Nepali PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ won a vote of confidence in the Parliament on Wednesday, a day after he severed ties with the Nepali Congress and forged a new alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). Prachanda, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), won 157 out of 275 votes as he sought a vote of confidence for the third time since he was elected to office in December 2022.
The Union Cabinet approved the Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement between India and the UAE on Wednesday. The agreement deals with cooperation between the two nations for the empowerment and operation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). It was signed during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE in February this year.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu was on a three-day visit to Mauritius. On Wednesday, the last day of her visit, the President led delegation-level talks with Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth. The two leaders virtually inaugurated 14 community development projects funded by India and witnessed the signing of four agreements. They also laid the foundation stone for the new Forensic Science Laboratory, which is being set up with Indian assistance.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives approved legislation proposing a nationwide ban on TikTok unless its Chinese parent company divests, citing national security concerns. The bill - passed 352-65 - now heads to the Senate with uncertain prospects. TikTok, which has over 170 million American users, operates under ByteDance Ltd. Lawmakers are concerned that ByteDance’s allegiance to Chinese law, which mandates cooperation in intelligence efforts, poses significant security risks to the US.
In a sign of further thawing of relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Australia next week, Aussie PM Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. “It’s a good thing that Wang Yi is visiting, it’s a good thing to have dialogue,” Albanese said. He added that “significant progress” had been made in recent months to remove trade impediments with China, the country’s largest trading partner.
China requested Taiwan to deploy coast guard vessels on Thursday to assist in a rescue operation after a fishing boat capsised near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands. According to Taiwan’s coast guard, the Chinese fishing boat overturned in the early hours, resulting in two individuals missing, two rescued, and two bodies recovered. Amid heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait, both sides coordinated efforts to respond to the incident. Coast Guard Chief Chou Mei-wu stated that such collaborative rescue requests from China are routine.