Indian PM Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation with British PM Rishi Sunak on Tuesday to discuss the progress made towards an early conclusion of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and exchanged views on regional and global developments. Additionally, they expressed their happiness with the advancements made possible by Roadmap 2030 in several areas, including trade, investment, defence, security, and emerging technology.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) confirmed on Tuesday that Indian troops stationed in the Maldives have started withdrawing. Local media reported that Indian soldiers had left Addu city ahead of the 10 March withdrawal deadline. The remaining Indian military personnel, based in L. Kadhdhoo and HDh. Hanimaadhoo, are scheduled to leave the islands before the second deadline of the phased withdrawal on 10 May.
During an event attended by Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma on 11 March, at least 80 pro-Khalistan protesters shouted slogans disparaging the Indian envoy and the Indian state. The event gained attention after Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun called on the Khalistan supporters to “challenge, target and question” the Indian envoy over alleged Indian involvement in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in June 2023. A demonstrator was observed defiling the Indian tricolour during the event hosted by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in Edmonton.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives will vote on a bill that mandates ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to sell the widely-used short-video app within six months. Failure to comply will result in a ban, putting at risk the access of its roughly 170 million American users. The vote will take place under fast-track rules and require support from two-thirds of House members for passage. It follows the bill’s proposal just over a week ago and a single public hearing with minimal debate.
The leader of a Christian aid organisation based in Incheon, South Korea, stated that a missionary detained by Russia on spying charges was solely engaged in humanitarian and missionary activities, with no involvement in assisting North Korean labourers in defection efforts. Reverend Lee Sun-gu, head of the Love Rice Sharing Foundation, dismissed the espionage accusation against Baek Kwang-soon, 53, as “utterly absurd” and “entirely false.”
Chinese writer Mo Yan, who won the country’s first Nobel Prize for Literature, is facing legal action initiated by patriotic blogger Wu Wanzheng. Wu accused Mo of tarnishing the reputation of the Chinese Communist Party, glorifying Japanese soldiers, and disrespecting Mao Zedong. Wu’s lawsuit also demands a public apology from the author to all Chinese citizens, martyrs, and Mao, along with a compensation of 1.5 billion yuan (~$209 million). He also seeks to remove Mo’s books from circulation.