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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday credited President Donald Trump with helping broker peace between India and Pakistan, while describing India as a key partner in Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy and highlighting growing defence cooperation between the two countries. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth referred to the understanding reached between New Delhi and Islamabad after their military confrontation last year and praised Trump's role in easing tensions. "You saw that in the ability of the president to come together on brokering a peace between India and Pakistan, two nuclear capable countries," Hegseth said. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he helped secure peace between India and Pakistan following a four-day military conflict last year triggered by the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people. India, however, has consistently maintained that the understanding was reached directly between the two countries and has
IT services firm Wipro has secured an eight-year transformation deal with Singapore-based food and agri-business major Olam Group, which is expected to exceed USD 1 billion (about Rs 9,314 crore) in contract value. As part of the broader engagement, Wipro said it will acquire Olam Group's IT and digital services business, Mindsprint Pte. Ltd., for USD 375 million (about Rs 3,494 crore). "Wipro has secured a multi-year strategic transformation deal with Olam Group, a leading USD 50+ Billion Food and Agri-business headquartered in Singapore, employing nearly 40,000 people, and majority-owned by Temasek Holdings. This 8-year deal with Olam Group is expected to exceed USD 1 billion in contract value, with a committed spend of USD 800 million. "As part of this broader engagement, Wipro will acquire Mindsprint, Olam Group's IT services arm," Wipro said in a regulatory filing on Monday. Mindsprint, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Singapore, employs over 3,200 professionals across Ind
The proceedings in the Zubeen Garg death case in Assam will not be impacted in any way by Singapore Police concluding its probe by maintaining that there is no evidence of foul play, officials said here on Thursday. Assam Police's investigation here has been "comprehensive" and the charge sheet filed before the local court in Guwahati has been based on it, they maintained. "The investigation, findings and closure by Singapore Police into the drowning of Zubeen Garg in that country in September last year will have no bearing and impact on the ongoing proceedings in the fast-track court here," state Advocate General Devajit Saikia told PTI. "The charge sheet filed in Guwahati is on the basis of allegations of offences and premises which are different from those of the probe conducted by the Singapore Police," he maintained. The probe in the state had taken a more comprehensive and larger picture into account, going back to the happenings over the last couple of years, Special Directo
Bhutan's national carrier Drukair has announced the resumption of flights from Paro to Bangkok via Guwahati, along with the introduction of a third weekly service on its Singapore route through the northeastern city from next month. The services are expected to boost regional air connectivity and reflect the airline's ongoing network expansion strategy, a statement said on Saturday. "The reintroduction of twice-weekly flights to Bangkok via Guwahati restores an important regional link that has historically played a significant role in facilitating tourism, medical travel, education and business exchanges among Bhutan, the northeastern states of India, and Thailand," it said. The expanded flight services will operate on the Paro-Guwahati-Singapore and Paro-Guwahati- Bangkok sectors from April. The additional Singapore frequency is introduced in response to sustained growth in passenger demand and reflects Drukair's strategic focus on expanding access to key international gateways, t
Singapore-listed Thakral Corporation Ltd said it will be commencing in-house manufacturing of components for drones in May, citing market growth potential of USD11 billion by 2030 from USD 500 million in 2024. "To scale up in the enterprise drone space and meet growing demand for industrial and commercial drones, the Group plans to explore the manufacturing of enterprise-grade and specialised drones in India," Thakral said in its latest financial report released on Thursday. "Through these initiatives, the Group will be well positioned to capitalise on opportunities in this underserved market." The Group said it is well-positioned to capture growth in the agricultural drone segment through its subsidiary, Bharat Skytech, which manufactures and supplies drone components to domestic producers. Thakral has a tie-up with DJI technology group of China. "Demand for the Group's range of DJI drones, accessories, and audiovisual products in South Asia continues to rise. As part of the Grou
Changi Airport Group's Chairman Lim Ming Yan on Saturday said the group is closely monitoring opportunities for airport projects in India and emphasised the need for having local partners for a win-win situation. The group operates Singapore's Changi Airport, one of Asia's most connected international aviation hubs, which provides connectivity to around 170 cities worldwide. Noting that India is definitely a growth market, Lim Ming Yan said, "We monitor very closely, and we are watching in fact on how we could perhaps be involved with some of these airport projects...there are many ways in which you can get involved". India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets, and the government plans to offer more airports to private players on a public-private partnership model. Changi Airport Group has investments in Durgapur Airport, West Bengal. Lim Ming Yan said Durgapur airport was doing very well and that the group has been able to add value to the airport despite
India remains a key strategic focus, with momentum building steadily through both inbound and outbound business engagements, said Neil Parekh, chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI). Over the past year, SICCI has hosted multiple Indian delegations in Singapore, including senior government, institutional and university-led groups, creating direct dialogue with Singapore businesses and the Indian diaspora, he said. "These engagements have been complemented by reciprocal visits and planned delegations from Singapore to India, particularly focused on high-growth states and priority sectors," Parekh said after hosting a fire-side chat on Monday with a Singapore minister on the chamber's business outlook. Several MoUs signed with Indian entities in previous years across trade facilitation, collaborations with Small and Medium Enterprises on education and capability development are now moving into implementation, with concrete follow-ups on market access,
Investigations are ongoing over a bomb threat against Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base, which was posted online and later determined to be fake, according to media reports on Saturday. The Republic of Singapore Air Force was made aware of online posts alleging a bomb threat at the country's largest airbase on Friday, reported The Straits Times, citing a Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) spokesperson. "No threat was identified," said the spokesperson, adding that precautionary measures were taken and bomb sweeps were conducted at the airbase, which was previously Singapore's largest commercial airport about five decades ago. The fake bomb threat was posted on a Reddit sub-forum dedicated to national service (a compulsory service in the armed or police force for Singapore youths), with text claiming that a bomb would be detonated within the airbase at a specific time and date. Screenshots of the post also named specific locations within the military base and mentioned the names of commande