India-ASEAN strategic partnership has continued to prosper despite the prevailing ‘era of uncertainties’, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (October 26, 2025). Delivering his opening remarks virtually at the 22nd ASEAN-India summit, held in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Modi described ASEAN as a “cultural partner” of India, announcing further deepening of India-ASEAN cooperation in the domain of maritime security in 2026.

In a holiday-season flavored but hard-sounding telephone conversation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was called by former US President Donald Trump earlier this week, wishing him Diwali greetings and discussing some serious matters like how the two nations trade and why India imports oil from Russia.

Other recent developments in India have been to dramatically enhance diplomatic and strategic relations with Afghanistan under Taliban leadership through upgrading its technical mission to Kabul into a full-fledged embassy and to participate in higher levels of bilateral relations. Such is happening in the context of poor relations between Taliban and Pakistan which gives India a strategic chance of re-engaging Afghanistan without officially acknowledging the Taliban government.

 In the state visit of Indian President Narendra Modi to Mongolia, the countries signed ten significant agreements updating a 70-year history of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The agreements were signed following the delegation-level discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, with a strengthened strategic coverage of the countries in the energy, defence, cultural, and digital sectors. 

In Afghanistan, the slim chance that women might find their voice in the media is rapidly disappearing. The Taliban, now ruling since 2021, have progressively reinforced restrictions on women and now their latest order has hit at the very core of freedom of expression. Women journalists, who were once the face of Afghan television and newspapers, are being muzzled, their faces removed from newsrooms and airwaves.

The Israeli administration has approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, representing a crucial move towards concluding the conflict in Gaza. This deal, facilitated by US President Donald Trump, seeks to provide relief to the beleaguered Gaza Strip and enable the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.