Washington, Jan 17: President Donald Trump said that his administration had reshaped global dynamics through assertive diplomacy and military action, laying out an expansive account of US foreign policy and economic gains during remarks at a Florida event.

Trump said US actions abroad had produced swift and decisive outcomes. “We have peace in the Middle East. Nobody thought that was going to be possible,” he said, pointing to what he described as multiple agreements reached within a year.

He also claimed “US intervention” helped avert conflict between two nuclear nations — India and Pakistan, and said the effort saved “many millions of people.”

Trump said Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been dismantled, declaring that the United States had “obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer.” He also cited operations against militant leaders, including the founder of ISIS and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, arguing that decisive military action had strengthened US security and deterrence.

Trump said the United States had apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, describing him as an “outlaw” and asserting that “no other nation in the world could have done” what the United States achieved. He said the move was part of a broader effort to reset relations and relieve regional pressures.

The president said the United States had attracted unprecedented levels of foreign investment. “We have $18 trillion being invested,” he said, adding that the total could rise further.

He credited tax cuts, regulatory rollbacks and tariffs for driving growth and said manufacturing activity was expanding at historic levels. “We’re building more factories in the United States now than at any time in our history,” he said, citing both automotive and advanced technology sectors.

Trump said tariffs played a central role in pushing companies to shift production to the United States. “They don’t want to pay the tariffs,” he said, calling it a “pretty simple formula.” He also pointed to stock market performance and retirement savings, saying 401(k) accounts were “doing better than they’ve ever done before.”

On immigration, Trump said his administration had fully secured the southern border, describing illegal crossings as an “invasion” that had been halted. He said enforcement efforts focused on violent criminals and gangs, while legal immigration continued through established processes.

London, Jan 12: The annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, continues to test the faith of millions of Muslims and the administrative capacity of governments.

In India, the system of Hajj assistance has evolved into a model of inclusion and efficiency, ensuring equal access for pilgrims across diverse social and regional backgrounds.

Khaleej Times reported that from the moment an Indian pilgrim submits an application to the final rites at Arafat, Mina, and Muzdalifah, the Indian state plays a facilitative rather than intrusive role.

The emphasis is on service, not symbolism – providing safety, dignity, and equal opportunity without discrimination or privilege. According to Khaleej Times, the introduction of online applications, digital lotteries, and time-bound documentation has streamlined the process, reducing middlemen and discretion.

Whether a pilgrim comes from a metropolitan city or a remote district, the procedure remains uniform, with no fast tracks for the influential and no hidden barriers for the poor.

One of the most significant reforms, as highlighted by the newspaper, was the abolition of the Hajj subsidy in 2018.

While initially criticised, the move redirected funds toward education and welfare, while travel costs were rationalised through better negotiations with airlines and Saudi authorities. The result was a more transparent system where religious obligation was responsibly facilitated.

The newspaper also noted India’s inclusive approach to representation. Delegations include doctors, paramedics, sanitation workers, translators, and volunteers from across the country.

Medical missions provide free healthcare, particularly for elderly pilgrims, and Indian doctors have earned praise for their round-the-clock service in clinics across Mecca and Medina.

This is diplomacy expressed through service, not speeches. It is further reported that special attention has been given to women pilgrims. India’s decision to allow them to travel without a male guardian, in line with Saudi regulations, opened opportunities for widows, single women, and the elderly.

Inclusiveness is also reflected in language support, with training sessions, manuals, and helplines offered in multiple Indian languages to cater to diverse regions.

On the ground in Saudi Arabia, Indian officials coordinate accommodation, transport, food, and crowd management to ensure pilgrims are neither segregated nor disadvantaged.

The newspaper observed that India’s approach avoids religious exceptionalism, framing Hajj assistance within the broader constitutional promise of equality and freedom of religion.

For lakhs of Indian pilgrims, many of whom save for decades to undertake Hajj, this support is tangible – whether in the reassurance of a medical camp, the comfort of hearing one’s mother tongue abroad, or the confidence of consular help in times of distress.

India’s Hajj assistance framework stands as a quiet but powerful example of how a diverse democracy can honour devotion with dignity, it said.

The report also underlined that India’s facilitation of Hajj is part of a wider tradition of supporting major religious gatherings, from the Kumbh Mela to the Amarnath Yatra.

This parity strengthens national trust, showing that secular governance can embrace diversity without hierarchy.

For pilgrims, the journey is not only spiritual but also a lived testament to how democracy can deliver fairness in faith.

New Delhi, Dec 25: The ISI’s role in attempting to fan an anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh is most certainly confirmed, given the rhetoric by some Pakistan news outlets and a few leaders. Some media outlets have recklessly blamed India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for the murder of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The claim has been made at a time when the Bangladesh authorities themselves are unclear about the killers and their motive.

Adding to the fire is a fiery video message by Kamran Sayeed Usmani, a leader of Pakistan’s ruling party, PML-N, who went on an anti-India rhetoric.

While blaming New Delhi for the mess in Bangladesh, he threatens that missiles would be directed at India. Officials say that these are reckless messages only aimed at ensuring that the violence continues in Bangladesh.

The official further pointed out that there is a pattern to such messaging. The intention is to internationalise the domestic problems in Bangladesh, and by dragging India into it, these elements are trying to achieve just that. Not a single country except Pakistan has blamed India for the mess that is on in Bangladesh. In fact, it was the Pakistan deep-state that orchestrated this mess by first ensuring that Sheikh Hasina was ousted and the Jamaat-e-Islami was in the driver’s seat. The international community is aware that the Jamaat is a puppet of the ISI.

Following the Liberation War, it was the ISI and Jamaat which planned large-scale illegal immigration into India so that demographic changes could be executed. Intelligence Bureau officials who are keeping a close watch on the developments in Bangladesh say that the ISI is playing two games here.

Pakistan has been desperately seeking revenge against India since it lost the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh. Hence, there has been the manufacturing of a false narrative so that the people of Bangladesh are pitted against India.

The ISI realises that it would need a Jamaat government or one backed by it to be in power. Parties like the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) have been showing signs of moving away from the Jamaat and ISI, as the party wants a developed and not a radical nation.

The signs became clear when the BNP distanced itself from the Jamaat and decided to contest the elections on its own.

This shift has hurt the ISI and made it insecure, as the BNP does have every chance of winning the elections. Pollsters have predicted a win for the BNP in the absence of the Awami League, which has been banned from contesting the elections.

Former Prime Minister and BNP chief Khaleda Zia is unwell, and this could well be a sympathy factor for the party in the February 2026 polls. The BNP cadre will also be bolstered by the return of Zia’s son, Tarique Rehman, who is set to visit Bangladesh after 17 years in exile.

All these factors have made the ISI and Jamaat uneasy, and they feel that the elections can slip out of their hand.

Bangladesh watchers say that the elections are unlikely to be put off as pressure from the international community is building up. Experts say that the elections in Bangladesh are most likely to go as per schedule, but the fairness of it remains a question mark.

Intelligence agencies say that the violence is being fanned by the Jamaat-controlled groups so that the people do not come out and vote in large numbers. They want to create fear in the minds of the people so that they stay indoors when the elections are on.

Many Awami League supporters are unlikely to vote as the party is banned. Some are likely to shift their loyalties to the BNP, and if this does happen, then the party’s chances of winning the elections will only increase.

Analysts say that there is either a chance of a short postponement of the elections or a completely unfair one being conducted.

The ISI is doing everything possible to rig the polls by inciting violence. While trying to rig the polls, the ISI is also dishing out a false narrative to create an anti-India sentiment among the people.