Valdai Club

News of a trilateral naval exercise featuring the Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies comes at a time when India and Russia are aiming to strengthen their bilateral military ties. Since December 11, the two sides have been carrying out ex-Indra-2019, a bilateral military exercise in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Goa, featuring air, ground, and sea elements. 

The events in Sri Lanka today have shocked many around the world. An Easter day attack on three churches and an equal number of hotels, in such coordinated fashion, sounds surreal, even bizarre. Latest reports say over 200 people are dead and over 500 injured. It suggests the attacks were planned in meticulous fashion to inflict maximum damage. While no organization has stepped forward to take responsibility, there is speculation that this might be the handiwork of either Tamil fringe-groups or the Islamic State (Daesh)*, says Abhijit Singh, the Head of the Maritime Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation.