WORLD
Bilawal Bhutto: All dressed up but no one to talk to in India
Hardliners in Pakistan and a terror attack in Kashmir have ensured that there is little chance of the Pakistani foreign minister holding talks with his Indian counterpart.
WORLD
Chinese aggression, Ukraine war look set to top the agenda at G7, Quad summits
For India, the summits come at a time when, despite several rounds of negotiations, China has declined to disengage its troops from areas on the Sino-Indian border occupied unilaterally by Chinese troops.
WORLD
Border unlikely to cool down as India reads China the riot act
The tension at the LAC is likely to prevail as talks between senior military officials failed to produce any results, and neither did the meeting between the two defence ministers.
WORLD
Xi-Zelensky call improves Ukraine’s relations with China but path to peace not clear
Chinese experts said the phone conversation demonstrates the great importance Ukraine attaches to ties with China and recognises that it can play a major role in solving the war crisis.
WORLD
Indian govt think-tank takes lead in breaking stalemate between warring parties in Myanmar
Indian Council of World Affairs has invited different stakeholders including the junta and opposition parties in Myanmar for the meeting today. Experts from several neighbouring countries including China and ASEAN are likely to participate.
INDIA
Will India, China defence ministers’ meeting lead to a thaw in border row?
Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu will meet his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on April 27, the day the defence ministers’ meet of the SCO begins. Ahead of the meeting, on April 23, senior Indian and Chinese military officials held another round of talks to defuse the situation in eastern Ladakh.
WORLD
Thaw in Sino-American ties seems distant as Beijing snubs US overtures
The relationship again turned rocky after Taiwan’s president Tsai met with the US House Speaker McCarthy, and the military shows of force by both sides later. The hope is that economic compulsions could provide the impetus to a return to normality
WORLD
MC Explainer I What’s behind the crisis in Sudan? Why is the Sudanese army fighting its paramilitary force?
A deadly fight between Sudan’s two generals for power has thrown the African nation into chaos, leaving scores of people dead and thousands injured. We look at the reasons behind the violence and what may be the endgame.
WORLD
US, Philippines joint military drill gets underway; piques Beijing
Though much of the military muscle-flexing by the US and China could just be rhetoric, with nationalist sentiments on the rise in both countries, an accidental arms conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea, cannot be ruled out.
WORLD
Why Russia will remain India’s most trusted strategic partner
Questions are being raised over whether Russia’s growing dependence on China in the wake of the Ukraine war and the crippling sanctions imposed on it by the US and its Western allies will allow Moscow to maintain an independent stand while dealing with India.
WORLD
Ukrainian Dy Foreign Minister to seek aid, and Zelensky’s G20 invite
What India says after meeting the Ukrainian minister will be parsed closely by observers in different countries to ascertain the disposition of one of Moscow’s oldest allies.
WORLD
Will Xi, Won’t Xi: China is talking peace, but is it going to stop helping Putin skirt sanctions?
Macron canoodled with Xi across China, sipped tea, spoke of world peace, and sold 160 Airbus airplanes. But nothing substantive was achieved regarding the Ukraine war, other than stale Chinese state-speak.
WORLD
Finland’s surprise decision to join NATO is no security guarantee against Russia
Finland’s decision to join the Western military alliance when the chances of a conventional war between Russia and the US is being widely speculated, more than a year after the former invaded neighbour Ukraine, is surprising.
BUSINESS
Bhutan King to visit India today, may assuage concerns over closeness to China on Doklam issue
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is expected to reassure India that Bhutan was not planning to negotiate any border agreement with China that can jeopardise India’s security.
WORLD
Chip Away: Japan bans export of sophisticated chip-making equipment to China
If Japan cuts China’s access it would deal a heavy blow to the Chinese chip sector when it is trying to diversify its supply chain in the face of growing US sanctions.
WORLD
Ukraine overhang: India has its task cut out to pull off a successful G20 summit
A joint communique, which is traditionally released by the G20 at the end of the summit, is now looking like a remote possibility as opinion on Russia’s invasion of its neighbour will divide the members.
WORLD
Explained | The widespread protests against Israel PM Netanyahu’s judicial reform plan
A proposed Netanyahu government law will allow a simple majority in Parliament to override supreme court rulings and enable politicians to appoint justices to the bench. Ordinary Israelis have erupted in fury at the move. The dismissal of Defence minister Yoav Gallant, who asked Netanyahu to halt the contentious legislation, fuelled the protests.
WORLD
France's fight for the right to retire: Will Macron blink, or the protestors?
The political unrest in France is a cause for concern for many European countries as it comes when the West is trying to put up a united front against Russia in the Ukraine war.
BUSINESS
First India-GCC Senior Officers Meet to consolidate India’s position in the region
In the wake of China recently achieving pole position in the neighbourhood by brokering the Iran-Saudi brotherhood, India has moved so as not to be left behind, as also to close the FTA that has long been hanging fire.
WORLD
ICC’s arrest warrant against Putin and US hypocrisy
In a statement last week, the ICC said it had reasonable grounds to believe Putin committed the criminal acts directly, as well as working with others.
POLITICS
India slams attacks on its diplomatic missions in UK, US by pro-Khalistan activists
Even at the height of the Khalistan movement of the 1980s, the Indian national flag or the missions abroad never came under attack by the Punjab separatists.
WORLD
Protests over Japanese war atrocities during the last century threaten thaw in Japan-Korea ties
Given the wide-scale protests in South Korea over an apology from Japan for the treatment of Korean people from 1910 to 1945, a new government in Seoul could overturn President Yoon’s decision to resume cooperation.
WORLD
Japan PM Fumio Kishida arrives in India, defence and trade on agenda
The Kishida-Modi talks will also focus on how the Global North can help the Global South with the economic and social advantages that flow from AI and technology.
WORLD
The China-brokered Saudi-Iran pact is a big deal. Here’s why it could be a gamechanger
The agreement brokered by Beijing on Friday is being described by some as a tectonic shift for West Asia. However, its success will not only depend on Saudi Arabia and Iran adhering to the terms of the pact, but also on how the ongoing Sino-US rivalry plays out in this volatile region.
