India-France Upgrade Their Ties to ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’; Tarique Rahman Takes Oath as Bangladesh PM; Italian Bank Investigated ‘Suspicious Activities’ of Vinod Adani’s Associates: FT
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February 17, 2026
Sidharth Bhatia
Tarique Rahman took oath as Bangladesh’s prime minister today alongside MPs of his Bangladesh Nationalist Party as well as of the opposition alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami. BNP MPs did not take oath as members of the ‘Constitution Reform Commission’ proposed by the constitutional reform referendum that received a majority ‘yes’ vote but which the party has expressed some reservations about. India was represented at the swearing-in by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, who handed over a letter to Rahman by Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating the new premier, inviting his family to India and expressing confidence in the potential for bilateral ties (which had been strained under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration). Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman will be leader of the opposition. Most of the new cabinet comprises fresh faces. On another note, outgoing national security adviser Khalilur Rahman will be Bangladesh’s new foreign minister.
During their bilateral talks in Mumbai on Tuesday Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron announced that New Delhi and Paris are upgrading ties to the status of a “special global strategic partnership”. Modi described the Indo-French relationship as a ‘partnership for global stability and progress’ amid ‘today’s turbulent era’, while the visiting president underscored the importance of mutual cooperation to ‘fight hegemony’. The two sides signed a number of memorandums of understanding and the two leaders virtually inaugurated the assembly line for the Airbus H125 helicopter in Bengaluru. Macron’s visit also comes against the background of India’s defence acquisition council greenlighting the acquisition of 114 French Rafale fighter jets.
Days after Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in a New York federal court in the 2023 high-profile transnational murder-for-hire case of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Modi government has maintained a conspicuous silence. According to The Hindu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has so far refused to comment on the developments. Officials reportedly indicated that they would await court documents, and confirmed that the Indian Consulate-General in New York had been granted consular access to Gupta and were prepared to assist him with any consular requirements. Meanwhile, the Union government reiterated its position that New Delhi was not involved in the alleged plot to kill Pannun, who is also a vocal critic of Modi. Canadian officials, on the other hand, have repeatedly claimed that the case is linked to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023, which had caused a rupture in India-Canada ties.
Italy’s largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, investigated two associates of Gautam Adani’s brother Vinod shortly after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research released its report alleging stock price manipulation and insider trading by the Adani Group in
