Page 3 - Indian Ocean

India is our biggest, most-valued partner in South Asia: US official

Describing India as its biggest partner in South Asia, the Biden administration has said it is working with New Delhi to deploy a multi-billion-dollar climate infrastructure and a new fund that will include a USD 500 million investment contribution from its development finance institution. Afreen Akhter, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), told this at a news conference organised by the Washington Foreign Press Center. With India, which of course is our biggest partner in South Asia, we launched in January of last year the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology. We call this iCET, Akhter said. The goal is to build a resilient semiconductor supply chain, elevate space cooperation, and partner on the next generation of telecommunications so, again, a really ambitious initiative to build cooperation on critical and emerging technologies with India, she said on Wednesday. The US is also advancing regional resilience to ..

EAM Jaishankar bats for deeper ties among Indian Ocean region nations

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday called for shoring up engagement among countries of Indian Ocean region to confront challenges like safeguarding sovereignty, dealing with cases of disregard to maritime laws and flouting of long-standing pacts, in remarks seen as an oblique reference to China's military assertiveness including along the Line of Actual Control. In an address at the seventh Indian Ocean Conference in Perth, he also flagged concerns over unsustainable debt, opaque lending practices, unviable projects and "injudicious" choices, in thinly-veiled comments that came amid concerns over many countries falling into the Chinese 'debt trap'. Jaishankar also said the Quad supports a larger architecture in "this part" of the world and those who mischievously suggest that the four-nation coalition questions the centrality of the ASEAN are "playing their own". "As we gaze at the Indian Ocean, the challenges besetting the world are on full display there. At one ...

EAM Jaishankar to address inaugural session of 7th Indian Ocean Conference

According to Ministry of External Affairs press release, "The theme of this edition of the conference is Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean."

Jaishankar to attend two-day summit of 7th Indian Ocean Conference in Perth

"The theme of this edition of the conference is Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement

Dynamic shift: Indian Navy in the Red Sea

The navy has been undertaking anti-piracy operations in the region with significantly greater purpose than at any time since 2008

Maldives' main Oppn parties to boycott presidential statement by Muizzu

It is the first session of Parliament this year. The presidential statement will be made on Monday at 9 a.m. by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, according to Mihaaru

Maldives seeks info over Indian coast guard activities within its territory

The Maldives' government has formally requested the Indian government to provide "comprehensive details" of an incident in which its coast guard personnel allegedly boarded three Maldivian fishing vessels operating within its economic zone. The development is the latest in the diplomatic row between the two nations that led to the strain in bilateral ties after President Mohamed Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, came to power in November last year in the Maldives. There was no immediate response from the Indian government to the Maldivian allegations. On January 31, the Indian Army intercepted a Maldivian fishing boat engaged in fishing activities within the Maldives' Special Economic Zone (EEZ), located 72 nautical miles northeast of Dhidhdhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll, the Maldives' defence ministry claimed in a statement on Friday. It said that the Indian troops boarded three fishing boats within the Maldives EEZ without prior consultation with relevant authorities, thereby ...

India-Australia friendship 10 out of 10, PM Modi inspiring leader: Ex-Oz PM

Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has rated the Australia-India friendship 10 out of 10 and called Prime Minister Narendra Modi an inspiring leader who is "making a huge difference". The bonhomie between the two leaders was visible in the many photos from Turnbull's first visit to India in 2017. He has retired since and is currently touring India with his wife. Turnbull, who is one of the speakers at the ongoing 17th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), recalled his "lovely visit" to India in 2017 and the time spent with PM Modi. "I had a lovely visit here. I have seen him (Modi) in Japan recently at the funeral of our old friend Shinzo Abe... I enjoyed Mr Modi's company enormously. I know he is controversial in his own country naturally. But from the outside, an inspiring leader and clearly making a huge difference," Turnbull told PTI. The 29th Australian prime minister said the two countries have got many things in common -- the love for cricket, rule

India-Maldives core group meeting today over presence of Indian military

India and Maldives will hold the second core group meeting in the national capital over the presence of Indian military personnel in the island nation, sources said

India's greater capability warrants its help in difficult situations: EAM

Amid the attack on merchant navy vessels in the Red Sea and deployment of the Indian Navy's ships in the region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India's greater capability, its own interest and reputation today warrant that it actually help in difficult situations. The Indian Navy has deployed 10 of its ships in the region, Jaishankar said responding to a question at an interaction at the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai. India's greater capability, our own interest and our reputation today warrant that we actually help out in difficult situations, he said. We will not be considered a responsible country if bad things are happening around our neighbourhood and we say I have got nothing to do with this, Jaishankar said. On the 'India Out' campaign in Maldives, Jaishankar said at the end of the day neighbours need each other. History and geography are very powerful forces. There is no escape from that, he added. Notably, Indian warship INS Sumitra rescu

CSIR-NIO launches advance underwater vehicle to monitor coral reefs

The Goa-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has launched an autonomous underwater vehicle called C-bot, a robot with advanced features for increased surveillance over the coral reefs. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Director General Dr N Kalaiselvi launched the C-bot on Sunday and said the vehicle can travel to a depth of 200 metres underwater. This robot is the first step to building a capable underwater vehicle that can scan the depth of the Indian Ocean, she told reporters on the CSIR-NIO campus on Monday. Kalaiselvi said they plan to develop this vehicle further which will be able to travel thousands of metres in the sea. CSIR-NIO Director Sunil Kumar Singh said the C-bot will help in maintaining surveillance over the coral reefs in the ocean. He said that coral bleaching is taking place because of the climate change. "With different sensors, different cameras, the robot measures what the parameters are, and might help explain why the cor

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India, France agree to intensify cooperation in Southwest Indian Ocean

The two leaders stressed, in particular, the urgent need for the reform of the United Nations Security Council

China media warns against taking China's Indian Ocean research as threats

Detailed knowledge of ocean depths, currents and temperature was vital to China's growing submarine operations

'UK to send warships to Indian Ocean as sign of strategic ties with India'

The UK government on Wednesday unveiled plans to deploy Royal Navy warships to the Indian Ocean region later this year to operate and train with Indian forces, signalling what it described as the growing importance of the strategic relationship between the two countries. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who co-chaired an India-UK Defence Industry CEOs Roundtable with visiting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday following their bilateral talks earlier, said the Littoral Response Group (LRG) will be deployed this year and the Carrier Strike Group (CRG) in 2025 for joint India-UK training. The deployment of the UK's most advanced naval capabilities has been flagged by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) as a decisive step in bolstering UK-India security ties. There is absolutely no question that the world is becoming increasingly contested, so it's vital that we continue to build on our strategic relationships with key partners like India, said Shapps. Together, we share the same

Govt aims to increase warships in Arabian Sea to combat piracy risk

India permanently deploys warships at five choke points in the Indian Ocean, stretching from the Gulf of Aden in the west to the Malacca Strait in the east

Maldives as tourist hub: Its history and what lies ahead for island nation

Maldives, with a population of 550,000 people dispersed across 185 islands, has become a popular tourist hub in the last five decades and today attracts about 25% of its GDP directly from tourism

Merchant vessel with 15 Indian crew hijacked near Somalian coast: Navy

India sends a stealth guided-missile destroyer and patrol aircraft to monitor ship

Problems in Red Sea will not impact India's maritime trade: Shipping secy

Ports, Shipping and Waterways secretary T K Ramachandran on Wednesday said the problems in the Red Sea will have "no impact" on India's maritime trade with the rest of the world. The situation around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, has escalated due to recent attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants. Asked will the Red sea developments have any impact on India's maritime trade, he said, "no impact". The strait, vital for 30 per cent of global container traffic, has seen increased tensions with various incidents in 2023, including attacks and military manoeuvres by regional and global powers. The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, also known as the "Gate of Tears" in Arabic, is a crucial trade route that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia's Papua region, no casualties yet

A powerful earthquake shook Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua early on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.5 quake was centred 162 kilometers (101 miles) northeast of Abepura, a subdistrict in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. It happened at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks as the earthquake was centred in land. With a population of just 62,250, Abepura is one of Indonesia's least populated towns. In February, another shallow earthquake shook the province, killing four people who were unable to escape when a floating restaurant collapsed into the sea. Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 270 million people, is frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in