India's Russian-built MiG-21s flew for the final time Friday, marking the end of an era for the country's first supersonic fighter jet.
Crowds cheered as officials staged a grand farewell for the final two MiG-21 squadrons, totaling around 36 aircraft, at an air force base in the northern city of Chandigarh. The farewell ceremony included a mock dogfight between Russian MiGs and a colourful display by the Surya Kiran aerobatic team. The retired jets will likely be put up for public display, though the government has yet to announce any plans.
The send-off came a day after New Delhi signed a $7-billion deal to acquire 97 domestically designed and built Tejas jets as it seeks to modernise its Soviet-era fleet.
"MiG-21's legacy is undeniable. It was a capable -- if flawed -- fighter that formed the Indian Air Force's backbone for decades," former Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar told AFP on the sidelines of the event. He credited a key MiG-21 bombing campaign for hastening India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
US President Donald Trump's announcement of steep new tariffs on medicines and other goods drew pushback from some allies on Friday, with the EU claiming immunity for its pharmaceutical industry under an earlier trade deal.
The announcement late on Thursday evening, which included a 100% levy on pharmaceuticals, is the harshest trade policy by the president since last April's shock unveiling of "reciprocal" tariffs on virtually every US trading partner across the globe.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir traveled from New York to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump as the two sides made a renewed push to reset their bilateral relations. But the agenda or the outcome of the meeting has not yet been revealed. Relations between the US and Pakistan have been in an upswing, especially since Sharif formally recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. This came after a bout of violence between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
In June, Trump held a rare one-on-one meeting with Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir at the White House, a signal that the Biden administration's frosty approach had given way to Trump's more transactional but open style of engagement with Pakistan.
India and Pakistan will face off in a high-stakes Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday, with political and on-field friction overshadowing their first-ever title clash in the regional tournament. Their most recent meetings was in the group stage and Super Four round of this Asia Cup.
India comfortably won both the games, stretching their unbeaten run against Pakistan to seven matches dating back to 2022 -- three one-day internationals and four T20Is. India lead 12-3 in T20 matches. India, the reigning T20 world champions, remain tournament favourites.
