For Asian countries outside the current BRICS framework, the stakes are high. Membership could mean enhanced access to financial resources, a larger voice in global institutions, and strengthened ties with emerging powers.
Between May 7 and 10 during what it dubbed Operation Sindoor, India executed a swift and precise air campaign against Pakistan, showcasing its advanced indigenous aerial capabilities and shifting regional perceptions of air superiority.
Almost all US assistance terminated.
Modi said that India's strikes during Operation Sindoor were a message to all terrorists that their actions against India will be punished no matter where they hide.
The strikes were part of India’s Operation Sindoor, which despite a ceasefire agreed with Pakistan remains ongoing. Despite the high stakes environment, officials noted that the night of May 11, 2025, passed without significant Pakistani actions.
Over the past 15 years, Europe’s trade frameworks have faltered, integration has stalled, and a number of its core political and economic ideas have failed under real-world pressure.
As India turns Westward for crude, with one eye on Pakistan’s military actions to the Northwest, the LNG picture is less optimistic. The ongoing strain with Pakistan threatens to compromise pipeline logistics and maritime routes of the fuel.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a late night briefing, that Indian troops had been instructed to remain on high alert and retaliate decisively against any further aggression.
The announcement follows a flurry of diplomatic activity involving senior officials from Washington, Islamabad and New Delhi.
The vast economic and demographic imbalance between India and Pakistan strongly favours New Delhi in any theoretical war between the two rivals. Yet, lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine suggest that India cannot win a total war.
In a press briefing on the evening of May 9, Indian Airforce officials claimed that Pakistan had used between 300 and 400 Turkish origin drones targeting both military and civilian targets across its northern states.
The government of India in its May 8 briefing said that Pakistan had launched missiles and drones against its military installations across North India which were all intercepted by its integrated air defence grid on the night of May 7.
Pakistani stocks have suffered a steep decline, with the KSE-100 Index dropping 9.7% over the past four sessions, as escalating military tensions with India rattled investors.
While it is unclear exactly how many of the 36 Rafale airframes IAF operates were part of Operation Sindoor or were lost during or after it, unverified images on social media show a mostly intact tail fin segment bearing the markings of the IAF.
Pakistan has asserted its right to retaliate following India’s missile strikes on nine locations in its territory and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, but analysts at Moody’s believe Islamabad lacks the financial capacity for any military action.
India’s military action under Operation Sindoor, targeting sites inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan’s own territory, has triggered a familiar cycle of tension between the two nuclear neighbours.
No Indian authourties have responded to media inquiries about any aircraft or equipment losses during or after Operation Sindoor. Several images show the wreckage of what is likely external fuel tanks jettisoned during flight.
The “UNSC has been informed that Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately to this aggression at a time and place of its choosing, in accordance with its right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter”.
Modi's declaration follows a deadly attack last month on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 dead. New Delhi blames Pakistan-based groups for orchestrating the assault, after terrorist groups in Pakistan claimed responsibility.
Pakistan’s armed forces say their response is currently under way following an overnight Indian airstrike. Military sources in Islamabad have confirmed that at least two Indian aircraft were shot down.