World
Indian military ramps up AI capabilities to keep up with regional powers
CHENNAI, India — India, a country blessed with a strong high-tech industry, is applying its brains not just to commercial artificial intelligence (AI) but also to its military, as its neighbor and regional rival China continues to pour billions into AI research.
A 2023 report by an Indian think tank, the Delhi Policy Group, said India spends around $50 million a year on AI. The report noted that while India’s spending was a “good initial step,” it was “clearly inadequate compared to our primary strategic challenger, China, which is spending more than 30 times this amount. If we are not to fall behind the technology cycle, greater investments will have to be made, primarily to promote the indigenous industry players.”
Antoine Levesques, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) told Fox News Digital India “is pursuing its own efforts to build a national sovereign AI capability that can be used for its defense.”
“India has very ambitious plans,” he added. He cited the need to acquire foreign-made chips to “bolster the AI hardware capacity,” noting the “abundance of talent in its tech industry already.”
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The Eastern Command of the Indian Army showcased the latest defense artillery robot during East Tech 2023 in Guwahati, Assam, India, Oct. 10, 2023. (David Talukdar/NurPhoto via AP)
In October, the military launched a robotic buddy, which was able to carry out tasks such as traverse and scout rugged terrain, remove unexploded shells and double as a stretcher for injured soldiers. It has two arms and two cameras and a platform with two additional cameras. The robot will be manually operated by a ground controller. The army may further develop this technology. The country’s navy is also believed to have autonomous aquatic robots that can go where humans cannot.
“This battery-powered platform is built to withstand rugged terrain and measures one meter by one meter,” an Indian army official told The Times of India.
The Indian Army’s elite unit, the Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group (STEAG), is researching and evaluating the implementation of emergent technologies such as AI and other potential updates in the ever-evolving arena of modern warfare.
According to an analysis by Levesques, both India and the U.S. have, and are partnering in AI.
At a meeting in 2022, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Indian counterpart, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, at the ninth ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting), and AI was among the topics they discussed. Also that year, U.S. President Biden and India’s Prime Minister Modi announced a partnership known as the U.S.–India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.
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Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attends the Artificial Intelligence in Defense exhibition at Vigyan Bhawan July 11, 2022, in New Delhi, India. (Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Levesques described an abundance of talent in India’s tech industry. He also noted that India’s higher English proficiency level could give it a slight edge in “availability of talent” but said that’s “not enough to counterbalance China’s capability.”
“Adapting U.S. technology and developing your own both take time,” he added. He also noted that India is doing both of these in terms of economic and defense sectors.
Patrick Cronin, the Asia Pacific security chair at the Hudson institute in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, “Generative AI (based on large language models) in particular is leading to rapid advances for understanding a common operating picture, so militaries can use this for intelligence to see what’s happening on a battlefield.”
Indian Army soldiers, CRPF and JK Police officers stand at alert as security is beefed up ahead of the fifth phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India, May 19, 2024. (Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
AI may help gauge what overseas nations such as Pakistan and China are doing. Cronin explained that, akin to ChatGPT (also a form of generative AI), this technology can be used for providing information on real-time simulations and exercises bringing information as to what could happen.
There is potential military use in three sectors — intelligence, training and education.
Cronin warned that “China has a robot army” that possesses multiple autonomous drones in its arsenal, but he still believes that wider use of “autonomous systems” in general is “5-10 years away.”
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
In this April 12, 2018, file photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks after reviewing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy fleet in the South China Sea. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP, File)
A senior Indian defense ministry official told Deutsche Welle AI-powered drones and robots could patrol borders and reduce the need for human intervention in dangerous situations. Fox News Digital’s requests for comment from the Indian military were not immediately answered.
Cronin noted concerns, including the belief that AI, like any developing technology, could be used for many purposes, including those that are nefarious, such as the use of deepfakes to sow disinformation and other negative aspects.
Thousands of Indians and Chinese at overseas universities are studying artificial intelligence. Cronin said he felt India has had an edge in the civilian sector of AI development but that it was countered by the Chinese having a military system that’s more “centralized and well-funded.”
Indian army soldiers on top of a military vehicle crossing the Srinagar-Leh National highway on Sept. 1, 2020. (Faisal Khan/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“When you think of facial recognition and tie that to a distant battlefield with satellite imagery and to a drone that could be lethal, this is something that you could not have done 30–40 years ago, but now it is easily done,” Cronin added.
“The outcome of war is still horrible and tragic, and it needs to be as ethical, precise, justifiable and limited as possible. India has a leading role to play potentially in the debate of the growing use of AI in the battlefield or society in general. These issues are still in the beginning stages of what could be the future laws of war and the guardrails of high-tech civilization.”
India’s military continues to further its ambition and research in the field of AI as it seeks to level the playing field with China.
World
Mexico pyramid shooter who took hostages and killed 1 is identified
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A gunman who fatally shot a Canadian tourist and wounded more than a dozen others atop a historic pyramid in Mexico on Monday has been identified, according to officials.
Authorities identified the gunman as 27-year-old Julio Cesar Jasso, a Mexican national, according to a state official who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Jasso later died by suicide after turning the gun on himself, and security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition. Authorities said he acted alone, with the State of Mexico government confirming he was the sole assailant on Monday night.
Officials said seven of the victims were struck by gunfire, while others were hurt in the chaos as people scrambled to get down from the pyramids, with some falling during the panic.
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The Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun are seen along with smaller structures lining the Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on March 19, 2020. A gunman killed a Canadian tourist and injured several others before taking his own life at the popular site, authorities said Monday. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
Those hospitalized included tourists from several countries, among them the United States, Colombia, Russia, Brazil and Canada, authorities said. The victims ranged in age from 6 to 61.
Footage circulating in local media appears to show the suspect positioned atop the structure as visitors rushed for safety below, with gunfire echoing across the site.
Police and forensic workers stand on a pyramid after authorities said a gunman opened fire in Teotihuacan, Mexico, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
The Teotihuacan complex, located just outside Mexico City, is one of the country’s most visited archaeological landmarks, drawing millions of international visitors each year to its towering pre-Hispanic structures.
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The shooting took place shortly after 11:30 a.m. when dozens of tourists were at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon.
Security measures at the site have changed in recent years, with routine entry screenings no longer consistently in place, according to a local guide.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the shooting would be investigated and that she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.
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“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote.
Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said on X that as a “result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán” and that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones.”
People visit the Pyramid of the Sun in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan near Mexico City, Mexico, on March 21, 2024, following the spring equinox. (Henry Romero/Reuters)
Later in the evening, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson also expressed “deep concern” and sadness over the deaths and numerous injuries, and said in a post on X that the U.S. is “ready to provide support as needed while Mexican authorities continue their investigation.”
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The National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that the Teotihuacán archaeological site will remain closed until further notice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Appetite among NATO members to join Iran war ‘very limited’, says Eide
Norway has pushed back against criticism from US President Donald Trump over what he described as “zero” European support in the conflict with Iran.
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“NATO is a defensive alliance. It is not an attack alliance,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Euronews’ Europe Today flagship morning show.
Eide said NATO members are focused on safeguarding key global trade routes, including keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. “NATO countries are doing something, but it’s not as a party to a conflict,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO allies for not backing Washington in the Iran conflict. He raised the issue again during a White House meeting earlier this month with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Eide argued that there had been no prior preparation or consensus within the alliance. As a result, there is “very limited appetite” among member states to join the war.
He said that while both the US and Iran may have reasons to end the conflict, “the sides are far apart”, with negotiations hindered by opposing demands.
On Monday, Trump said the United States would maintain its blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran agrees to a peace deal.
Still, Eide pointed to signs of “some progress”, noting the broader global impact of the conflict. “This is not only an issue for the two sides, but it affects the whole world economy,” he said.
Addressing a European diplomatic push to establish a Palestinian state, Eide reiterated support for a two-state solution based on long-standing United Nations principles. However, he acknowledged that such an outcome is “not around the corner”.
He added that a two-state solution is also in Israel’s interest, describing it as “the only viable solution for real peace in a very troubled region”.
Norway, alongside Spain and Ireland, recognised the State of Palestine in 2024.
World
Iran War Live Updates: Trump Officials and Iran Plan New Talks Despite Mixed Messages
The United States military last week extended its blockade on vessels coming in and out of Iranian ports to the waters of the wider world, declaring that it would pursue any ship aiding Iran, regardless of location on the high seas or flag.
The U.S. “will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday, noting that the American troops beyond the Middle East will engage in operations to thwart Iranian shipping.
The extension of the blockade comes as the economically vital Strait of Hormuz remains all but closed to commercial traffic and the two-week cease-fire between the United States and Iran nears an end. The move aligns longstanding American economic policies targeting Iran with the current military campaign against it, maritime and military law experts say.
But it raises a host of legal and practical questions.
“War is a messy thing not just on the combat side but under national and international law,” said James R. Holmes, chair of maritime strategy at the Naval War College.
“From a legal standpoint, a blockade is an act of war, so the blockade probably is legal to the extent Operation Epic Fury is,” he said using the name of the U.S. military campaign against Iran.
Since Congress has not declared war against Iran, no formal state of war exists between the United States and the Islamic Republic. But Mr. Holmes noted that “undeclared wars are more the rule than the exception in U.S. history,” with joint resolutions of Congress, United Nations Security Council resolutions and NATO decisions invoked to justify fighting.
“This campaign may be more unilateral than most, but it is not without precedent,” he said.
Under international law, the legality of the blockade is “more ambiguous,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a foreign policy think tank in Washington.
For a blockade to be legal, Ms. Kavanagh said, it must be “effective,” meaning that it is both enforceable and enforced. Some would argue that a “‘global blockade’ is not permissible in conception” because it is overly broad, she said.
Still, expansive blockades have taken place throughout history, including during World War II, when states enforced naval blockades worldwide other than in neutral territorial seas. Over the centuries before that, the British blockaded France throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and during the War of American Independence, the colonies and their allies raided British shipping as far away as the Indian Ocean.
Enforcing expansive blockades is difficult, however.
“The seven seas are a big place, and the largest navy or coast guard is tiny by comparison,” Mr. Holmes said. Whether the U.S. blockade ultimately is deemed “effective,” legally speaking, will depend on whether the U.S. has enough assets like ships, aircraft, boarding crews and intelligence gathering to enforce it.
The blockade does not have to be “airtight” to meet the legal test, Mr. Holmes said, and assessing its effectiveness will be tough for outside observers in any case.
Enforcement may also have to be somewhat selective, he suggested.
“Now, it is possible our leadership might quietly let a ship proceed when it suits the national interest,” Mr. Holmes said. “For instance, with a summit coming up between President Trump and General Secretary Xi” — Mr. Trump is to meet with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in May — “Washington might not want to ruffle feathers by obstructing China’s oil imports.”
The expanded blockade is part of a longstanding economic campaign against Iran, but it represents something of a tactical change for the Trump administration.
Earlier in the war, the United States temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil at sea to ease the pressure on global energy prices. And before imposing a blockade on Iranian ports last week, the U.S. allowed Iranian tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz for the same reason.
Now Washington seems to be returning its focus to keeping pressure on Iran.
“The blockade is a wartime extension of existing U.S. economic sanctions against the Iranian regime,” said James Kraska, professor of international maritime law and a visiting professor at Harvard Law School. In peacetime, he said, the sanctions were a “powerful tool to weaken the Iranian economy.” Now, he said, the blockade serves as a “kinetic expansion.”
General Caine’s announcement about the expanded naval blockade came one day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Fury,” an effort he called the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign. It includes secondary sanctions on institutions internationally, like banks, that have dealings with Iran.
The expanded blockade “marks a notable escalation by the United States,” said Ms. Kavanagh.
Still, she said, it is unlikely to significantly change Iranian calculations.
“For Iran, this war is existential and it is not going to cave easily or quickly,” she said. “Economic pressure may work over the very long term, but Trump seems too impatient for a deal to wait it out.”
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