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Over the course of 2015, India conducted eight ballistic missile tests. The range of these missiles varies from as low as 250 kms of Dhanush to as high as 8000 kms of Agni V. Most of these missiles were tested from the integrated test range at Odisha's former Wheeler Island, which was renamed Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island in honour of India’s ‘Missile Man’.
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French President Hollande was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2016. India-France relations, post President Hollande’s visit, are promising, and will have a positive impact on Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to Brussels later this year including India's trade with the EU. Informed citizenry should appreciate the huge stakes involved.
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China’s stock market has tanked over 20% in January 2015. More than the fall in the stock market, it is the reaction of the Chinese authorities that suggests bigger problems.
Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, a six-year-old, independent, foreign policy think tank based in Mumbai, has once again ranked among the world's top think tanks in the 2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), USA.
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The common Indian complaint is that, despite a global trend of falling crude oil prices, the price of petrol has not reduced. However, if the dollar price is examined with the price of oil, it becomes clear that Indians are paying less for fuel now than they would have, had the 2003 pricing trend continued.
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The elections are over and the transition towards a democratic government in Myanmar is currently underway. However, the sailing isn’t as smooth. The NLD and the military are in agreement but are cautious at the same time. Myanmar promises to be a car driven by two drivers.
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The controversy surrounding Facebook’s Free Basics in India highlights a key dilemma currently faced by policy makers and private entrepreneurs who wish to foster, not just ‘inclusion’, but business models which foster economic democracy.
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Is China actively building up its maritime presence in the Arabian Sea, to dominate vital sea lanes and perhaps encircle India with a chain of naval bases? There can be little doubt that China views Gwadar as a potentially useful asset. China, however, will know better than anyone that Gwadar has two considerable limitations.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Low GDP growth numbers and the tumbling Shanghai Composite are not enough to judge China’s economic management strategy. It is the long-term, structural, and geoeconomic challenges that will determine the country’s economic future
India has long sought China over Taiwan, so is it too late to rectify foreign policy? The recent election results in Taiwan have upset China as China fears it will lose control over Taiwan. Gateway House interviews noted China expert Professor Nalapat to get his take on Taiwan's new president-elect and what lies ahead for tenuous Sino-Indian-Taiwan relations.
