India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has asked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to supply 18 Tejas Mark-1A jets by March 2025. The demand comes as HAL is yet to deliver a single plane from the first tranche of 83 ordered by MoD in 2021.
Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Harin Fernando highlighted on Thursday the positive impact of the rift in India-Maldives ties on the Sri Lankan travel industry. He said that the “Boycott Maldives” call among Indian tourists helped boost the Sri Lankan tourism sector by increasing the influx of Indian tourists.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova defended the India-Russia trade in local currencies, saying that investment participation is a crucial element of the bilateral relations. She added that the two sides are successfully developing cooperation in areas like industry, power, energy, and agriculture.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin committed to a “new era” of partnership. They criticised the US as an aggressive Cold War hegemon causing global chaos. The two leaders signed a joint statement outlining their opposition to the US on various security issues and expressing a unified stance on matters including Taiwan, Ukraine, and North Korea. They also pledged cooperation on peaceful nuclear technologies and finance.
French police reinforcements have begun arriving in New Caledonia to launch a major operation to reclaim control of the capital, Nouméa, the top French official in the Pacific island territory announced on Friday. The number of police and gendarmes on the French-ruled island is set to increase from 1,700 to 2,700 by Friday evening. Riots started on Monday, resulting in four deaths and hundreds of arrests.
On Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began two days of hearings in response to South Africa’s request for Israel to halt its military operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, where over half of Gaza’s population has taken refuge. South Africa argues that Israel’s actions amount to genocide and that previous court orders have not stopped the military assault on Gaza’s last refuge. South Africa wants the ICJ to demand Israel withdraw from Rafah, ensure UN and humanitarian access, and report on compliance within a week.