Indian security forces opened fire and deployed counter-drone measures after multiple suspected Pakistani drones were spotted along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday evening. The first drone was detected at 6:25 PM moving from Tain towards Topa in Poonch district's Mankote sector. A second drone appeared at Khabbar village in Rajouri district at 6:35 PM, while another hovered over Chak Babral village in Samba's Ramgarh sector around 7:15 PM. Following Counter-UAS deployment, the drones retreated across the border. Separately, forces launched search operations in Kanachak after intercepting suspected terrorist satellite phone communications. Nearly three dozen terrorists are believed active in the region.

A recent report says that **India reducing imports of Russian crude oil **is unlikely to significantly impact the country’s fiscal health in the near term. Despite Russia having been one of India’s largest oil suppliers with discounted crude boosting cost savings and refining margins, India has already begun diversifying its sources toward Middle Eastern and U.S. crude, reducing reliance on Russian barrels without sharp fiscal stress. Analysts note that global oil prices, narrowing Russian discounts, and alternative crude supplies make a gradual shift manageable. However, refiners may face operational and margin challenges as the transition continues. (PC: Reuters)

Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami has said the India–UK free trade agreement should be seen as a “job engine” and not a symbolic deal. In an interview with London journalist Ross Kempsell, he noted that Indian firms are now the UK’s second-largest investors and have revived brands such as Norton Motorcycles. He said Indian companies support a 20,000-strong tech workforce and help “productively deploy” young people. Doraiswami listed priorities such as technology ties, access to public procurement, SME links, and new UK campuses in India. He also called huge Indian interest in Premier League football and British TV “untapped potential”. (PC: Screengrab)

A suspected Chinese national was arrested on Friday after she tried to enter India without valid travel papers from the Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh. Officials said the woman was seen around 1 pm walking through a footpath in Bairia Bazaar in the Nautanwa area of Maharajganj district. She was stopped during a routine check by security staff. The Sashastra Seema Bal detained her after finding she had no passport or visa. She was later handed to local police for arrest. Nautanwa SHO Purushottam Rao said a slip identified her as Huajia Jie of China. Police are probing her origin and motive. (PC: X)

While being questioned lately by London journalist Ross Kempsell, Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami portrayed Prime Minister Modi's view of Britain as warmly pragmatic, calling the UK a "partner of choice" across trade, investment, technology, education, and politics. As proof, Doraiswami cited Modi's July visit, when he added a 21-hour detour to squeeze in a London stop purely to advance the FTA. Modi has set "practical achievable targets" for the relationship and candidly told successive British leaders India is ready to do more. The past year is described as a "banner year" for bilateral ties, with the challenge now sustaining momentum beyond the trade-deal moment. Modi's travel sacrifice demonstrates Britain's strategic importance to India's global partnerships. (PC: X)

US President Donald Trump has once again said he stopped the recent conflict between India and Pakistan and deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. He claimed he “settled eight wars,” including the India-Pakistan clash, and saved millions of lives. Trump said jets were already in the air when he intervened, and even Pakistan’s leader publicly thanked him. India has repeatedly denied any US mediation in the ceasefire, saying the truce was reached directly between New Delhi and Islamabad. Trump made the remarks during a White House event, tying his peace claims to his broader foreign policy record and Nobel ambitions. (PC: Bloomberg)

While being interviewed by London journalist Ross Kempsell, Vikram Doraiswami, Indian High Commissioner to the UK has reaffirmed that New Delhi will work with any government chosen by British voters, even as he champions the India‑UK Free Trade Agreement as a “transformative anchor” for both economies. “We will work with whomever governs the UK,” he said in his interview, stressing that India expects whoever leads Britain to remain a friend of India. Doraiswami projected that economists foresee around £5 billion extra annual growth for each country from the FTA, driven by genuine demand for high‑quality UK goods and services and India’s roughly 7% growth and expanding middle class. He highlighted India as the world’s largest whisky market, consuming about 3 billion bottles a year, but only 300 million are Scotch, underlining substantial upside for premium UK exports. Doraiswami argued the FTA will future‑proof Britain’s access to India’s scale while providing India with stable capital and technology partnerships, calling it a genuinely transformative moment in bilateral relations.

  During a recent interview taken by London journalist Ross Kempsell, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami casts the India–UK FTA as a job engine rather than mere diplomatic symbolism. He underscores that Indian firms have become the UK’s second‑largest investors, reviving brands such as Norton Motorcycles and sustaining high‑quality manufacturing alongside tech workforces that is 20,000 strong. Doraiswami links this investment surge to “productively deploying” young people into future‑facing sectors to counter youth disengagement. Cooperation priorities include technology partnerships, reciprocal access to government procurement, SME matchmaking through business chambers, and deeper university links via UK campuses opening in India. He also spotlights huge Indian audiences for Premier League football and classic British television as untapped cultural and sports collaboration opportunities to drive shared economic and cultural growth.   

India rejected US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's claim that the India-US trade deal stalled because PM Modi refused to directly call President Trump. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the characterization "not accurate," stating India and the US have held multiple negotiation rounds since February 2025, coming close to a deal several times. Jaiswal emphasized India remains committed to a mutually beneficial agreement and noted Modi and Trump spoke eight times by phone in 2025. Lutnick had claimed Modi's refusal to personally engage Trump became the stumbling block, contrasting it with UK PM Keir Starmer's approach. Trump raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50% in August, including penalties for Russian oil purchases.

Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, criticized US tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases as inconsistent and selective. During a recent interview with Guido Fawkes, he argued that if punitive duties applied uniformly to all Russian material buyers, India might accept the logic. However, European states supporting Ukraine continue purchasing Russian energy and have increased fertilizer imports, while the US buys Russian nuclear fuel. India questions why it alone faces penalties when others maintain similar or deeper economic ties with Russia. Doraiswami charged that tariffs are being used selectively and politically, undermining trust in the rules-based economic order that free-trade partners claim to uphold, exposing double standards in Western policy enforcement. (PC: NBC News & YouTube)