Author: Rishika Singh

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang made his first official two-day visit to Pakistan which started on Friday. During the visit, both sides vowed to strengthen bilateral relations in several areas. On Saturday the visiting Chinese minister attended the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral dialogue. Saturday was the fourth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, which was held in Islamabad, for which Qin Gang, was there. Qin made his first trip to the nation after being appointed Beijing’s top diplomat. Pakistan’s Political and Economic Crisis After the behind-closed-doors strategic talks, Qin and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed a press conference. Qin said that he sincerely hopes…

With Internet connections cut off in Manipur after days of violence, attention is turned toward students from neighboring states who are stranded there. The students in Manipur are reportedly being evacuated from today. Last night an explosion took place not too far from the campus of Manipur University. Updates received from students at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) said that those from Nagaland as well as of the neighboring states were being evacuated and moved out around 1-2 PM. The first incident of violence occurred during the Wednesday “Tribal Solidarity March” organized by the All Tribal Student Union…

In an early morning surprise, Federal police searched the home of former president Jair Bolsonaro. He’s being investigated for allegedly falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination records. Police seized Bolsonaro’s phone during the raid on his home. Federal agents also detained six people close to the former president for questioning, including Colonel Mauricio Cid, the ex-president’s former top aide. Search warrants were also issued for 10 other suspects. They are accused of forging vaccination cards supposedly to meet international requirements for travelers. Bolsonaro compared the coronavirus to “a little flu” and revealed that he had tested positive for it multiple times. But…

The UK has been witnessing months of labor strikes, due to decreased pay and increased inflation. The British government said on Tuesday that they would implement a new pay deal covering more than a million nurses after a majority of unions voted for the offer. However other nursing unions have rejected the deal. While teachers’ unions are talking about ratcheting up their walkouts this year as UK Government is still hesitant about union demands. It May look like it could be a busy month for strikers. Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have been taking part in strikes in…

In France, there is a fresh wave of anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension and retirement reform plans. He signed the reform into law last month, despite weeks of protests and strikes. Hundreds of thousands joined the traditional Mayday demonstrations on 1st May to condemn the plans which would see the minimum retirement age raised by two years to the age of 64. The country’s interior minister says that more than 100 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters nationwide. The Paris Police informed that around 1,12,000 people took part in the protest in the French capital. Much of…

On April 21st, Yemen witnessed a devastating stampede. The authorities say that almost a hundred people have been killed in the stampede at a school. Hundreds of people including many children had gathered to receive gifts of money in the charity event arranged by local merchants prior to Eid, in the capital Sanaa. Chaos and confusion continued after hundreds of people had come to a school in the Bab al-Yemen area of the capital. A charity, organized by some local merchants had been giving out donations of around $9 per person. Eyewitnesses say the crowd became so large that the…

Representatives, monks, and scientists from 30 countries will be attending the two-day Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi. The aim of the summit is “Responses to Contemporary Challenges – Philosophy to Praxis”. Praxis is a term to denote a practice that includes action, not just theory. Speaking at the summit today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that India gave the world Buddha, not Yuddha (war). The Dalai Lama will also participate in tomorrow’s summit. This Global Buddhist Summit is organized by the Indian Ministry of Culture, with the collaboration of the International Buddhist Confederation. Prime Minister of India Narendra…

Despite Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, Russian oil continues to trade in heavy quantity with India and China. According to Reuters, in April the two countries bought most of Russia’s oil at prices above $60 a barrel. The report indicates that the Kremlin remains highly profitable despite Western efforts to isolate Russia from global trade and the financial system. According to the latest data from Refinitiv Eikon, shipments of Russian crude oil in the first half of April were mostly to ports in India and China. India accounted for more than 70% of shipping this month, while China…

Russia sentenced outspoken critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison. A Moscow court found him guilty of treason as well as insulting the military. It is the heaviest sentence since Russia passed a law criminalizing criticism of the military, shortly after invading Ukraine in 2022. He was arrested shortly after an interview with CNN in April 2022. Who is Vladimir Kara-Murza? Vladimir Kara-Murza is an opposition politician with Russian and British passports. For years, he has voiced his opinion against President Vladimir Putin and even successfully lobbied the West to impose sanctions on Russia. He has been convicted of…

On April 16–18, 2024, the second meeting of the G7 foreign ministers is being held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. The diplomats began the talks in search of a unified message on their concerns about China, after French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial comments. On 10th April, Macron surprised the world after saying in an interview, if it is in the interest of the Europeans to accelerate [a crisis] in Taiwan? No. He further added that it wouldn’t be right to think that Europeans must become blind followers and just take their cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” Though…