. We are looking at increasing the inventory of our rockets and missiles because of their long range and precision. We are also looking at having more modern and lethal ammunition in our inventory. Looking at reorganising our surveillance architecture, and equally importantly, we are looking at digitising and automating at all levels. We have the ultra-light howitzers which are with us. We have the Dhanush guns. You are aware that, in December last year, we signed a contract for a larger number of K9 guns. These will be delivered in the next two to three years to our regiments. As far as rockets are concerned, I think more regiments of our Pinakas are being added in the near future. In capability development, we are also looking at more missile systems, both cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. As far as munitions, or ammunition, is concerned, I think we are engaged very closely not only with the defence industry, but with academia, also in many projects where we can increase the range of ammunition as well as their lethality. So, there's a lot of progress going on in that field. As far as the unmanned area system is concerned, our Shaktiban regiments and the Divyastra Batteries are being raised to further augment our UAS capability. Sidhant Sibal: In terms of use and deployment of rockets and missiles, what are the future plans for these systems? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: As far as rockets are concerned, we have in our inventory several rocket systems. We have these Grad rocket systems, we have the Pinaka rocket systems, and we have these smudge rocket systems. So, as far as the Pinaka rocket systems are concerned, like I just mentioned to you, we are inducting more regiments of the Pinakas. And, in fact, the Pinaka rocket system has been a success story of India's Atmanirbharta. We are also now looking at guided, extended ranges which can be fired from Pinaka rockets. The trials of this are already over, and we are hopeful of signing this contract in this financial year itself. You know what this will lead to? This will double the range of my existing Pinaka rockets, and equally importantly, it will give me long precision with this guided as the name implies. So, we are also initiating a case shortly for you to know the capability to fire rockets with 120- and 300-kilometre range, which can be fired from the Pinaka rockets. So, what we're going to have in the near future is a rocket system which can fire a variety of rockets, a variety of rockets in terms of range, a variety of rockets in terms of warheads. Sidhant Sibal: Drone warfare is the new normal in modern-day warfare, and the same has been established by recent conflicts. How is the Regiment of Artillery addressing this important aspect? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: The advent of unmanned aerial systems has revolutionised modern warfare because they offer a very wide array of applications. In the recent conflicts, we have seen the innovative, imaginative use of operations in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In Operation Spider Web, we saw the Ukrainians use their kamikaze drones against the Russian strategic bombers and causing some damage. In the Israel-Iran conflict, in Operation Rising Lion, we saw these kamikaze drones being used by Israelis against Iran's air defence, which was quite effective. So, I think you know, it will not be incorrect to say that land warfare has somewhat transitioned into drone warfare. And you know what they say, if it can be seen, it can be hit. So, whether it's a soldier who's carrying a launcher, or whether it's a gun system, or whether it's a tank, or whether it's a command-and-control centre, if you can see it, you can hit it with precision. Sidhant Sibal: In the light of technological advancement and changing warfare dynamics, how is the training methodology re-aligned to meet the requirements? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: Procuring equipment is one thing, but the ability to operate it effectively is another thing. So, I think we need to train our people to operate these systems very confidently and effectively. So, I think training pedagogy has changed with the advent of this niche technology equipment, both at our training centres, our formation level, and our school of instruction. We've established a Drone Experience Centre. Simulators have been positioned there so that the training is carried out uninterrupted. And this is not restricted only to training on simulators; once they have gathered the requisite proficiency, then we expose them to live firing with these weapon systems. Also, you know, in the school of artillery, we have put these virtual reality observation post simulators. So, our observation post officers can get more realistic training in a realistic environment. Sidhant Sibal: As Head of the Arm, what is your vision and way forward for the Regiment of Artillery? Lt Gen Adosh Kumar: Artillery today represents the true essence of military power by dominating the battlefield. I think modern weaponry has given us increased range and destructive prowess, which has further enhanced our versatility. As far as vision is concerned. I think our vision stems from our Chief of Army Staff's vision, or for decades of transformation to transform the Indian army into an agile and integrated modern force. So, our vision is to transform the arm into a comprehensive and integrated force that can provide all firepower solutions using niche technologies and cutting-edge solutions. Our modernisation is progressing at an appropriate pace. It is giving us time to adapt to these changes. It is giving us time to imbibe technology at all levels. And put into place optimum employment philosophies. It is based on the principle of modernisation through indigenisation, and I think most importantly, it is all-encompassing. It is not only restricted to guns, but also to rockets to missiles to ammunition, and to host of other equipment. Both the public and private sector companies have been fully integrated. We have regular interactions with them. We had one just as recently as last week. So, they are aware of our current and future requirements, and they are fully integrated with them. So, all in all, we are looking at the regiment of artillery in the future, which will be a force to reckon with and on the battlefield, which will be an arm of decision, and which will have a decisive say in the outcome of any battle.

The regiment of artillery is the second largest operational arm of the Indian Army, after the infantry. Comprising over 250 units, the regiment manages a wide array of artillery systems, guns, rockets, missiles, and surveillance assets. &nbsp;

Exclusive: Head of Indian Army's Artillery Division Lt Gen Adosh Kumar speaks to WION on Op Sindoor, modernisation

India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday (Sep 25), addressing high-level meeting of like-minded global South Countries in New York, called for "urgent resolution of conflicts" that "are impacting food, fertiliser and energy security", in a clear message on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The conflict, which started in 2022, has majorly impacted countries of the global south&nbsp;due to the escalating prices of global commodities. India has called for "dialogue and diplomacy" to resolve the war in Ukraine, with PM Modi holding regular talks with Russian President Putin and Ukraine President Zelenskyy.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Indian foreign minister highlighted that the "state of the world is a cause for mounting concern for member states" and the "Global South in particular, is confronted with a set of challenges" which includes "shocks" of COVID pandemic and two major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.&nbsp;India on its part, has hosted 3, Voice of Global South Summits-2 in 2023, and one in 2024, to bring concerns of the global south countries together.&nbsp;&nbsp;Addressing, the foreign ministers of selected global south countries on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York, EAM Jaishankar proposed to "bring to the table specific strengths, experiences and achievements" like vaccine production, digital capabilities, education capacities, agro-practices and SME culture. He said, in areas like climate action and climate justice, countries should "come up with initiatives that serve the Global South rather than justify the Global North." Foreign ministers of Jamaica, Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Maldives among other countries were present at the meeting.&nbsp;He also called for reforms of the United Nations that have been languishing for decades now. India has put its bid to be a permanent member of the UNSC, but some permanent members of the council have not been eager to support that. An intergovernmental negotiation process is undertaken, but faces its inherent challenges and obstructions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, in what seems to be a message to Washington DC, the EAM Jaishankar called for the need for "fair and transparent economic practices that democratize production and enhance economic security" and the need for a "stable environment for balanced and sustainable economic interactions, including more South-South trade, investment and technology collaborations". His comments come amid Trump's tariffs, especially on several global south countries, including India. Trump slapped a 50% tariff on India, of which 25% are because of India importing Russian energy.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Addressing the foreign ministers of selected global south countries on the sidelines of the UNGA session, EAM S Jaishankar proposed to "bring to the table specific strengths, experiences and achievements".

India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday (Sep 25), addressing high-level meeting of like-minded global South Countries in New York, called for "urgent resolution of conflicts" that "are impacting food, fertiliser and energy security", in a clear message on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The conflict, which started in 2022, has majorly impacted countries of the global south due to the escalating prices of global commodities. India has called for "dialogue and diplomacy" to resolve the war in Ukraine, with PM Modi holding regular talks with Russian President Putin and Ukraine President Zelenskyy. The Indian foreign minister highlighted that the "state of the world is a cause for mounting concern for member states" and the "Global South in particular, is confronted with a set of challenges" which includes "shocks" of COVID pandemic and two major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. India on its part, has hosted 3, Voice of Global South Summits-2 in 2023, and one in 2024, to bring concerns of the global south countries together. Addressing, the foreign ministers of selected global south countries on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York, EAM Jaishankar proposed to "bring to the table specific strengths, experiences and achievements" like vaccine production, digital capabilities, education capacities, agro-practices and SME culture. He said, in areas like climate action and climate justice, countries should "come up with initiatives that serve the Global South rather than justify the Global North." Foreign ministers of Jamaica, Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Maldives among other countries were present at the meeting. He also called for reforms of the United Nations that have been languishing for decades now. India has put its bid to be a permanent member of the UNSC, but some permanent members of the council have not been eager to support that. An intergovernmental negotiation process is undertaken, but faces its inherent challenges and obstructions. Meanwhile, in what seems to be a message to Washington DC, the EAM Jaishankar called for the need for "fair and transparent economic practices that democratize production and enhance economic security" and the need for a "stable environment for balanced and sustainable economic interactions, including more South-South trade, investment and technology collaborations". His comments come amid Trump's tariffs, especially on several global south countries, including India. Trump slapped a 50% tariff on India, of which 25% are because of India importing Russian energy.

Addressing the foreign ministers of selected global south countries on the sidelines of the UNGA session, EAM S Jaishankar proposed to "bring to the table specific strengths, experiences and achievements".

Need urgent resolution of conflicts, says EAM Dr S Jaishankar at UNGA

Commanding officer of Indian Navy Ship INS Trikand, Captain Sachin Kulkarni has said that last week, Indian Navy and Hellenic Navy (Greece Navy) participated in anti-submarine exercises, with focus on enhancing interoperability. INS Trikand participated in a maiden bilateral exercise with the Hellenic Navy from September 13–18, 2025, in the Mediterranean Sea.&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking from&nbsp;Salamis Bay to WION's Sidhant Sibal, the commanding officer said, "exercising with the Hellenic Navy offered us an excellent opportunity to enhance interoperability&nbsp;and build mutual trust."&nbsp;India, Greece Naval forces have been building on Naval cooperation. Last year, Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi visited the country and met his Greek counterpart, Vice Admiral Dimitrios E Kataras, and Deputy Minister of Defence Ioannis Kefalogiannis. In August 2025, INS Tamal visited Souda Bay and engaged in joint discussions and operational familiarisations.&nbsp;The Indian Navy Ship, INS Trikand, had earlier visited Egypt to participate in exercise Bright Star 2025. Exercise Bright Star is a longstanding multinational military exercise co-hosted by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is one of the largest and oldest joint military drills in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>At the participation in the&nbsp;Ex Bright star, how has the interactions and engagements been with the other navies?</h2>&nbsp;Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Interaction and engagement with other Navies was extremely&nbsp;fruitful, constructive, and professionally satisfying. During the harbour phase, planning conferences, drills, formal as well as informal discussions on the sidelines, gave us useful insights into how other Navies plan and operate. At sea, we had opportunities&nbsp;to undertake operations with these navies, which helped us in numerous ways in terms of enhancing interoperability, building&nbsp;relationships, honning professional skills, adopting best&nbsp;practices and deriving&nbsp;lessons&nbsp;learnt. One thing that stood out was the respect and confidence&nbsp;shown by these navies for the Indian Navy, which shows the credibility Indian Navy has built over the years, as a highly&nbsp;professional, potent and dependable force. Proud to say, INS Trikand's&nbsp;performance during the sea phase was acknowledged&nbsp;and praised during the post sail conference.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How has the experience of participating in the tri service Multilateral exercise &amp; what all activities were carried out during Bright Star</h2>&nbsp;Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Participating in exercise Bright Star 2025, was an extremely rewarding and professionally enriching experience.The exercise was conducted on a large scale, bring together, naval, air and land forces from several countries on a single stage. It was also demanding, because it required us to quickly adapt to high tempo across a wide spectrum of activities, while ensuring that we put our best foot forward, showcasing Indian Navy's professionalism and combat capabilities. For my crew, it was a valuable&nbsp;learning curve as an opportunity to test ourselves in different environments. I can proudly say, team Trikand demonstrated&nbsp;that the Indian Navy can contribute effectively to multinationals , along with our partner navies with confidence and a very high level of professionality.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>What all activities were conducted as part of Exercise Bright Star 2025?</h2>&nbsp;Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Exercise Bright Star was conducted in all 3 dimensions, land, sea and air. India was represented by personnel and assets from the Indian army, navy and the air force. The maritime element of the exercise&nbsp;was very well curated by the Egyptian Navy along with the US and was conducted over 9 days, covering both harbour and sea phases. In the harbour phase focus was on planning, fire fight, damage control, medical training, drills and professional interaction. In the sea phase, the ships participated in anti-submarine and air defence exercises. These activities&nbsp;required precision and close coordination with our counterparts. The crew gained exposure not only to operations but also to the professional and planning skills of our partners.&nbsp;<h2>Is this the first time that the Navy has exercised with the Hellenic Navy?</h2>&nbsp;Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Well this is not the first time we have engaged with the Hellenic Navy, but was certainly the maiden&nbsp;bilateral maritime exercise, and one of the most significant in terms of scale and importance. In the past, our ships have conducted PASSEX exercises and goodwill visits, but this deployment&nbsp;offered a more structured opportunity to work closely with highly professional Hellenic Navy. Our interaction&nbsp;reaffirms the value of building on the past good will, with a more focused approach. Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;how has the experience been of sailing all the way for such an exercise. How do you see such engagements with the Greek navy? What would be the scope of operations or exercises conducted in harbour and seaCapt Sachin Kulkarni: Engagements with the Hellenic Navy are extremely important because they bring together 2 maritime nations that share strong traditions, historic ties and operate in regions critical to global trade. The Hellenic navy is an extremely professional force. Operating with them, offered us the opportunity to enhance interoperability through exchange of ideas, procedures and best practices. On a broader aspect, these engagements contribute to stability of sealanes that are vital to our own economic and energy security. This will go a long way in reassuring the world, India's status as a dependable partner, even beyond the Indian ocean region. Such engagement&nbsp;strengthens mutual trust that underpin future cooperation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>What was the scope of the operation&nbsp;at sea and at the harbour?</h2> Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Scope was designed to cover a full range of professional exchange and operational drills. In harbour, emphasis&nbsp;was on planning, professional interactions and cross deck visits. On sea, INS Trikand exercises with ships, submarines of the Hellenic Navy and aircraft of Hellenic Air Force, participating in anti submarine and air defence exercises. Exercising with the Hellenic Navy offered us an excellent opportunity to enhance interoperability&nbsp;and build mutual trust.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How has your experience been as the Commanding officer, where INS Trikand sailed all the way from India to the Mediterranean?</h2>&nbsp;Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Sailing from India to Mediterranean was a challenging yet exciting experience. Every passage has its own set of challenges. We left Mumbai, the extremely choppy Arabian sea, tested our grit and resolve. Transit through the Red Sea tested our capabilities towards safe operations in an unfavourable environment. Whole experience&nbsp;of crossing the historic choke points of Bab El Mandeb and the Suez Canal was extremely&nbsp;satisfying. Further long transit in the Mediterranean offered us a good opportunity&nbsp;to train and prepare for the tasks that lay ahead of us.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How has your experience been as the Commanding officer, where INS Trikand has been operating in the Indian Ocean Region including rescue/medical assistance and exercising with foreign Navies?</h2>&nbsp;Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Commanding INS Trikand through such a diverse mission in the Indian ocean region, has been an extremely challenging&nbsp;yet professionally fulfilling experience. In the IOR, or the Indian ocean region, the ship has been called upon for rescue and medical assistance in the recent past, and watching the crew deliver with professionalism and compassion has been a matter of pride. These missions show that the Navy's role extends beyond&nbsp;combat readiness, humanitarian assistance and&nbsp; good will which is equally important. Our engagement with the foreign navy, has enabled us to strengthen the Indian Navy's image as a highly professional, capable and dependable force, being the first responder and the preferred security partner in the region. Every such deployment is a constant reminder that our role, as the front line warship of the Indian navy, is as much about building bridges of friendship as it is about showing our professionalism&nbsp;and combat capabilities.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Speaking from Salamis Bay, the commanding officer said, "exercising with the Hellenic Navy offered us an excellent opportunity to enhance interoperability and build mutual trust."

Commanding officer of Indian Navy Ship INS Trikand, Captain Sachin Kulkarni has said that last week, Indian Navy and Hellenic Navy (Greece Navy) participated in anti-submarine exercises, with focus on enhancing interoperability. INS Trikand participated in a maiden bilateral exercise with the Hellenic Navy from September 13–18, 2025, in the Mediterranean Sea. Speaking from Salamis Bay to WION's Sidhant Sibal, the commanding officer said, "exercising with the Hellenic Navy offered us an excellent opportunity to enhance interoperability and build mutual trust." India, Greece Naval forces have been building on Naval cooperation. Last year, Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi visited the country and met his Greek counterpart, Vice Admiral Dimitrios E Kataras, and Deputy Minister of Defence Ioannis Kefalogiannis. In August 2025, INS Tamal visited Souda Bay and engaged in joint discussions and operational familiarisations. The Indian Navy Ship, INS Trikand, had earlier visited Egypt to participate in exercise Bright Star 2025. Exercise Bright Star is a longstanding multinational military exercise co-hosted by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is one of the largest and oldest joint military drills in the Middle East. At the participation in the Ex Bright star, how has the interactions and engagements been with the other navies? Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Interaction and engagement with other Navies was extremely fruitful, constructive, and professionally satisfying. During the harbour phase, planning conferences, drills, formal as well as informal discussions on the sidelines, gave us useful insights into how other Navies plan and operate. At sea, we had opportunities to undertake operations with these navies, which helped us in numerous ways in terms of enhancing interoperability, building relationships, honning professional skills, adopting best practices and deriving lessons learnt. One thing that stood out was the respect and confidence shown by these navies for the Indian Navy, which shows the credibility Indian Navy has built over the years, as a highly professional, potent and dependable force. Proud to say, INS Trikand's performance during the sea phase was acknowledged and praised during the post sail conference. How has the experience of participating in the tri service Multilateral exercise & what all activities were carried out during Bright Star Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Participating in exercise Bright Star 2025, was an extremely rewarding and professionally enriching experience.The exercise was conducted on a large scale, bring together, naval, air and land forces from several countries on a single stage. It was also demanding, because it required us to quickly adapt to high tempo across a wide spectrum of activities, while ensuring that we put our best foot forward, showcasing Indian Navy's professionalism and combat capabilities. For my crew, it was a valuable learning curve as an opportunity to test ourselves in different environments. I can proudly say, team Trikand demonstrated that the Indian Navy can contribute effectively to multinationals , along with our partner navies with confidence and a very high level of professionality. What all activities were conducted as part of Exercise Bright Star 2025? Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Exercise Bright Star was conducted in all 3 dimensions, land, sea and air. India was represented by personnel and assets from the Indian army, navy and the air force. The maritime element of the exercise was very well curated by the Egyptian Navy along with the US and was conducted over 9 days, covering both harbour and sea phases. In the harbour phase focus was on planning, fire fight, damage control, medical training, drills and professional interaction. In the sea phase, the ships participated in anti-submarine and air defence exercises. These activities required precision and close coordination with our counterparts. The crew gained exposure not only to operations but also to the professional and planning skills of our partners. Is this the first time that the Navy has exercised with the Hellenic Navy? Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Well this is not the first time we have engaged with the Hellenic Navy, but was certainly the maiden bilateral maritime exercise, and one of the most significant in terms of scale and importance. In the past, our ships have conducted PASSEX exercises and goodwill visits, but this deployment offered a more structured opportunity to work closely with highly professional Hellenic Navy. Our interaction reaffirms the value of building on the past good will, with a more focused approach. Sidhant Sibal: how has the experience been of sailing all the way for such an exercise. How do you see such engagements with the Greek navy? What would be the scope of operations or exercises conducted in harbour and sea Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Engagements with the Hellenic Navy are extremely important because they bring together 2 maritime nations that share strong traditions, historic ties and operate in regions critical to global trade. The Hellenic navy is an extremely professional force. Operating with them, offered us the opportunity to enhance interoperability through exchange of ideas, procedures and best practices. On a broader aspect, these engagements contribute to stability of sealanes that are vital to our own economic and energy security. This will go a long way in reassuring the world, India's status as a dependable partner, even beyond the Indian ocean region. Such engagement strengthens mutual trust that underpin future cooperation. What was the scope of the operation at sea and at the harbour? Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Scope was designed to cover a full range of professional exchange and operational drills. In harbour, emphasis was on planning, professional interactions and cross deck visits. On sea, INS Trikand exercises with ships, submarines of the Hellenic Navy and aircraft of Hellenic Air Force, participating in anti submarine and air defence exercises. Exercising with the Hellenic Navy offered us an excellent opportunity to enhance interoperability and build mutual trust. How has your experience been as the Commanding officer, where INS Trikand sailed all the way from India to the Mediterranean? Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Sailing from India to Mediterranean was a challenging yet exciting experience. Every passage has its own set of challenges. We left Mumbai, the extremely choppy Arabian sea, tested our grit and resolve. Transit through the Red Sea tested our capabilities towards safe operations in an unfavourable environment. Whole experience of crossing the historic choke points of Bab El Mandeb and the Suez Canal was extremely satisfying. Further long transit in the Mediterranean offered us a good opportunity to train and prepare for the tasks that lay ahead of us. How has your experience been as the Commanding officer, where INS Trikand has been operating in the Indian Ocean Region including rescue/medical assistance and exercising with foreign Navies? Capt Sachin Kulkarni: Commanding INS Trikand through such a diverse mission in the Indian ocean region, has been an extremely challenging yet professionally fulfilling experience. In the IOR, or the Indian ocean region, the ship has been called upon for rescue and medical assistance in the recent past, and watching the crew deliver with professionalism and compassion has been a matter of pride. These missions show that the Navy's role extends beyond combat readiness, humanitarian assistance and good will which is equally important. Our engagement with the foreign navy, has enabled us to strengthen the Indian Navy's image as a highly professional, capable and dependable force, being the first responder and the preferred security partner in the region. Every such deployment is a constant reminder that our role, as the front line warship of the Indian navy, is as much about building bridges of friendship as it is about showing our professionalism and combat capabilities.

Speaking from&nbsp;Salamis Bay, the commanding officer said, "exercising with the Hellenic Navy offered us an excellent opportunity to enhance interoperability&nbsp;and build mutual trust."

Indian, Hellenic Navies undertake key exercises; Commanding Officer says, focus on enhancing interoperability

New Delhi: As US President Donald Trump’s new H1B visa policy comes into force, requiring a $100,000 annual fee for each application, it is learnt that this applies only to new visas and will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle. It will not apply for renewals or current visa holders or the 2025 lottery winners, and “this is a one-time fee,” White House official told WION.&nbsp;&nbsp;The order, announced on Friday, comes into force from 21st September, Sunday (US time). At the signing of the order, Trump said, “Companies need to decide if a foreign worker is valuable enough to pay $100,000 per year to the U.S. government—if not, that worker will have to head home.” US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, present at the announcement, emphasised the need to focus on American jobs. The announcement is seen as shocking for India, as over 70% of beneficiaries of the H1B visas are Indian nationals. Major US companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta rely heavily on H-1B visas.&nbsp;White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, in response to a WION question, said, “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and this commonsense action does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down wages”, adding, “It also gives certainty to American businesses who actually want to bring high-skilled workers to our great country but have been trampled on by abuses of the system.”&nbsp;Reacting to the H1b Visa fee hike, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that “the full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry,” pointing that “skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the United States and India.”&nbsp;&nbsp;It also said that the measure is “likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families” and the Indian government hopes “that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities”. The Indian government directed its missions to assist nationals rushing back to the US amid the initial confusion over how the order impacts existing visa holders. NASSCOM, India’s IT industry body, highlighted business uncertainty from the one-day deadline and potential disruptions to onshore projects.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, in response to a WION question, said, “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and this commonsense action does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down wages.”

New Delhi: As US President Donald Trump’s new H1B visa policy comes into force, requiring a $100,000 annual fee for each application, it is learnt that this applies only to new visas and will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle. It will not apply for renewals or current visa holders or the 2025 lottery winners, and “this is a one-time fee,” White House official told WION. The order, announced on Friday, comes into force from 21st September, Sunday (US time). At the signing of the order, Trump said, “Companies need to decide if a foreign worker is valuable enough to pay $100,000 per year to the U.S. government—if not, that worker will have to head home.” US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, present at the announcement, emphasised the need to focus on American jobs. The announcement is seen as shocking for India, as over 70% of beneficiaries of the H1B visas are Indian nationals. Major US companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta rely heavily on H-1B visas. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, in response to a WION question, said, “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and this commonsense action does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down wages”, adding, “It also gives certainty to American businesses who actually want to bring high-skilled workers to our great country but have been trampled on by abuses of the system.” Reacting to the H1b Visa fee hike, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that “the full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry,” pointing that “skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the United States and India.” It also said that the measure is “likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families” and the Indian government hopes “that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities”. The Indian government directed its missions to assist nationals rushing back to the US amid the initial confusion over how the order impacts existing visa holders. NASSCOM, India’s IT industry body, highlighted business uncertainty from the one-day deadline and potential disruptions to onshore projects.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, in response to a WION question, said, “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and this commonsense action does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down wages.”

Trump’s $100,000 annual H1B visa fee applies only to new visa applicants

In what is a clear thaw in the India-Canada relationship, both sides have agreed to "reactivate" key dialogues, suspended during former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's tenure, and reinstate diplomatic staff. The development comes during the visit of Canada's deputy foreign minister&nbsp;, David Morrison, to Delhi for key meetings with top Ministry of External Affairs officials, including foreign secretary Vikram Misri.&nbsp;On Friday, MEA's Secretary East P. Kumaran and visiting Canadian deputy FM David Morrison held pre-foreign office consultations in the Indian national capital, and were joined by other top officials from both 2 sides, including AS, Americas division Nagaraj Naidu.During the talks, both sides agreed to start "necessary steps to reactivate bilateral dialogue mechanisms" in trade, defence, energy, civil nuclear, security and law enforcement, critical minerals, space, science and technology, and agriculture, a statement announced. Both sides have also agreed to 'constructively address capacity-related issues' at respective missions and consulates. The announcement coincided with the talks between India's national security advisor Ajit Doval with his Canadian counterpart.Remember, India-Canada ties deteriorated under Trudeau, who, under his Prime Ministership, alleged Indian involvement in the 2023 killing of India India-listed Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The action was seen by Delhi as part of Trudeau's domestic vote bank politics with support for Khalistani extremists. This led to diplomatic expulsions, reduction of diplomatic staff, and suspension of trade talks. A reduction of diplomatic staff meant a delay in visa issuance, impacting people-to-people ties.A MEA statement said, that the pre foreign office consultations "provided an opportunity to review the state of India–Canada bilateral relations" as both sides "reaffirmed the importance of India–Canada ties, anchored in shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law" and "commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity", which basically means address India's concerns over Khalistani issues, something that Ottawa has assured regularly.&nbsp;The Canadian government, through recent CSIS intelligence and Finance Ministry reports, has acknowledged Khalistani extremists using Canada for fundraising and planning violence against India. This marks a shift, validating India's concerns and prompting calls for enhanced security measures.The key talks came amid restoration of the high commissioners, something that was announced during PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney's bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in&nbsp;Kananaskis in June of this year. During the June talks, both leaders reached an understanding to restore stability in ties after months of public showdown.

During the talks, both sides agreed to start necessary steps to reactivate bilateral dialogue mechanisms in trade, defence, energy, civil nuclear, security and law enforcement, critical minerals, space, science and technology, and agriculture, a statement announced.

In what is a clear thaw in the India-Canada relationship, both sides have agreed to "reactivate" key dialogues, suspended during former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's tenure, and reinstate diplomatic staff. The development comes during the visit of Canada's deputy foreign minister , David Morrison, to Delhi for key meetings with top Ministry of External Affairs officials, including foreign secretary Vikram Misri. On Friday, MEA's Secretary East P. Kumaran and visiting Canadian deputy FM David Morrison held pre-foreign office consultations in the Indian national capital, and were joined by other top officials from both 2 sides, including AS, Americas division Nagaraj Naidu. During the talks, both sides agreed to start "necessary steps to reactivate bilateral dialogue mechanisms" in trade, defence, energy, civil nuclear, security and law enforcement, critical minerals, space, science and technology, and agriculture, a statement announced. Both sides have also agreed to 'constructively address capacity-related issues' at respective missions and consulates. The announcement coincided with the talks between India's national security advisor Ajit Doval with his Canadian counterpart. Remember, India-Canada ties deteriorated under Trudeau, who, under his Prime Ministership, alleged Indian involvement in the 2023 killing of India India-listed Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The action was seen by Delhi as part of Trudeau's domestic vote bank politics with support for Khalistani extremists. This led to diplomatic expulsions, reduction of diplomatic staff, and suspension of trade talks. A reduction of diplomatic staff meant a delay in visa issuance, impacting people-to-people ties. A MEA statement said, that the pre foreign office consultations "provided an opportunity to review the state of India–Canada bilateral relations" as both sides "reaffirmed the importance of India–Canada ties, anchored in shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law" and "commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity", which basically means address India's concerns over Khalistani issues, something that Ottawa has assured regularly. The Canadian government, through recent CSIS intelligence and Finance Ministry reports, has acknowledged Khalistani extremists using Canada for fundraising and planning violence against India. This marks a shift, validating India's concerns and prompting calls for enhanced security measures. The key talks came amid restoration of the high commissioners, something that was announced during PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney's bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis in June of this year. During the June talks, both leaders reached an understanding to restore stability in ties after months of public showdown.

During the talks, both sides agreed to start "necessary steps to reactivate bilateral dialogue mechanisms" in trade, defence, energy, civil nuclear, security and law enforcement, critical minerals, space, science and technology, and agriculture, a statement announced.

India, Canada agree to reactivate bilateral dialogues, work to reinstate diplomatic staff

Taiwan is hopeful of getting Indian workers as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility signed last year in February. The agreement aims to address Taiwan's labour shortages by facilitating the employment of Indian workers in key sectors such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, fisheries, and caregiving. Mumin Chen, representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India speaking to reporters in Delhi said, "we will soon have Indian workers in Taiwan, because&nbsp;we signed a labour mobility agreement last year. We are now in the process of negotiating&nbsp;and we hope Indian workers will come to work".&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/50-000-hours-of-submarine-hunting-milestone-for-indian-navy-s-p8i-fleet-1758128322396">50,000 hours of submarine hunting: Milestone for Indian Navy's P8i fleet</a>&nbsp;This MoU builds on a foundation of economic ties between the&nbsp;2 sides. Bilateral trade between India and Taiwan stood at an all time high of $10.6 billion last year. Taiwan's investment in India stands at $5.7 bn including&nbsp;investment via 3rd country.&nbsp; &nbsp;The focus now is on the semiconductor&nbsp;field with the India's Tata and Taiwan's Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) collaboration to establish India's first 300mm (12-inch) semiconductor fabrication facility (fab) in Dholera, Gujarat. It is part of India's broader push to build a domestic semiconductor industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mumin Chen, who is Taiwan's top official in India said, "we have several science&nbsp;and technology&nbsp;projects. Our cooperation between Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) and Tata in Dholera, Gujarat. Hopefully, next year, India will cooperate with Taiwan to make computer chips here in India. Lot of things are going on" even as he was optimistic&nbsp;with "lot of progress in bilateral cooperation". Meanwhile, Taiwan plans to host a mega "Taiwan Expo" and a Film Festival in India in a few days and months. In a significant collaboration in the cultural domain, "Demon Hunters", a movie jointly produced by India, Taiwan will be released soon. The movie, shot in Taiwan, stars Indian actors.&nbsp;

Taiwan hopes to get Indian workers, says top official 


Taiwan is hopeful of getting Indian workers as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility signed last year in February. The agreement aims to address Taiwan's labour shortages by facilitating the employment of Indian workers in key sectors such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, fisheries, and caregiving. Mumin Chen, representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India speaking to reporters in Delhi said, "we will soon have Indian workers in Taiwan, because we signed a labour mobility agreement last year. We are now in the process of negotiating and we hope Indian workers will come to work". Also Read: 50,000 hours of submarine hunting: Milestone for Indian Navy's P8i fleet This MoU builds on a foundation of economic ties between the 2 sides. Bilateral trade between India and Taiwan stood at an all time high of $10.6 billion last year. Taiwan's investment in India stands at $5.7 bn including investment via 3rd country. The focus now is on the semiconductor field with the India's Tata and Taiwan's Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) collaboration to establish India's first 300mm (12-inch) semiconductor fabrication facility (fab) in Dholera, Gujarat. It is part of India's broader push to build a domestic semiconductor industry. Mumin Chen, who is Taiwan's top official in India said, "we have several science and technology projects. Our cooperation between Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) and Tata in Dholera, Gujarat. Hopefully, next year, India will cooperate with Taiwan to make computer chips here in India. Lot of things are going on" even as he was optimistic with "lot of progress in bilateral cooperation". Meanwhile, Taiwan plans to host a mega "Taiwan Expo" and a Film Festival in India in a few days and months. In a significant collaboration in the cultural domain, "Demon Hunters", a movie jointly produced by India, Taiwan will be released soon. The movie, shot in Taiwan, stars Indian actors.

The agreement aims to address Taiwan's labor shortages by facilitating the employment of Indian workers in key sectors such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, fisheries, and caregiving

Taiwan hopes to get Indian workers, says top official

The European Commission on Wednesday issued a key policy document that aims to strengthen ties with India in key domains, including security. The ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda' focuses on strengthening commercial ties by pushing for finalising India, EU free trade agreement and pitches for launching talks for a Security of Information Agreement, which will facilitate classified information exchange that will support closer security and defence cooperation.India and the EU together account for 25 per cent of the global population and GDP. The EU is India's largest trading partner in goods, and the bilateral trade in goods was worth $120 billion last year. Currently, 6000 European companies are present in India. &nbsp;Among the document's key features are strengthening regional connectivity initiatives, such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), EU-India trilateral cooperation with and in third countries and proposes developing a comprehensive mobility cooperation framework covering study, work, and research.The document, whose release came on the day of Indian PM Modi's 75th Birthday celebration, also proposes the conclusion of the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA), the upgrade of the bilateral Macroeconomic Dialogue and the creation of an EU-India Task Force on Green Hydrogen.The Indian side "appreciated" the adoption of the new Strategic EU-India Agenda by the EU during the telephonic conversation between PM Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. During the talks, the European side congratulated the PM on his birthday as both said "reaffirmed their commitment to a conclusion of the India-EU FTA negotiations before the end of the year", said an Indian readout. The leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine, with the Indian calling for an "early and peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine".The release of the document and talks between PM Modi and President Ursula von der Leyen come a week after the 13th round of FTA talks, &amp; visit of the EU commissioner on Trade and Agriculture. Both sides are now working on the upcoming India-EU summit, expected to happen next year, in Delhi.The EU document released today also called for more counterterror cooperation between India &nbsp;EU. Calling the Pahalgam terror attack a "tragic reminder of terrorism’s human cost", the new strategic plan called for the need to "combat terrorism financing, online propaganda, and risks posed by emerging technologies". The document said, "the EU is committed to further strengthening counterterrorism cooperation to assess global threats, counter extremism and terrorism financing".

India and the EU together account for 25 per cent of the global population and GDP. The EU is India's largest trading partner in goods, and the bilateral trade in goods was worth $120 billion last year. Currently, 6000 European companies are present in India.

The European Commission on Wednesday issued a key policy document that aims to strengthen ties with India in key domains, including security. The ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda' focuses on strengthening commercial ties by pushing for finalising India, EU free trade agreement and pitches for launching talks for a Security of Information Agreement, which will facilitate classified information exchange that will support closer security and defence cooperation. India and the EU together account for 25 per cent of the global population and GDP. The EU is India's largest trading partner in goods, and the bilateral trade in goods was worth $120 billion last year. Currently, 6000 European companies are present in India. Among the document's key features are strengthening regional connectivity initiatives, such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), EU-India trilateral cooperation with and in third countries and proposes developing a comprehensive mobility cooperation framework covering study, work, and research. The document, whose release came on the day of Indian PM Modi's 75th Birthday celebration, also proposes the conclusion of the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA), the upgrade of the bilateral Macroeconomic Dialogue and the creation of an EU-India Task Force on Green Hydrogen. The Indian side "appreciated" the adoption of the new Strategic EU-India Agenda by the EU during the telephonic conversation between PM Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. During the talks, the European side congratulated the PM on his birthday as both said "reaffirmed their commitment to a conclusion of the India-EU FTA negotiations before the end of the year", said an Indian readout. The leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine, with the Indian calling for an "early and peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine". The release of the document and talks between PM Modi and President Ursula von der Leyen come a week after the 13th round of FTA talks, & visit of the EU commissioner on Trade and Agriculture. Both sides are now working on the upcoming India-EU summit, expected to happen next year, in Delhi. The EU document released today also called for more counterterror cooperation between India EU. Calling the Pahalgam terror attack a "tragic reminder of terrorism’s human cost", the new strategic plan called for the need to "combat terrorism financing, online propaganda, and risks posed by emerging technologies". The document said, "the EU is committed to further strengthening counterterrorism cooperation to assess global threats, counter extremism and terrorism financing".

India and the EU together account for 25 per cent of the global population and GDP. The EU is India's largest trading partner in goods, and the bilateral trade in goods was worth $120 billion last year. Currently, 6000 European companies are present in India.

EU issues key policy document that aims to strengthen ties with India

New Delhi: Last week’s ‘Gen Z’ protests that led to the fall of the KP Sharma Oli government in next door Nepal, though shocking, brings a sense of deja vu of a story seen in the region before. Of an economic crisis, fuelling a political crisis, with the fall of governments, led by a sudden “ground” movement, with protestors marching into key government buildings. In the case of Nepal, it was the burning down of the Parliament and key government buildings, in the case of Sri Lanka, pictures of protesters in the president’s swimming pool, and similar pictures seen from Pakistan to Bangladesh in the past few years.&nbsp;The sudden economic crisis seen in many parts of the world, and in India’s neighbourhood in many ways, has its origin in the start of the COVID pandemic in 2019/2020. But while the world was recovering from the economic fallout of COVID, the war in Ukraine starting in 2022, and thereafter the West Asia crisis escalating after the Hamas terror attack in Israel in 2023 meant the worst was yet to come. The worst hit by the economic crisis were countries in the global south, as crisis became a norm rather than an exception.&nbsp;<h2>Sri Lanka (2022)</h2>Sri Lanka, in India’s neighbourhood, was the first to be hit by the economic crisis with debt exceeding 100% of GDP and depleted foreign reserves, triggering 70% inflation and the Aragalaya protests. The crisis, worsened by mismanagement, and COVID-19’s impact on tourism, led to shortages of essentials like fuel and food. The government secured a $3 billion IMF bailout, implementing austerity measures, including steep VAT hikes, to stabilise the economy. India’s role was key, with support exceeding over $4 billion in financial and humanitarian assistance, more than the IMF bailout package.&nbsp;<h2>Pakistan (2022–24)</h2>Pakistan was hit by massive floods in 2022, causing economic losses of $30 billion. Imran Khan’s government struggled with a deteriorating economy, including record inflation (reaching 18% for essentials like fuel and food by late 2021), a 30% depreciation of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar, and debt to 90% of GDP. Khan’s government was out soon, as Islamabad sought a $7 billion bailout from the IMF.&nbsp;<h2>Bangladesh (2023–25)</h2>Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves, a critical buffer against external shocks, plummeted due to high import costs, reduced remittances, and capital outflows. At their peak in August 2021, reserves reached $48.06 billion, providing ample coverage for imports. However, by the end of 2023, they had fallen sharply to around $21.86 billion. August 2024 saw widespread protests leading to the fall of Sheikh Hasina government.&nbsp;<h2>Nepal (2025)</h2>In Nepal too, there is a similar story of the fall of economic or GDP numbers, remittances falling, and a surge in inflation. The economic malaise provided fertile ground for social discontent, erupting into the year’s defining political event, one that dominated global headlines this month.&nbsp;&nbsp;The stories from India’s neighbourhood are similar to the economic crisis faced by Greece from 2010-2015, Argentina in 2001/2018, and in Zambia in 2020-21. Debt crisis, austerity measures, inflation, IMF loans, and a political crisis leading to the toppling of governments. In fact, Zambia was the first African sovereign default in Covid pandemic era. But in a world where jumping from one crisis to another has been happening regularly, the next major worry is expected to be Trump’s tariffs, which are seen destabilizing the global markets and questioning the global political and economic order established since the end of World War 2.&nbsp;<h2>Crystal gazing India</h2>India has also faced similar headwinds, including its share of protests, but what has helped the 4th largest economy is its economic size, institutional depth, democratic safety valve, and stable political climate. The economic shield has been foreign exchange reserves worth over $700 billion, fiscal deficit, tightly managed at around 4.8% of GDP, sustained capital spending growth and GST and digital-tax reforms yields of over ₹22 lakh crore annually. With GDP growth averaging 7%, India maintains moderate external debt, avoiding IMF assistance since 1993.&nbsp;&nbsp;A guarantee on economic stability is not by destiny, but by design. Trump’s tariffs on India, which now cover over $48 billion worth of Indian exports, means focus is now on diversification. Also, as the old saying goes, every crisis is also an opportunity. For India, it’s the mantra of self-reliance and the most populated country has examples from the past: Japan in the 1970s turning to high tech industries amid trade tensions with the US, South Korea in 1997 turning to exports, and China in 2018 making its own technologies amid US tariffs.

India has also faced similar headwinds, including its share of protests, but what has helped the 4th largest economy is its economic size, institutional depth, democratic safety valve, and stable political climate.

New Delhi: Last week’s ‘Gen Z’ protests that led to the fall of the KP Sharma Oli government in next door Nepal, though shocking, brings a sense of deja vu of a story seen in the region before. Of an economic crisis, fuelling a political crisis, with the fall of governments, led by a sudden “ground” movement, with protestors marching into key government buildings. In the case of Nepal, it was the burning down of the Parliament and key government buildings, in the case of Sri Lanka, pictures of protesters in the president’s swimming pool, and similar pictures seen from Pakistan to Bangladesh in the past few years. The sudden economic crisis seen in many parts of the world, and in India’s neighbourhood in many ways, has its origin in the start of the COVID pandemic in 2019/2020. But while the world was recovering from the economic fallout of COVID, the war in Ukraine starting in 2022, and thereafter the West Asia crisis escalating after the Hamas terror attack in Israel in 2023 meant the worst was yet to come. The worst hit by the economic crisis were countries in the global south, as crisis became a norm rather than an exception. Sri Lanka (2022) Sri Lanka, in India’s neighbourhood, was the first to be hit by the economic crisis with debt exceeding 100% of GDP and depleted foreign reserves, triggering 70% inflation and the Aragalaya protests. The crisis, worsened by mismanagement, and COVID-19’s impact on tourism, led to shortages of essentials like fuel and food. The government secured a $3 billion IMF bailout, implementing austerity measures, including steep VAT hikes, to stabilise the economy. India’s role was key, with support exceeding over $4 billion in financial and humanitarian assistance, more than the IMF bailout package. Pakistan (2022–24) Pakistan was hit by massive floods in 2022, causing economic losses of $30 billion. Imran Khan’s government struggled with a deteriorating economy, including record inflation (reaching 18% for essentials like fuel and food by late 2021), a 30% depreciation of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar, and debt to 90% of GDP. Khan’s government was out soon, as Islamabad sought a $7 billion bailout from the IMF. Bangladesh (2023–25) Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves, a critical buffer against external shocks, plummeted due to high import costs, reduced remittances, and capital outflows. At their peak in August 2021, reserves reached $48.06 billion, providing ample coverage for imports. However, by the end of 2023, they had fallen sharply to around $21.86 billion. August 2024 saw widespread protests leading to the fall of Sheikh Hasina government. Nepal (2025) In Nepal too, there is a similar story of the fall of economic or GDP numbers, remittances falling, and a surge in inflation. The economic malaise provided fertile ground for social discontent, erupting into the year’s defining political event, one that dominated global headlines this month. The stories from India’s neighbourhood are similar to the economic crisis faced by Greece from 2010-2015, Argentina in 2001/2018, and in Zambia in 2020-21. Debt crisis, austerity measures, inflation, IMF loans, and a political crisis leading to the toppling of governments. In fact, Zambia was the first African sovereign default in Covid pandemic era. But in a world where jumping from one crisis to another has been happening regularly, the next major worry is expected to be Trump’s tariffs, which are seen destabilizing the global markets and questioning the global political and economic order established since the end of World War 2. Crystal gazing India India has also faced similar headwinds, including its share of protests, but what has helped the 4th largest economy is its economic size, institutional depth, democratic safety valve, and stable political climate. The economic shield has been foreign exchange reserves worth over $700 billion, fiscal deficit, tightly managed at around 4.8% of GDP, sustained capital spending growth and GST and digital-tax reforms yields of over ₹22 lakh crore annually. With GDP growth averaging 7%, India maintains moderate external debt, avoiding IMF assistance since 1993. A guarantee on economic stability is not by destiny, but by design. Trump’s tariffs on India, which now cover over $48 billion worth of Indian exports, means focus is now on diversification. Also, as the old saying goes, every crisis is also an opportunity. For India, it’s the mantra of self-reliance and the most populated country has examples from the past: Japan in the 1970s turning to high tech industries amid trade tensions with the US, South Korea in 1997 turning to exports, and China in 2018 making its own technologies amid US tariffs.

India has also faced similar headwinds, including its share of protests, but what has helped the 4th largest economy is its economic size, institutional depth, democratic safety valve, and stable political climate.

Covid to conflict spurring up debt and political crisis in Global South

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Siddhant Sibbal

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