INDIA - USA
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the ‘mega partnership’ between Delhi and Washington after talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Modi said he was willing to reduce existing tariffs on US products, repatriate undocumented Indian citizens and purchase military fighter jets to avoid tariffs. Trump added that India could also buy gas and oil from the United States.
SOUTH KOREA
Six people died and seven were injured in a fire that broke out at a hotel construction site in the city of Busan. About 100 people were evacuated, according to the fire brigade, who several hours after the tragedy had still not managed to contain the fire. This is yet another tragedy that the country must face in this moment of internal crisis following the crash of a plane in recent weeks.
CHINA
High levels of smog could be the cause of an increase in lung cancer in China: according to a report by the World Health Organisation, the country has the highest rate of lung adenocarcinoma in the world, the most common form of lung cancer worldwide, even among young people. In 2022, China had recorded 68% of all cases worldwide among men and 70% among women, probably due to the high levels of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere.
ISRAEL – GAZA
After a series of talks in Cairo, Hamas has announced that it will continue to release hostages as planned, pledging to respect the ceasefire agreement with Israel. The truce had entered a crisis phase after Hamas accused Israel of not respecting the agreement, and the subsequent statements by US President Trump had raised fears of a failure of the ceasefire.
PAKISTAN
After almost 30 years, Pakistan is once again hosting the Champions Trophy, one of the most important international cricket events. The government hopes that this will strengthen the country's image abroad after years of turbulent domestic politics, with former prime minister (and former cricket star) Imran Khan in prison for over a year. All eight teams taking part in the tournament have agreed to play in Pakistan, except India, who will play their matches in Dubai.
NEPAL
In Kathmandu, elderly women who have never been to school are learning to read and write thanks to a learning centre set up by the local administrative council. Bimala Maharjan Bhandari, who runs the centre, said that she had difficulty convincing the women to join at first and that she had to emphasise the help that learning to read could bring to the whole family.
RUSSIA – MONGOLIA
Russia has increased its export of electricity from Siberia to Mongolia by almost 40%, up to 1.26 billion KWh. This trend has been ongoing for several years and accelerated sharply last year, thanks to the growth of the Mongolian economy. For the first time Mongolia has overtaken China in this commercial relationship with Moscow.
GEORGIA
After 75 days of street protests in Georgia, it seems that the Dies Irae has arrived for the members of the ruling Georgian Dream party. As well as inciting the forces of order to definitively repress the demonstrations, they have accused the ambassadors of many countries and NGOs of ‘interference in the internal affairs of the State’, and are asking for limitations for foreign diplomats.
