India

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said Thursday that his country has been offered “the status of partner membership” by BRICS, the China-dominated economic bloc whose founding members also include Russia, India, and Brazil.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi became one of the first sitting heads of government to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday following his electoral victory. Modi confirmed later in the day that Trump called him to re-establish contact and emphasize prioritizing the U.S.-Indian relationship.

A group of individuals belonging to the Khalistan Sikh separatist movement attacked a Hindu temple in Brampton, Canada, on Sunday, leading to a clash between groups of Indian nationals at the temple.

Former American President Donald Trump marked Diwali on Thursday, one of the largest Hindu celebrations of the year, vowing to protect the religious freedom of Hindu Americans and making a final pitch to Indian American voters generally.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky told the Times of India in an interview published on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be a powerful actor in ending the Russian invasion of his country, suggesting India should support “blocking” critical aspects of the Russian economy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared in Tehran on Thursday that the BRICS summit he had just returned from would herald the end of American dominance on the world stage, telling reporters the decisions made there would “gradually thwart the conspiracy of the U.S. and its allies.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday held wide-ranging discussions.

The China-led BRICS coalition published a declaration from its annual summit on Wednesday focused heavily on the alleged threat of “climate change,” condemnation of human rights sanctions on its rogue members states, and controlling “misinformation.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin scored a public relations victory on the second day of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, by embracing Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — a photo opportunity that sent the message that Western efforts to diplomatically and economically isolate Russia for invading Ukraine have failed.

The annual summit for members of the BRICS anti-American bloc began on Tuesday, focused on its core members engaging in bilateral meetings prior to the largest summit including all nine members a dozens of invited guests from countries interested in joining.

The anti-American BRICS coalition, led this year by rotating president Russia, will convene its heads of state on Tuesday for a summit expected to focus heavily on building a dollar-free parallel economic system, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and what to do with the dozens of countries that want to be members.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted on Wednesday that his government has no “hard evidence” to prove Indian agents were behind the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver in June 2023.

Standard & Poor’s CRISIL analytics firm published a report on Wednesday that predicted India will become a major exporter of solar energy equipment by 2029.

India signed a $3.5 billion deal to buy MQ-9B drones — the SkyGuardian variant of the famed Reaper — from the United States.

The Biden administration on Tuesday urged India to take Canadian allegations of an assassination plot against Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar seriously and cooperate with Canadian investigators.

Relations between Canada and India turned even more sour on Monday as each country expelled six of the other’s diplomats in a “tit-for-tat” exchange.

The government of Russia confirmed on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia is not yet an official member of the anti-American BRICS coalition, claiming that the Middle East will formalize its position one way or the other at this month’s summit.

The government of India was one of a small number of “global south” nations absent on a list of signatories to a letter released this week condemning Israel for declaring the head of the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, persona non grata.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said at a congressional event on Tuesday that he believed it “highly likely” communist North Korea sent soldiers to fight in the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and similarly probable it has suffered numerous “casualties.”

The communist government of Cuba confirmed on Monday that it has formally requested a “partnership” agreement with BRICS, the China-led international coalition dedicated to eradicating American influence abroad.

Mexican Army soldiers mistook a fleeing convoy of vehicles that was moving a large group of Middle Eastern migrants for cartel gunmen in the state of Chiapas. The subsequent chase and shooting killed at least four migrants, while some accounts point to six dying.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres complains that growing distrust between major powers is getting in the way of climate cooperation.

The iconic brand Motel 6, which was founded in California, is being sold to an overseas hotel operator in a huge cash deal.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an event in New York on Sunday for thousands of Indians living in the United States.

President Joe Biden became confused at his final Australia-India-Japan-U.S. diplomatic press event, shouting, “Who’s next?!” at the crowd full of reporters and foreign officials before realizing that he was supposed to introduce the Indian prime minister.

Iranian tyrant Ayatollah Ali Khamenei named India in a statement condemning “enemies of Islam” on Monday, equating the situation of Indian Muslims to that of Palestinian Muslims in Hamas-occupied Gaza.

Police in Chennai, India, detained 104 striking employees of the local Samsung Electronics plant because they were allegedly planning to hold a protest march without obtaining proper permission.

Authorities in Bihar, India, arrested three men on Thursday after an incident in a private hospital in which a doctor and several other staffers attempted to gang-rape a nurse. The nurse escaped, multiple reports noted, by using a surgical blade to cut the doctor’s genitals.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Wednesday urged China to take a leading role in mediation on the Ukraine war.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) reports that China has become the world leader in roughly 90% of critical technologies.

Netflix announced on Tuesday it will address outrage in India over a historical drama about the terrorist hijacking of an airplane by adding a disclaimer to the beginning of the series. This may not mollify the critics, who are incensed that the Muslim terrorists responsible for the real-life incident were replaced with Hindus.

Vice President Kamala Harris is facing widespread ridicule over a past statement where she claimed her grandmother would travel to rural Indian villages with a “bullhorn” to advocate for abortion access among local women.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, touching base with the Russian leader three days after returning from a visit to Ukraine.

Police in India deployed tear gas and water cannons on Tuesday against hundreds of protesters marching in Kolkata to protest unsafe conditions for medical staff. The protests began after a female trainee doctor was raped and murdered at a hospital in Kolkata on August 9, and soon escalated into nationwide demonstrations and a strike by doctors.

The former head of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, India, allegedly sold dead bodies and biomedical waste.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a historic visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, signing multiple agreements with the state and honoring the victims of Russia’s invasion.