- 11 hours ago
PM Modi arrived in Oslo for the third India-Nordic Summit, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Norway in over four decades. The summit focussed on green technology, supply chain resilience, and digital governance.
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00:20hello and welcome you watching stagecraft with me Gita Mohan now what happens when the world's
00:24smallest power start shaping some of the biggest global decisions and while headlines remain
00:29trapped in wars tariffs and superpower drama are quieter alliances quietly building the future
00:35economy tonight two stories that look very different but reveal the same global shift one
00:41is about India walking into Europe's most innovation driven club not as a customer but as a strategic
00:49partner the India Nordic summit is no longer diplomatic small talk it is becoming a serious
00:54partnership built around green tech supply chains digital systems and future industries and then
01:01shift west to Pakistan a leaked diplomatic cable now reopens one of the messiest political questions
01:08in recent memory was Imran Khan removed only by domestic politics or did Washington help push
01:15events along one story shows countries building long-term strategic trust the other shows what
01:21happens when trust inside a state completely collapses one partnership grows quietly stronger
01:27the other system tears itself apart from within all this and more but first up the headlines
01:36Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson says talks are ongoing with the US through Pakistan as the mediator
01:42Iran has submitted its latest proposal comprising 14 points through Pakistan meanwhile say the bus
01:48of the country says he discussed issues related to the current diplomatic process and the latest regional
01:53developments in a phone call with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan al-South president Donald Trump is
02:01dropping his 10 billion dollar lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service signaling the administration is
02:07planning to set up a 1.8 billion fund that would compensate those who believe they were subject to unfair
02:14investigations under previous administrations at least six Americans have been exposed to the Ebola virus in
02:21the Democratic Republic of Congo World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international emergency
02:27with the DR Congo's health ministry reporting around 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths US president has renewed his threats
02:38against Iran saying the clock is ticking for the country the threat comes after President Trump along with his top
02:44aides and huge delegation
02:45concluded that two-day high-stakes visit to China Trump in a post on truth social said and I quote
02:52for Iran the clock is ticking and they better get moving fast or through there won't be anything left of
02:59them time is of the essence
03:01sources say Trump met top officials of his national security team on Saturday to discuss a future course on Iran
03:08Vice President JD Vance Secretary of State Marco Rubio CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff all attended
03:17the meeting at the president's Virginia Golf Club the meeting was held off till Trump and team did not return
03:24from China because they wanted to see how would the meeting go with China reports also say Trump is likely
03:31to meet the national security team of the
03:31national security team early this week as well Trump also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile according to
03:39Iranian media Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsen Nakwee had met Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohamed Ghalibaf in Tehran on Sunday during a
03:48two-day visit aimed at advancing dialogue and strengthening regional peace not we also met with Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian
03:56United States Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said he would call on G7 Finance Minister
04:01to follow a sanctions regime in order to follow a sanctions regime in order to keep financing away from what
04:06he described as Iran's war machine as he arrived for a meeting of the group in Paris and yet another
04:13latest development Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf has been appointed as the country's special representative for China affairs the appointment made
04:21on the proposal of the Iranian President and approved by the Supreme Leader gives Ghalibaf responsibility
04:28for coordinating the relevant affairs for coordinating the relevant affairs and cooperation between Iranian government departments and China amid President
04:35Trump's threats and fear of renewed war Iranian state television showed men and women taking part in defense training in
04:42mosques in several cities describing it public readiness to defend the country the news report added women men youth and
04:50teenagers received support and defense readiness training
04:53during the training volunteers were introduced to various light weapons how they operate and how to assemble and disassemble them
05:01state media described the mosques as centers of training and public preparedness saying the events included self-defense skills and
05:09group exercises aimed at increasing awareness and strengthening social security
05:14Iranian media claims more than 31 million people have registered for the campaign so far
05:21The India Nordic summit is no longer acquired diplomatic side event it is becoming something much bigger a strategic bridge
05:28between one of the world's fastest growing economies and some of Europe's most innovation driven states because in a world
05:36shaped by supply chain shocks climate pressure tech rivalries and geopolitical uncertainty India and the Nordic countries are discovering that
05:45they need each other more than ever before Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now arrived in
05:50Oslo for the third India Nordic summit a visit that carries both symbolism and strategy this is Prime Minister Modi's
05:58first visit to Norway and notably the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in more than
06:03four decades since Indira Gandhi traveled there in 1983 but this summit is not about ceremony it is about recalibrating
06:12partnerships for a rapidly changing global order
06:16India because sitting around the table of five countries with outsized influence in technology sustainability and innovation Norway Denmark Finland
06:26Iceland Iceland and Sweden
06:28nations that consistently rank among the world's leaders in green energy digital governance advanced manufacturing and clean technology small in
06:38population but massive in technological credibility and that matters for India
06:43India because New Delhi is searching for trusted technology partners at a time when global supply chains are becoming increasingly
06:51politicized the India Nordic format offers something unique high-end innovation
06:56combined with relatively low geopolitical baggage this is not just about trade it is about standards governance reliability and long
07:06-term strategic trust the numbers already
07:09show the relationship is expanding rapidly India's trade with Nordic countries has now reached nearly 19 billion dollars more than
07:17700 Nordic companies operate in India and around 150 Indian companies have established a presence across the Nordic region what
07:26was once a limited engagement is now evolving into a deeper economic and technological partnership but the real significance lies
07:34beyond the numbers the summit is increasingly becoming
07:37a platform where climate ambition meets industrial scale Nordic countries are global laboratories for decarbonisation offshore wind green shipping carbon
07:48capture smart grids circular economies India meanwhile offers scale demand infrastructure expansion and one of the world's fastest growing clean
08:00energy markets that combination is powerful because Europe needs large-scale green deployment partners and one of the world's fastest
08:07growing clean energy markets
08:07and India needs advanced technology and financing models to accelerate its energy transition which is why discussions now span offshore
08:17wind projects bought electrification green hydrogen batteries ecosystems waste to energy systems and climate resilient infrastructure there is another critical
08:29layer here supply chain resilience the world has spent the last several years learning the dangers of over
08:36over dependence on concentrated manufacturing hubs from semi-conductors to telecom infrastructure countries are searching for diversified and trusted networks
08:47India the Nordics increasingly see common ground here especially in sectors linked to future technologies semi-conductors semi-conductor design
08:58niches specialty materials clean manufacturing rare earth processing EV ecosystems cyber security
09:06telecom standards telecom standards artificial intelligence ethics these are not just commercial sectors anymore they're geopolitical sectors whoever shapes standards
09:16in these industries shapes the future global economy and the Nordic countries bring something India values deeply high governance standards
09:26strong regulatory systems advanced digital infrastructure Nordic leadership in e-governance
09:34and data protection and data protection alliance closely with India's push for digital public infrastructure which opens the door for
09:41cooperation in gov tech health tech health tech ed tech cyber security and privacy preserving digital systems
09:49there's also a maritime and arctic dimension quietly gaining importance countries like Norway Sweden Finland Denmark and Iceland are heavily
09:59involved in arctic research and maritime industries as climate change
10:04reshapes global shipping routes and arctic geopolitics intensify India wants a larger voice in these emerging conversations and there is
10:12another reason this summit matters now Europe itself is changing strategic anxieties are growing across the continent uncertainty in transatlantic
10:22relations
10:24that creates an opportunity for India particularly with the Nordic economies many of which control some of the world's largest
10:31sovereign wealth and pension funds these funds are aggressively looking for stable long-term investments in climate infrastructure urban sustainability
10:41and green industry India's massive infrastructure pipeline makes it an attractive destination and unlike large multilateral forum often slowed down
10:52by bureaucracy and
10:53the India Nordic format remains compact and leader driven smaller room faster decisions more focused implementation that gives the summit
11:03unusual strategic value at a time when global institutions are struggling to respond quickly to technological and geopolitical disruptions the
11:13India Nordic summit may not dominate headlines like NATO or the G20 but quietly steadily and strategically it is emerging
11:22as one of the
11:23the most important future facing partnerships in the world
11:27just when India and the UK thought their biggest post brexit trade deal was ready for launch steel enter the
11:34chat a last minute dispute over British import restrictions has now delayed the landmark FTA raising tough questions about trust
11:43market access and whether economic nationalism is quietly reshaping global trade again can both sides find a workaround before momentum
12:02the much awaited India UK free trade agreement has hit a sudden roadblock and the reason is steel the landmark
12:11trade pack known as the India UK comprehensive economic and trade agreement or CETA was expected to come into force
12:18this month after years of negotiations but now new
12:22new steel import restrictions introduced by Britain have delayed the rollout the UK government recently announced tougher safeguards to protect
12:31its domestic steel industry
12:32starting July 2026 Britain will slash tariff-free steel import quotas by nearly 60% and once those limits are
12:41crossed exporters will face a massive 50% tariff double the earlier rate that move has triggered concern in New
12:49Delhi Indian officials say these measures were never put in the
12:52part of the part of the part of the original negotiations and could weaken the benefits Indian exporters were expecting
12:57under the trade deal
12:59India exported nearly 900 million dollars worth of iron and steel products to the UK last year making the issue
13:06economically significant
13:07Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal says India and the UK are now working on a creative solution to resolve the steel
13:15dispute and operationalize the deal quickly
13:17The India UK FDA has been described as one of Britain's biggest trade agreements since Brexit
13:23The deal aims to more than double bilateral trade to 120 billion dollars by 2030 and promises major opportunities across
13:31textiles, automobiles, technology, services, whiskey and manufacturing
13:37Negotiations began back in 2022
13:39Now with the finish line finally in sight, one sector, steel, has become the final hurdle in a deal both
13:47countries say remain strategically critical
13:49The big question now, can London and New Delhi break the deadlock before economic momentum slows down?
14:00A secret government document just blew the lid off one of the most explosive political stories of the decade
14:08Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently jailed in a corruption case, always said he got pushed out
14:15because America didn't like him
14:17Everyone called him paranoid, a leaked Pakistani diplomatic cable, cable I0678 drags Imran Khan's biggest claim right back into the
14:28spotlight
14:29And the line that hits like a slap
14:31If the no confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington
14:38Not exactly subtle diplomacy, remove Khan, relations improve, keep Khan, isolation follows
14:46So did America merely pressure Pakistan or did it help push the dominoes over?
14:52To answer that, you need to understand who Imran Khan was and what made him such a headache for Washington
14:59Khan was not just anti-America for the sake of it, he was anti-dependence
15:04He believed Pakistan had spent decades bending its foreign policy to please foreign powers
15:10And he wanted out of that arrangement
15:12That belief, noble or reckless depending on who you ask
15:15Put him on a collision course with the most powerful country in the world
15:19And Washington kept score
15:22According to a report by Pakistani newspaper Dawn
15:25Then CIA Director William Burns
15:28Afghanistan flew all the way to Islamabad with a specific request
15:31Pakistani territory for US drone operations
15:34After America's messy exit from Afghanistan
15:38He talked with military officials
15:40But Pakistan rejected the idea of US operations from its territory
15:45Khan later said it publicly and bluntly
15:48And I quote
15:48Absolutely not
15:50There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan
15:58Door meet face
16:00Washington did not forget it
16:03Will you allow the American government to have CIA here in Pakistan
16:10To conduct cross-border counter-terrorism missions against Al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban?
16:18Absolutely not
16:20There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan
16:28Absolutely not
16:30Pakistan suffered 70,000 casualties more than any other country by joining the American war
16:37We cannot afford any more military actions from our territory
16:42We will be partners in peace, not in conflict
16:45The American military right now is discussing doing airstrikes potentially to support the Afghan forces against the Taliban
16:54Would you allow the American air force to use your airspace for those airstrikes?
17:01We are not going to be part of any conflict anymore
17:03But you haven't decided yet whether you'll let them use your airspace?
17:08This hasn't been discussed at all, so
17:09What's your feeling about that?
17:10I don't know, we'll discuss this
17:12You know, why would the Americans be using
17:15Bombing Afghanistan to
17:17After it hasn't worked for 20 years
17:20Why will it work again?
17:22Have you spoken to Joe Biden since he took office?
17:25No, I haven't
17:26Is there a reason for that?
17:28Whenever he has time, he can speak to me
17:31But at the moment, clearly he has other priorities
17:35What made things worse is that while Khan was slamming doors on the Americans
17:39His own army was quietly knocking on Washington's back window
17:43In July 2021, Pakistan's military hired a former CIA-linked lobbyist in Washington
17:50Without telling Imran Khan
17:51The elected prime minister said
17:54Absolutely not to American requests
17:57While his own generals lobbied Washington behind his back
18:00That was not one government
18:03That was two governments running inside the same country at the same time
18:06Hoping neither noticed the other
18:10Then came the moment that sealed Khan's fate
18:13On 23rd of February 2022
18:15Arriving just hours before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
18:19Khan landed in Moscow for a long-planned bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin, president of Russia
18:26While US officials had previously signaled deep discomfort with the timing of the trip
18:31Khan moved forward with the visit anyway
18:34Days later, Pakistan abstained from the UN General Assembly vote condemning the invasion
18:39For Washington, this may have been the breaking point
18:42Khan had already refused to host US military bases following the Afghanistan withdrawal
18:47Publicly criticized Western foreign policy and now appeared to be shifting Pakistan away from its traditional alignment during a major
18:56global crisis
18:58The Pakistani military leadership acutely aware of the country's economic vulnerability
19:02And watching Washington's patients evaporate
19:05concluded that Khan's erratic foreign policy was isolating Pakistan from its vital Western partners
19:12In this case, not the Trump administration
19:14The Biden administration
19:17The rift between the Prime Minister and the Pakistani army became unbridgeable
19:21Something had to give
19:23Khan just did not know yet that the something was him
19:27Here is where the leaked diplomatic cable comes in
19:30According to the cable, on the 7th of March, 2022
19:34Pakistan's then-ambassador, Asad Majid Khan
19:36sat down with Donald Liu
19:37U.S. Assistant Secretary for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs
19:42in the U.S. State Department
19:44What came out of that meeting, recorded in cable I-0678, was explosive
19:50According to the document, Liu told the Pakistani ambassador that Washington's concerns about Khan's government would disappear if Khan disappeared
19:59first
20:00And if Khan survived, Pakistan would face isolation from the U.S. and Europe both
20:05Cooperate or get cut off
20:08Then came the no-confidence vote in April 2022, which threw him out of office
20:13Then came the court cases, corruption charges, contempt allegations, national security accusations
20:20One after another, like an assembly line
20:23Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, landed in jail
20:25While Khan reportedly spent long periods in solitary confinement
20:30After Khan was voted out in April 2022
20:32The military-backed government that replaced him shifted decisively toward U.S. priorities
20:39So when Liu was later asked about all of this in testimony, what did he say?
20:44He called Khan's allegations a lie and a complete falsehood
20:49The U.S. State Department said there was no truth to any of it
20:53Washington's official position was that Pakistan's political changes were Pakistan's own constitutional business
20:59Nothing to do with them
21:00Nothing to see here
21:02The cable does not prove a CIA-scripted coup
21:07Khan's removal happened through Pakistan's parliament, technically constitutional
21:11The leaked cable points toward pressure, signalling, and preference from Washington
21:18But the actual removal still required Pakistani players to pull the trigger themselves
21:23So the cleanest conclusion looks ugly for everyone
21:27That's all in this edition of Statecraft
21:29But before we go, Bangladesh has a new viral celebrity, a buffalo, that people say looks exactly like President Donald
21:38Trump
21:38Golden hair, dramatic look, instant internet fame
21:41Crowds gathered just to see it after videos blew up online
21:45Take a look, goodbye, and take care
21:51It's fun to stay at the YMCA
21:55It's fun to stay at the YMCA
21:59It's fun to stay at the YMCA
22:00They have
22:00Longliest news
22:03The most recent news is that the TV show
22:12As we go now on a hitchhiking, I invite everybody to the VWNC
22:12a big wave to the VWNC
22:13Linus
22:13It's just a big wave!
22:13The TV show is now on a cruise, it's a long wave!
22:13This is the TV show, it is a long wave to the JMCA
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