Modi calls on Indians to cut back on consumption due to the energy crisis

Today’s news: The White House confirms that Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening despite the deadlock in negotiations with Iran. Narghes Mohammadi has been released on bail and transferred to a hospital in Tehran. In Bangkok, Thaksin Shinawatra has been released from prison and is wearing an electronic tag. In China, a new record low for marriages was recorded in the first quarter of 2026.

INDIA

In a speech delivered in Secunderabad a few days after local elections were held in several key states, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the public to reduce consumption, particularly of fossil fuels, to limit non-essential imports and to adopt more “self-reliant” habits, with the aim of protecting the country’s foreign exchange reserves. The call is linked to the global effects of the crisis in the Middle East and international conflicts. India’s foreign exchange reserves currently stand at around 0 billion, a level below the low reached in 2021 during the Covid crisis.

CHINA-UNITED STATES

US President Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing on the evening of 13 May for his eagerly awaited two-day visit, during which he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This has been confirmed by the White House, which states that the talks will focus on economic and security issues. The visit marks the first trip by a US president to China since 2017. The meeting will go ahead despite the standoff between Washington and Tehran over the negotiations mediated by Pakistan, with Beijing’s support, to end the conflict in the Middle East. The trip had initially been scheduled for March but was postponed due to the escalation of the conflict with Iran.

IRAN

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has been transferred from prison to a hospital in Tehran due to the deterioration of her health. The Iranian authorities have granted a suspension of her sentence in exchange for the payment of a heavy bail. Her family and supporters had recently raised the alarm, claiming that Mohammadi was at risk of dying in prison following two suspected heart attacks this year. The 54-year-old, winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran, will be treated by a medical team chosen by her family. According to her husband and lawyer, her condition remains unstable: she is said to have lost around 20 kilos and is struggling even to speak.

THAILAND

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released from Klongprem Central Prison in Bangkok. On his release, he was met by family members and supporters of the Pheu Thai party. While on bail, valid until 9 September, he will be required to wear an electronic tag and report regularly to the Bangkok probation office. Thaksin, 76, was serving a one-year sentence for abuse of power and conflict of interest dating back to the period prior to 2006. The Supreme Court ruled that his prolonged hospitalisation could not be counted as part of his official prison sentence.

CHINA

Marriages in China reached their lowest level in recent years in the first quarter of 2026, highlighting the country’s persistent demographic challenges, including falling birth rates and a shrinking population. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 1.697 million couples married between January and March, a decrease of 6.24% compared to the same period the previous year. This is the lowest quarterly figure since 2020, when restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic had severely limited wedding celebrations. The first quarter is normally one of the most popular times for weddings in China thanks to the Lunar New Year festivities, making the decline all the more significant.

RUSSIA

Russia’s domestic violence helpline received 24,000 calls last year – more than during the height of the Covid pandemic, according to humanitarian activists – largely from women unable to defend themselves against abuse by men returning from the front in Ukraine. Support centres are not enough; draft laws on prevention have been stalled in the Duma for some time, and the police often side with the perpetrators.

ARMENIA

In Armenia, the election campaign has officially begun and will run until 5 June, ahead of the parliamentary elections on 7 June, in which 19 parties and electoral alliances will take part, with the contest pitting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Agreement against the opposition bloc ‘Strong Armenia’, whose leading figures are under investigation or in police custody, but all will receive free and paid airtime on national networks.