Akshay Ranade

Faculty (IR + Pol Sci) @ SIU | Founder - MFIS | Security & Strategic Affairs | Interested in Indian Politics, History, Philosophy & Spirituality

[Aditya Raj Kaul @AdityaRajKaul]

#BREAKING: Iran’s Fars News Agency quoting Iranian Govt says Pakistan currently plays no significant role in mediating these negotiations and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's statements are primarily aimed at amplifying the country's intermediary role, whereas Qatar is currently playing the most effective part in this regard.

[DD India @DDIndialive]

A proud global recognition for India’s ancient scientific heritage. 🇮🇳

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has unveiled a statue of Sushruta, the legendary Indian physician regarded as the pioneer of plastic surgery. His contributions, documented in the Sushruta Samhita over 2,600 years ago, continue to inspire medical science worldwide.

#Sushruta #India

[ANI @ANI]

United States of America | Delaware Governor Matthew Meyer declares June 21, 2026, as International Day of Yoga in the state of Delaware, and encouraged all residents of the state to "explore this practice for a healthier lifestyle."

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

From its deep roots in ancient India, yoga has become truly universal, helping millions of people of all faiths & cultures find calm, build strength & live with purpose.

It teaches us mindfulness, respect & care for ourselves, for our planet & for one another.

On this #YogaDay, let's extend that care to the older members of our human family & build a world where every generation can lead a healthy life.

Namaste!

[Akshay Ranade @ranadeakshay]

Again ?!

The idea of US -China G-2 has become the most curious one-sided love affair in geopolitics. Every few years, Washington convinces itself that this relationship can finally be made to work. The ending is always the same. Only, it seems, the cast changes.

[U.S. Pacific Command @USPACOM]

Department of War Restores U.S. Pacific Command Designation.

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii — The Department of War announced today that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially restore its name to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Originally established on January 1, 1947, by President Harry S. Truman, the command operated under the USPACOM banner for over 70 years, standing as the oldest and largest of the United States' unified combatant commands.

Restoring the legacy USPACOM designation honors the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific. From its critical role in establishing the post-WWII regional security architecture to its coordination of joint forces during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless humanitarian operations, the USPACOM namesake carries decades of military heritage and enduring regional partnerships.

USPACOM’s vast area of responsibility—spanning from the waters off the West Coast of the United States to the western border of India—remains exactly the same. The command's fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open theater alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged.

https://t.co/5zeycP2lip

[ANI @ANI]

#WATCH | Thousands of protestors from various parts of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) gathered in Rawalakot and raised slogans against what they described as Pakistan’s continued occupation and policies in the region. The demonstrators demanded justice for civilians who were reportedly killed and injured during firing by Pakistani security forces amid recent protests.

The rally was addressed by local political leaders and representatives of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who criticised the authorities’ handling of the protests and called for an independent investigation into the reported deaths and injuries. Speakers urged the international community and human rights organisations to take note of the situation and press for justice for the affected families.

[IndiaToday @IndiaToday]

Major Prabhat Mishra of the Indian Army has received two top academic awards at the US Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), outperforming military officers from 92 countries who took part in a 10-month leadership programme in the United States.

This year, the programme graduated 951 officers, including 120 international military officers from 92 countries.

Read More: https://t.co/6ade4pPgsa
#MajorPrabhatMishra #PrabhatMishra #IndianArmy #India

[Srinivas Jammalamadaka @jamvasu]

1/ Something rare happened at JNU, Delhi last week.

SAMIKSHA — a maiden initiative by IKSHA — brought traditional & contemporary scholars across 16 disciplines together with one goal: collaborative research. 🧵

[Ministry of Culture @MinOfCultureGoI]

This 4,500-year-old terracotta dice from the Indus-Saraswati Civilization is a powerful reminder of India’s living heritage. Dicing is also mentioned as a popular game in Rig and Atharva Vedas (two of the four sacred Vedic scriptures).

From symbols and craftsmanship to rituals, yogic practices, and collective memory, numerous elements of ancient Indian civilization continue to thrive in the daily social and religious life of Indian society across regions and communities.

Civilizational inheritance is not just about geography or ruins, it is defined by living customs, symbols, rituals, and unbroken cultural consciousness. India is the enduring living continuity of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization.

#IndusSaraswatiCivilization #AncientIndianHeritage

[Sidhant Sibal @sidhant]

Japan Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi hopes to "energize Quad to the next step" with a Quad Defence ministers meet. Says, "recently our Foreign Minister visited India for Quad. It would be great if we could have that for Defence Ministers"

[Aditya Raj Kaul @AdityaRajKaul]

#BREAKING: India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh while speaking at the Shangri-la dialogue says that India has signed Brahmos deal with Vietnam and India is at final stages of the Brahmos deal with Indonesia.

[India in Australia @HCICanberra]

Deeply appreciate Hon Prime Minister H.E. Anthony Albanese’s @AlboMP remarks in the Australian Parliament about India and the contribution of Indian diaspora to 🇦🇺. Hon Prime Minister's words reflect the growing strength of the 🇮🇳🇦🇺 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, built on shared democratic values and vibrant people-to-people ties. @MEAIndia @PMOIndia @DDNewslive @PIB_India @airnewsalerts @IndianDiplomacy

[Dr. S. Jaishankar @DrSJaishankar]

Just completed a productive QUAD FMM with colleagues @SecRubio of the US, @SenatorWong of Australia, and FM @moteging of Japan.

Three major takeaways:

➡️ Agreed on Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Initiative and on a Common Operating Picture in the maritime domain. Will consider an expert panel on Port Infrastructure, collaborate on a pilot port project in Fiji, and on undersea cables.

➡️ Finalised the QUAD Critical Minerals Framework. Also signed the India-US Critical Minerals Framework. QUAD is working with other like minded countries in this sector.

➡️ Announced the QUAD initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security in technology, management, policy, international market analysis, and emergency response exercises.

The Joint Statement and Factsheet provide details of these and other initiatives.

🇮🇳 🇦🇺 🇯🇵 🇺🇸

[Giorgia Meloni @GiorgiaMeloni]

Thank you for the gift

[Gaurie Dwivedi @GaurieD]

Norway's journalist invoked the 'freest press in the world' at PM Modi in Oslo. Before Oslo lectures New Delhi on accountability, take a look at their own record.

-In 2016, Norway signed a normalization pact with China that included a formal government pledge that it "attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns" and "will not support actions that undermine them."
Norway's youth parties called it what it was — a formal renunciation of the right to criticize Chinese authorities. This was the price of resumed trade talks with Beijing after a 6-year pause.

What triggered that 6-year freeze? Norway's Nobel Committee gave the Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010. So China punished Oslo diplomatically and economically — stopped buying Norwegian salmon. And Oslo eventually capitulated.

-In 2018, Norway's King and Queen visited China and claimed they were unaware of Xinjiang's internment camps — in 2018, when international documentation of mass detention was extensive. So you see, all this talk of 'human rights', 'press freedom' and other such fancy phrases are hollow and hypocritical.

-Norway's own Helsinki Committee urged its government in 2022 to increase pressure on China over Xinjiang. The government did not comply.

-In September 2024, PM Støre flew to Beijing, met Xi Jinping, and returned with 15-day visa-free access for Norwegian citizens.
The official Chinese readout quoted Støre saying China's "development is full of vitality and has significant successful experience." Norway pledged again to respect China's "core interests." Human rights got a one-line mention vague enough to mean nothing.

-Aftenposten — Norway's newspaper of record — has itself acknowledged that every time it published something critical of Beijing or positive about Taiwan, its website was blocked in China for two weeks. Did this issue ever get raised diplomatically?

A journalist from a country whose government formally pledged not to challenge Beijing's core interests, whose royal family pleaded 'ignorance' about Xinjiang in 2018, whose PM flew to Beijing and praised Xi's 'vitality' in 2024, and whose flagship newspaper self-censored under Chinese pressure — invoking press freedom as a unilateral moral standard against a democratically elected leader of 1.4 billion people — is HYPOCRISY 101.

Press freedom is a principle. Oslo needs to prove it actually deserves it's number 1 ranking before lecturing others.

[Praveen Swami @praveenswami]

This is 100% true: The media in India is in a miserable place, trapped between coercion, censorship and corruption.Yes, it is our job to question power. In the spirit of questioning, though, I think it's worth asking how robust and true these dog-show type rankings are 1/n

[Narendra Modi @narendramodi]

இந்தியர் அனைவருக்கும் ஒரு மகிழ்ச்சிகரமான தருணம்!

11-ம் நூற்றாண்டைச் சேர்ந்த சோழர்கால செப்பேடுகள், நெதர்லாந்தில் இருந்து இந்தியாவிற்குத் திரும்பவும் கொண்டுவரப்பட இருக்கின்றன. இது தொடர்பான விழாவில் பிரதமர் ராப் ஜெட்டன் அவர்களுடன் இணைந்து பங்கேற்றேன்.

சோழர் கால செப்பேடுகள், 21 பெரிய மற்றும் 3 சிறிய தகடுகளின் தொகுப்பாகும். இவற்றில் பெரும்பாலான எழுத்துக்கள்
உலகின் மிகவும் அழகான மொழிகளுள் ஒன்றான தமிழில் பொறிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. இவை மாமன்னர் முதலாம் ராஜேந்திர சோழன் தனது தந்தை முதலாம் ராஜராஜனால் வாய்மொழியாக அளிக்கப்பட்ட வாக்குறுதியை முறைப்படுத்தியதை குறிக்கின்றன. மேலும், இவை சோழர்களின் பெருமையையும் பறைசாற்றுகின்றன. இந்தியர்களாகிய நாம், சோழர்களின் கலாச்சாரம், கடற்படைத் திறமை ஆகியவற்றால் மிகுந்த பெருமை கொள்கிறோம்.

நெதர்லாந்து அரசுக்கும், குறிப்பாக 19-ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் இடைப்பட்ட காலத்தில் இருந்து செப்பேடுகளைப் பாதுகாத்து வந்த லெய்டன் பல்கலைக்கழகத்திற்கும் எனது நன்றியைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

@MinPres

[Raisina Dialogue @raisinadialogue]

#India’s experience indicates a democratic counter-insurgency approach that combines kinetic and developmental tools, while the balance between security measures and civil liberties is likely to remain central in the next phase: @ranadeakshay https://t.co/ox7SjPj237

[ANI @ANI]

#WATCH | BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting | External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.

[Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump]

The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!