As India prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day on August 15, a heartwarming message has arrived from more than 400 kilometres above Earth. Three Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) extended their Independence Day greetings to the people of India while holding the Indian Tricolour, offering a powerful symbol of the friendship between the two countries. The message was delivered by cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev. In

Meta’s senior leadership has formally apologised to the Indian government after a video post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly restricted on Facebook. The development followed high-level meetings in New Delhi and comes against the backdrop of wider concerns about content moderation on the company’s platforms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg | India Today The Apology and Official Meetings On Wednesday, Meta’s chief global officer Joel Kaplan met Union Minister for Electroni

India and Uzbekistan have set an ambitious goal of doubling their bilateral trade to nearly $3 billion over the next three years, marking a significant step in strengthening economic ties between the two countries. The announcement was made during the India-Uzbekistan Business Forum in New Delhi, where government officials and business leaders discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, manufacturing, mining, pharmaceuticals, technology, agriculture, and renewable e

The United States and India have announced a landmark research collaboration aimed at transforming soybean breeding and farming through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced digital technologies. The initiative seeks to improve crop productivity, accelerate the development of high-yield soybean varieties, and equip farmers with intelligent tools to make better decisions in the face of changing climatic conditions. Supported jointly by the United States National

India and the Maldives have marked a significant milestone in their growing economic and technological partnership with the launch of a real-time cross-border digital payment corridor linking the Maldives' national payment system, Favara, with India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The initiative enables users in the Maldives to transfer money instantly to UPI-enabled bank accounts in India, offering a faster, safer, and more cost-effective alternative to conventional inte

India and Bhutan have reinforced their close and time-tested relationship through a fresh wave of developmental cooperation. The fifth India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks, held in Thimphu on July 30, 2026, marked an important milestone in supporting Bhutan’s ongoing progress under its 13th Five-Year Plan covering the period from 2024 to 2029. Co-chaired by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his Bhutanese counterpart Dasho Pema Lektup Dorji, the discussions revie

Meta has announced a series of enhanced safeguard protocols for prominent accounts following the temporary restriction of a Facebook post shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The development comes after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sought a detailed explanation from the social media company regarding the incident, which briefly limited public access to one of the Prime Minister's video messages. The company has informed the Indian governme

Global investment giant Brookfield has unveiled Lumara, a new renewable energy platform that aims to deploy nearly $600 million (approximately ₹5,700 crore) to accelerate India's clean energy transition. The initiative marks one of Brookfield's latest strategic investments in the country and reflects growing international confidence in India's renewable energy market. Designed to support large-scale solar, wind, and battery energy storage projects, Lumara seeks to bridge fina

India's merchandise exports have recorded strong growth in the first four months of the financial year 2026-27 despite continued uncertainty in the global economy. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that merchandise exports have grown by nearly 15 percent, highlighting the resilience of India's export sector amid geopolitical tensions, disruptions in international shipping routes, and fluctuations in global trade. The minister stated that despite the diffic

A New Campaign Promotes Investment and Dialogue Over Boycotts The recent launch of the Unbreakable Bond Coalition in New York has drawn international attention after several Muslim organizations announced a campaign opposing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Rather than supporting economic boycotts, the coalition has called for investment, dialogue, and constructive engagement with Israel, arguing that stronger economic partnerships and people-to-people c

India has voiced serious concern over the recent attacks on several commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them a direct threat to international maritime security and global trade. Addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, strongly condemned the attacks and reiterated India's commitment to safeguarding freedom of navigation under international law. With tensions in West Asia

India has achieved a major milestone in the global maritime industry by becoming the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers, overtaking both China and Russia. According to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, India now contributes 311,936 seafarers, accounting for 12.16% of the global maritime workforce, placing it behind only the Philippines, which continues to lead the rankings. The achievement underscores India's growing stature in international shipping and

India and China have taken another step towards strengthening diplomatic communication as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a series of high-level meetings in Beijing, focusing on improving bilateral engagement, maintaining border stability, and exploring areas of cooperation. The visit reflects ongoing efforts by both nations to rebuild channels of dialogue and create a more stable framework for managing differences. The discussions come after several years of challenges i

After a suspension of more than six years, India and China are set to resume border trade through the historic Nathu La Pass in Sikkim from August 1, 2026. The decision marks an important development in the gradual restoration of economic engagement between the two neighbouring countries and is expected to provide a significant boost to trade, tourism, and livelihoods in India's northeastern region. For traders and residents of Sikkim, the reopening brings renewed opportuniti

India has strongly rejected China's latest claims over territories in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, reaffirming that these regions are an integral and inalienable part of the country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that Beijing's repeated assertions regarding sovereignty over these areas have no legal validity and cannot alter the established position of India. The response came after China defended its administrative control and development activities in territo

India and Romania have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation, with President Droupadi Murmu's State Visit to Bucharest marking a significant milestone in the relationship between the two countries. During her meetings with Romanian President Nicușor Dan and senior government officials, both sides outlined an ambitious roadmap for strengthening collaboration across trade, defence, technology, education, energy, and innovation. The visit, the first by a

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar reaffirmed India's commitment to combating terrorism, protecting international shipping routes, and strengthening regional cooperation during his address at the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Kuala Lumpur. Addressing foreign ministers and senior representatives from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, Jaishankar stressed that terrorism remains one of the gravest threats to international peace and security and called for a united

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on July 22, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, for discussions that highlighted the growing depth of the India-US strategic partnership. The meeting covered a broad spectrum of issues, including trade, tariffs, defence, energy security, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and developments in the Indo-Pacific region. As global geopolitical and e

India is hosting the 16th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting in Chandigarh from July 22 to 24 under its 2026 Chairship of the grouping. The gathering brings together health leaders from member nations to discuss practical ways of strengthening cooperation on shared health challenges and improving well-being across BRICS countries. File Photo of BRICS meeting. | Hindustan Times Participating Countries and Broader Significance The meeting involves 11 BRICS member nations — Brazil,

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has once again reaffirmed India's long-standing position that peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are indispensable for the normal development of India-China relations. Speaking during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, Jaishankar stressed that while diplomatic engagement between the two countries has resumed, the future trajector