World Leaders Snub Trump at Beijing Military Parade, as Putin, Kim and Xi Mark the End of WW2

Sep 4, 2025 | Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who made a rare foreign trip to attend, flanked President Xi as they ascended to the viewing platform overlooking Tiananmen Square and watched the display of military hardware and marching troops. Observers say the joint appearance was a show of unity against the United States.

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This Is How Trump Just Got Triply Humiliated | The Daily Beast Podcast

Sept 4, 2025 | The Daily Beast’s brilliant columnist David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to examine Donald Trump’s disastrous week on the world stage. From being overheard on a hot mic talking about deals with Vladimir Putin, to Modi undercutting his peacemaker myth, to world leaders gathering in China without him, Trump finds himself without a seat on the world stage. They explore how his failed military parade compares to China’s massive display of power, how his fixation on the Rose Garden reveals his petty interests, and how his “Gaza Riviera” plan turns tragedy into a dark and twisted real estate play. The conversation shows how China and others are moving forward while Trump obsesses over himself and the past.

Putin ‘Is the Devil’ and Trump Must Deal with Him as ‘Marvel Villains’ Assemble

Sep 2, 2025 | “He is the devil…steps to bring the devil to toe, to the negotiating table, I would applaud.”

As Putin gets “even more aggressive” in Ukraine, his ‘anti-Nato’ summit with the leaders of Iran, India, and China resembles a “Marvel Comics villains meeting”, says former State Department official in Trump’s first term Matthew Bartlett.

Trump’s ‘Cack-handed Diplomacy’ Pushes Modi into Arms of Putin and Xi

Sep 2, 2025 | “It is testament to the cack-handed diplomacy of Trump.”

Modi’s attendance at the SCO summit sends a message to Trump that he won’t be “pushed around” by the US, says author Ian Williams.

Xi Uses Summit, Parade and History to Flaunt China’s Global Pull

THE NEW YORK TIMES: With the leaders of Russia and India visiting, China’s president will show how he can use statecraft, military might and history to push for global influence.

Xi Jinping could hardly have scripted a more favorable moment. This weekend, the leaders of India and Russia joined him at a security summit in China — one leader pushed away by President Trump’s tariffs, the other brought out of isolation by his embrace.

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, U.S. tariffs on Indian goods have raised doubts about leaning too heavily on Washington. For President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, his red-carpet treatment in Alaska by Mr. Trump blunted Western efforts to punish him for the invasion of Ukraine.

At the center is Mr. Xi, turning America’s alienation of India into an opportunity, and finding validation for his own long alignment with Mr. Putin.

The summit of more than 20 leaders, mostly from Central Asia, followed by a military parade in Beijing showcasing China’s newest missiles and warplanes, is not just pageantry. It shows how Mr. Xi is trying to turn history, diplomacy and military might into tools for reshaping a global order that has been dominated by the United States. » | David Pierson, Mujib Mashal and Nataliya Vasilyeva | David Pierson reported from Tianjin, China, Mujib Mashal from New Delhi and Nataliya Vasilyeva from Istanbul. | Published: Saturday, August 30, 2025. Updated: Sunday, August 31, 2025

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US President Trump's 50% Tariff on India Kicks In | BBC News

Aug 27, 2025 | Donald Trump's steep 50% tariffs on India have kicked in, weeks after the US president issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% penalty on India over its purchases of Russian oil and weapons.

This makes India - one of the US's strongest partners in the Indo-Pacific - among the countries hit with the highest tariffs in the world. This could deal a blow to exports and growth in the world's fifth largest economy, given that the US was, until recently, India's largest trading partner.

Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a promise to cut taxes to mitigate the economic impact of Trump's tariffs. He has also urged domestic self-reliance.

He said that a Diwali gift in the form of a "massive tax bonanza" was on its way for the common man and the millions of small businesses that power Asia's third largest economy.

Are Attitudes towards India’s Caste System Changing? - BBC World Service

Oct 22, 2024 | India’s caste system, one of the world’s oldest social hierarchies, has shaped lives for centuries, granting privileges to some while oppressing others. Although caste-based discrimination was banned in 1948, its influence hasn’t gone away and is now spilling into our social media feeds, with some young women asserting pride in their caste identities.

Trump Said He Would Double Tariffs on India as Punishment for Buying Russian Oil.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump announced on Wednesday that he would double tariffs on India, to 50 percent, beginning this month as punishment for the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

Mr. Trump coupled the new, punishing tariff level with a threat to impose similar penalties on other countries that buy Russian energy as he sought to use trade policies to pressure the Kremlin into resolving the war in Ukraine.

Under a new executive order, India would face a 25 percent tariff starting on Aug. 27 if it continues to buy oil from Russia. That would be in addition to a 25 percent duty that Mr. Trump announced last week, citing unfair trade barriers, which he plans to implement beginning Thursday. » | Tony Romm | Reporting from Washington | Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Trump Imposes 25% Tariff on India Plus ‘Penalty’ over Ties to Russia

THE GUARDIAN: US president calls Delhi a friend but criticises policies such as buying arms and energy from Russia amid Ukraine war

Donald Trump has announced the US will impose a 25% tariff on goods from India plus an extra “penalty” for the country buying arms and energy from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

Washington has set a 1 August deadline for countries around the world to reach agreements on trade, including India, amid the US president’s sweeping global tariff war.
While saying that Delhi was a “friend,” Trump used his Truth Social platform to criticise India’s trade policies and said the White House would impose a 25% tariff “plus a penalty” of an unspecified amount.

He said the US had a “massive” trade deficit with India – when imported goods outstrip exports – and linked its “vast” purchases of military equipment and energy from Russia to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. » | Richard Partington | Senior economics correspondent | Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Members Only: India's Rich and Famous Ditch Old-school Clubs for Exclusive Hangouts

BBC: For decades, the Indian elite have sought escape in Raj-era private clubs and gymkhanas, scattered around the swankiest neighbourhoods in the country's big cities, hillside resorts and cantonment towns.

Access to these quintessentially "English" enclaves, with their bellboys, butlers, dark mahogany interiors and rigid dress codes, has been reserved for the privileged; the old moneyed who roam the corridors of power - think business tycoons, senior bureaucrats, erstwhile royals, politicians or officers of the armed forces.

This is where India's rich and powerful have hobnobbed for years, building social capital over cigars or squash and brokering business deals during golf sessions. Today, these spaces can feel strangely anachronistic - relics of a bygone era in a country eager to shed its colonial past.

As Asia's third largest economy breeds a new generation of wealth creators, a more modern and less formal avatar of the private members-only club - that reflects the sweeping economic and demographic changes under way in India - is emerging. This is where the newly well-heeled are hanging out and doing business. » | Nikhil Inamdar | BBC News, London | Sunday, July 20, 2025

India Reacts to Controversial US Deportation Methods | DW News

Feb 7, 2025 | Donald Trump's promised crackdown on irregular migration has sparked controversy halfway around the world, in India. Images of Indian deportees being flown in a US military aircraft with their hands and feet bound prompted opposition lawmakers to demand an explanation. The issue has erupted just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to meet with Trump to improve relations with the US.

Stampede Breaks Out During Major Hindu Festival in India

January 29, 2025 | Hundreds of millions of Hindu pilgrims gathered in Prayagraj, India, for the Maha Kumbh Mela festival, but thousands were trampled after crowds surged toward the confluence of two rivers.
Warch the short NYT video here. | Shawn Park

What's behind the US Indictment of Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani? | DW News

Nov 21, 2024 | Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, one of the world's richest people, has been indicted on multiple counts of fraud in the US. The criminal charges are related to his alleged role in a scheme to bribe officials in India. Prosecutors say he and other senior executives paid more than 250 million dollars to win contracts for his renewable energy company. His Adani Group has issued a statement describing the allegations as baseless.

Canada Expels Indian Diplomats, Linking Them To Criminal Campaign

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Canadian police said the Indian government was orchestrating homicides and extortion in Canada to intimidate Sikh separatists. India, in return, kicked out Canadian diplomats.

Canada accused the Indian government on Monday of homicide and extortion intended to silence critics of India living in Canada, escalating a bitter dispute that began last year with an assassination of a Sikh activist.

Canada expelled India’s top diplomat and five others, saying they were part of a vast criminal network. India reciprocated, expelling six Canadian diplomats.

The two countries have been in an intense dispute following the assassination of a prominent Sikh cleric, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time had been orchestrated by the Indian government.

Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside India, a religious minority that lives mostly in the state of Punjab, in northwestern India. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Reporting from Toronto | Monday, October 14, 2024

NYT (2023):

Justin Trudeau Accuses India of a Killing on Canadian Soil: The Canadian leader said agents of India had assassinated a Sikh community leader in British Columbia in June. India called the accusation “absurd.” »

Delhi Audience Laughs as Russian Foreign Minister Says Ukraine War 'Was Launched against Us'

Mar 4, 2023 | Sergei Lavrov's description of the Russian invasion as 'the war, which we are trying to stop, and which was launched against us using the Ukrainian people' was met with laughter at the Raisina Dialogue conference in India.

Indian Peace Activist: 'Anti-Muslim Violence in India Is Central to BJP's Ideological Core'

Jul 27, 2024 | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its majority in recent national elections. Yet its Hindu nationalist agenda continues to result in religious extremism and targeting of minorities. According to the Indian Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), there’s been a surge in religious violence since the start of Modi’s new term. The non-governmental organization has recorded eight lynchings in June alone. By comparison, there were 21 lynchings in the whole of 2023. The fresh spate of attacks have especially put Indian Muslims on edge in states like Uttar Pradesh.

How One Lavish Wedding Is Shining a Light on Poverty in India | DW News

Jul 13, 2024 | A glittering guest list is just one highlight when the son of Asia's richest man is getting married. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's extravagant four-day wedding is underway in Mumbai after months of preparatory celebrations. However, the lavish nuptials have sparked criticism and highlighted the stark inequalities in India.

Mega-wedding of Heir to Asia's Richest Man Puts Spotlight on India's Unequal Society | DW News

Jul 12, 2024 | The opulent wedding of the son of India's richest man is coming to an end in Mumbai. Four days of celebrations will mark the union of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Anant is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani. The 67-year-old is the chairman of Reliance Industries, which has interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecom, retail, and financial services.

With a fortune of over $123 billion (€113 billion), he is ranked as the 11th richest person in the world, according to the Forbes billionaires list. He is also an important ally of India's right-wing Hindu nationalist leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The guest list reads like a who's who of Indian and international celebrities. Among the invitees expected to attend the event are: Former British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair, former United States Secretary of State John Kerry, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt. Pop megastars Rihanna and Justin Bieber both performed for guests as part of the lengthy pre-wedding festivities.


Related NYT article here.

Anant Ambani's Grand Baarat | Anant-Radhika Wedding | Rajnikanth | Ranveer Singh

Jul 12, 2024 | Priyanka Chopra, Rajnikanth, Ranveer Singh & other celeb dance their heart out Anant Ambani's baarat

Related NYT article here.

Guests Arrive for Lavish Ambani Wedding

Related NYT article here.