Author: Saryu Joshi

This investment is helping drive growth across critical sectors, laying a strong foundation for India’s continued economic development. According to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the country attracted a cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of $667.4 billion between 2014 and 2024. This marks an impressive 119% increase compared to the $304 billion received during the preceding decade from 2004 to 2014. Contrary to common assumption that most of India’s FDI comes from global economic powerhouses like the United States, Japan, the UK, or Russia, a small African nation has emerged as the largest contributor to India’s FDI over…

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Synopsis Israel’s recent killing of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders and missile attacks on Tehran have made Iran’s dialogue with the West problematic and forced Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to seek closer relations with Russia, China and the Gulf States. The failure of Iran’s strategy of forward defence, as shown in its inability to fend off the Israeli attacks, may compel Iran to acquire a nuclear arsenal earlier. This could derail its hard-won relations with the Gulf States and complicate its desired rapprochement with the West. Commentary Since July 2024, Iran’s policy community has experienced unprecedented events, including the assassinations of…

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In Moldova’s recent EU referendum, 95% of voters in the region of Gagauzia voted against joining the EU. Why do people there lean toward Russia despite support from the EU and the war in Ukraine? DW asked residents. “Gagauzia wants to be a friend of Russia,” said Valentina, a middle-aged woman with Ukrainian roots, while sorting receipts on a park bench in Comrat, the capital of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia in southern Moldova. Like 95% of voters in Gagauzia, she voted “no” in the referendum on October 20, rejecting the proposal to anchor Moldova’s ambition to join the European Union in the…

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The Ukrainian project “I Want to Live” on Oct. 23 called on North Korean soldiers to surrender to Ukrainian forces in a new Korean-language video. Launched in September 2022 by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, the 24-hour “I Want to Live” hotline helps Russian soldiers willingly surrender themselves or their units to the Ukrainian army. The Russian military is promised that after surrender, they will be held in compliance with the Geneva Conventions. “You must not die senselessly in a foreign land. You must not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home!” the…

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Russian officials allege that Ukraine is gearing up for a chemical weapons attack, with backing from the US-led NATO military alliance. Meanwhile, the UK has imposed sanctions on Russian military units for their involvement in chemical warfare in Ukraine. This development has raised international concerns about the possibility of chemical terrorism in the region. Russian officials claim that Ukraine is preparing for a chemical weapons attack with active support from NATO. The Russian Embassy in Washington has called on the United States to cease backing what they term Kyiv’s “provocations” and to evaluate the risks of potential Ukrainian “chemical terrorism.”…

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The national football teams of Tajikistan and Pakistan have refused to play in friendly matches against Russia. A match against Tajikistan had been set to take place in December, but the federation declined, saying they already had matches booked for those dates. Pakistan has also cancelled an October game against Russia due to a lack of preparation time. However, the Pakistanis said they would play in December. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Russian teams were barred from competing in any FIFA or UEFA championships. As a result, the team has had to settle for friendly matches. The Russians…

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The Israeli strikes, both security and military-related, must be critically examined, particularly in light of their success in various regions and against multiple targets. These strikes eventually led to the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, despite the stringent security measures in place to protect him. Since becoming a declared target for Israel, Nasrallah’s security detail has implemented extraordinary precautions. Individuals in his immediate surroundings were prohibited from using mobile phones or the Internet. Moreover, Nasrallah adopted a highly secretive lifestyle, frequently relocating between different apartments and never staying in one location for an extended period. In addition, tiny…

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The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warned the country’s leading research universities on Thursday that foreign states are targeting their institutions and imperiling national security. “We know that our universities are being actively targeted by hostile actors and need to guard against the threat posed to frontier research in the most sensitive sectors,” said the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, who also attended the briefing. The threat requires “further measures,” said the deputy PM, who announced that the government was launching a consultation with the sector so it could “do more to support our universities and put the right…

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Northern Elders showing Buyer’s Remorse for Backing Tinubu in 2023 It seems unthinkable that the wealthy and powerful cattle-herding class could be on the margins of President Bola Tinubu’s ruling clique, but it’s thinkable now. During the eight years of Fulani-born Muhammadu Buhari, the beef-on-the hoof lobby called Miyetti Allah Cattlemen’s Association marched vast herds of bony white cattle the length of the nation over lands public and private with impunity. The herds and their rifle-carrying herders uprooted thousands of small plot farms and sent thousands of civilians to their graves in so-called farmer-herder clashes. During those years, the killers…

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On a chilly and foggy winter day, hundreds of apple farmers in Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir stored their harvest in a temporary tin shelter installed at the fruit market, anticipating the arrival of traders who would purchase their produce. The farmers were anxious as the quality of apples this year had not been the best and would affect the price they’d get. Kashmir is known in India for its variety of apples. But a series of challenges – from the onslaught of fungal scab, the impact of climate change, and a range of economic hurdles – has thrown the…

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