JAIPUR: While praising PM Modi repeatedly for his leadership, J D Vance said President Trump wanted to rebalance global trade, and not launch a trade war, as he believed this could produce benefits for not just the people of the US but also India. Urging India to consider acquiring F-35 fighter jets, the vice-president hardsold the fifth-generation American jets and said the aircraft would significantly enhance the Indian Air Force’s ability to secure the country’s airspace.
Referring to India as the US’s only “major defence partner” with whom the country shares defence infrastructure, technology, and planning on par with America’s other allies, Vance pointed to “dire” consequences for the world if India and the US “fail to keep pace” with the need to scale up across sectors, including manufacturing, energy, cutting-edge technologies, and defence.
Addressing a gathering of business leaders, diplomats, academicians, bureaucrats, state ministers, and students at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, his only public engagement during his maiden four-day visit to India since assuming office as vice-president, Vance set the tone for a future-ready US-India partnership rooted in mutual respect and shared strategic interests.
He also contrasted Modi’s assertiveness with the previous US leadership. “President Trump and I know that PM Modi is a tough negotiator. He drives a hard bargain – it’s one of the reasons why we respect him,” he said. “We don’t blame Modi for fighting for Indian industry but we do hold previous American leaders accountable for failing to do the same for our workers. We believe that can change, to the mutual benefit of both the US and India,” Vance added.
He also referenced President Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, underscoring the clear shift in how the American administration now treats India. “Too often in the past, Washington approached PM Modi with an attitude of preachiness, or even condescension. Prior administrations saw India as a source of low-cost labour, even as they criticised the PM’s govt – arguably the most popular in the democratic world,” Vance said.
He also emphasised Modi’s political capital. “As I told PM Modi last night, he’s got approval ratings that would make me jealous,” Vance said.
Calling the US-India partnership “one of the closest in the world”, Vance highlighted the expanding US-India partnership spanning energy, defence, technology, and economic infrastructure. “From Javelins to Stryker combat vehicles, our nations will co-produce critical equipment – not to provoke war but to secure peace through mutual strength,” he said.
Vance added, “This designation means that India now shares with the UAE a defence in technology, infrastructure, and partnership with the US, on par with America’s closest allies and friends.” “It’s fitting that India this year is hosting the Quad Leaders Summit this fall. Our interests in a free, open, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific are in full alignment. Both of us know that the region must remain safe from any hostile powers that seek to dominate,” he said.
Vance also said India and the US have finalised the terms of reference for a bilateral trade agreement after a high-level meeting with PM Modi in Delhi on Monday. “This is a vital step toward realising President Trump’s and PM Modi’s vision,” he said, highlighting shared priorities of job creation, resilient supply chains, and prosperity for workers. Vance also urged India to ease non-tariff barriers that currently limit American market access and pitched increased US ethanol exports as a cleaner, cost-effective energy solution.
Welcoming Modi govt’s budget decision to amend India’s civil nuclear liability laws, which currently inhibit US firms from exporting small modular reactors or constructing larger US-designed nuclear plants in India, he said, “These reforms are vital for India’s energy goals and AI ambitions. There is no AI future without energy security and dominance.”
Vance, who is scheduled to fly back to Washington on Thursday, also stressed the importance of deepening energy ties. “Expanding energy exports will help India build more, make more, and grow more – all at lower energy costs,” he said. He also supported India’s energy exploration efforts and reaffirmed Washington’s interest in facilitating cleaner alternatives such as ethanol.

NEW DELHI: Accusing NDA allies like Janata Dal (U), Telugu Desam Party and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) of “stabbing the Muslims in the back” by supporting the Waqf Amendment Act in Parliament, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Tuesday asked them to come forward now and support their demand and force the govt to withdraw the law or else be ready to face the community’s opposition everywhere.
In a show of strength, AIMPLB – a body of influential clerics, brought together prominent voices from the community, clerics and some members of Parliament on Tuesday making Delhi’s Talkatora Indoor Stadium the platform to intensify its protest and demand that the govt take back the recently notified amended law.
In a packed stadium and amid loud sloganeering, participants wearing black bands on their arms called for the repeal of the amended law at the ‘Save Waqf’ conference. Muslim organisations asserted that they will continue their protests through peaceful means and hold similar meetings and conferences across states to build awareness about the provisions of the law that they claim are “unconstitutional”.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Samajwadi Party MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Mohibulla Nadvi spoke at the conference in solidarity with the Board. Shia Muslim cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad, AIMPLB president Khalid Saifullah Rahmani and general secretary Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi were among those who participated. others, addressed the conference.
Mujaddidi said they are fighting to protect the “Constitutional principles and secularism“. He asserted that the Waqf Amendment Act is not acceptable and should be repealed.
He lashed out at NDA constituents – Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, LJP (Ram Vilas) of Chirag Paswan, Jayant Chaudhary’s RLD, and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Ajit Pawar from Nationalist Congress Party alleging that by backing the amendments brought to the Waqf Act they have “stabbed the Muslims in the back”.
“So, they should either force the government to repeal the law or be ready to face our opposition everywhere,” he said, referring to the NDA allies.
Dwelling on the provisions, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the Waqf (Amendment) Act had been brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led govt to make “land grabbers owners of Waqf properties”. “All Muslim organisations from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, who appeared during the deliberations of Parliament’s Waqf panel were against it,” Owaisi said as he questioned those praising the amended law.

In a heartfelt show of solidarity and condemnation, residents of Srinagar gathered on Tuesday for a candlelight march, mourning the loss of innocent lives in the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam.
The protest, held at the city’s Mecca Market area, drew people from various walks of life who came together to denounce the violence and express their grief.
Fayaz Ahmad Bhatt, General Secretary of Mecca Market, voiced the collective sentiment of the gathering, stating, “We condemn this attack against humanity.”
Meanwhile, over 20 people, primarily tourists, were killed on Tuesday in a terrorist attack in the Baisaran Valley area of Pahalgam, located in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, police told news agency AFP.
Gunshots were reportedly heard in the Valley — a popular tourist destination often referred to as “mini-Switzerland” — prompting the immediate deployment of security forces to the area. The site is accessible only by foot or horseback, which made rescue and response efforts more challenging.
ALSO READ | Pahalgam Terror Attack LIVE updates
Officials said a helicopter was pressed into service to evacuate the injured, while some of the wounded were brought down from the meadows by local residents using their ponies.
Authorities have confirmed injuries among the tourists, though the full extent is still being assessed. A doctor at the Pahalgam hospital told PTI that 12 injured tourists were admitted and that all were in stable condition.
Hours after the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia, spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and directed him to take all suitable measures. The Prime Minister also asked the Home Minister to visit the site.
Condemning the attack on tourists, PM Modi stated that those behind the “heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared!”
“I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” PM Modi wrote on X.

The funeral of Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff, will be held on Saturday at 10 am in St Peter’s Square, bringing to a close a remarkable papacy that spanned for more than 12 years. The 88-year-old Argentine Pope died on Monday after suffering a stroke which left him in a coma and ultimately led to heart failure.
For three days, Pope Francis will lie in open casket at St Peter’s Basilica where thousands are expected to pay their final respects. While ordinary people will have an opportunity to pay their respects from Wednesday, Vatican officials were allowed to say their goodbyes starting Monday evening.
“He truly gave everything he had, up to the end,” said Sister Nathalie Becquart, one of the Vatican’s highest-ranking women. “He really walked with his people.”
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral Mass. The College of Cardinals, meanwhile, has begun preparations for the next papal conclave, which, under current rules, must begin between 5 and 10 May.

Leaders gathering for Pope’s funeral

World leaders from across the globe are expected to attend the funeral. US President Donald Trump along with his wife, Melania Trump, have confirmed their presence alongside Argentine President Javier Milei.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will join mourners at Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome on Saturday, Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday. A spokesperson added that the Prime Minister would also take part in a scheduled daily press briefing later that day. Buckingham Palace has not yet confirmed whether King Charles III will accompany him to the ceremony.
Frome Spain, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain will be attending the funeral at the Vatican, the Spanish royal palace confirmed. Speaking at a reception in Madrid on Tuesday, King Felipe paid tribute to the late pontiff, describing him as “an enormous ethical beacon of our world, of our time” who transcended the boundaries of the Catholic Church.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz and president Frank-Walter Steinmeier will lead Germany’s delegation.
French President Emmanuel Macron also confirmed on Tuesday that he would be attending the funeral, saying, “we will attend the pope’s funeral as we should.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council head António Costa will also be in attendance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by first lady Olena Zelenska, will also be among the mourners.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be among the attendees. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed, “The president has no such plans,” when asked by reporters whether Putin, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant restricting his ability to travel abroad, would be present at the funeral.
Italy declared five days of national mourning, two more than were observed for Pope John Paul II, highlighting the immense impact Francis had on his adopted homeland.
Back in India, the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman will hold a mass in honour of Pope Francis on April 24, at the Cathedral Church in Old Goa, led by Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao. Offices at the Bishop’s House will remain closed on April 26 in respect for the late pontiff.
Pope Francis’ final wish was to be laid to rest at the Basilica of St Mary Major, home to his beloved Salus Populi Romani, icon of the Virgin Mary. It is a contrast from the tradition of papal burials in the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s.
“He wanted to be buried under the shadow of a woman, in this case Maria,” said Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi. “That is significant, his desire for the church to do more for women.”
His final appearance came just a day before his passing, when he surprised the faithful with an Easter blessing from the popemobile, waving and smiling around St Peter’s Square, in what appears to have been a peaceful goodbye.

The Delhi Transport Department has issued a fresh warning for vehicle owners in the capital: if your vehicle doesn’t have a fuel-based colour-coded sticker, you could soon face a fine. This regulation, which applies to both new and old vehicles, aims to help authorities identify fuel types at a glance and is part of the city’s larger effort to curb rising pollution levels.
As per a recent public notice, all vehicles in the National Capital Territory (NCT) must now carry these chromium-based hologram stickers. The initiative is based on a Supreme Court directive from August 12, 2018, and is reflected in Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

What are colour-code fuel stickers?

These holograms display vital information like the vehicle’s registration number, engine and chassis numbers, issuing authority, and even a laser-etched PIN. Officers on duty can quickly determine whether a vehicle runs on petrol, diesel, CNG, or electricity simply by looking at the sticker on the windscreen.

This rule applies to all vehicles sold after April 1, 2019, as well as older vehicles registered before March 31, 2019. Owners of older vehicles are advised to get in touch with their dealers to get the stickers fitted.

How to book your colour-coded stickers online?

To make things easier, the government has also provided an online method for booking these stickers, either with or without new High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP). You can visit BookMyHSRP or use the Delhi Transport Department portal to schedule a sticker installation.
The online process is fairly straightforward. You’ll need to enter your registration details, including the chassis and engine number found on your RC card. If you already have HSRP plates, you can choose the “Only Colour Sticker” option. In case you’re also replacing your plates, there’s a separate option for that. Once you pick your preferred fitment location and time slot, verify your phone number with an OTP, make the payment, and you’re done. A confirmation SMS and receipt will be sent to you.
Failure to comply with this rule can lead to penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act. So, if your car’s windshield is still missing the colour-coded sticker, it might be a good time to act before enforcement picks up.