The Indian Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Manoj Pande, is visiting Egypt from 16 to 17 May. The army chief will discuss Indo-Egypt defence relations in the country and meet the country’s senior military leadership. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties between the two armies. It will also act as a catalyst to increase coordination on various strategic issues. India-Egypt defence relations are rising, as they held the first joint exercise Ex Cyclone-I in January, while Egyptian President Abdeh Fattah El Sisi was the Chief Guest for India’s 74th Republic Day celebrations, in which an Egyptian contingent participated for the first time.
Ahead of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US on 22 June, US Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said the visit is an opportunity for the US to deepen partnerships with India. He said the partnership with India is one of the US’s most “consequential” relationships. Patel added that the visit will focus on a free and open Indo-Pacific, and is an opportunity to deepen trade ties and security partnerships. Highlighting that the US works with India on several vital priorities, Patel said the two countries would address shared global challenges, like global health and climate crisis, during the visit.
According to a statement released Monday by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), its army chief, Lawrence Mbatha, is in Moscow for a bilateral meeting. During the meeting, Mbatha will visit Russian military academies and hold discussions with officials. The SANDF added that the conference in Russia was well-planned in advance, and clarified, “It must be noted that South Africa has military-to-military bilateral relations with various countries in the continent and beyond.”
Recent reports have revealed that a data breach at the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) exposed the personal information of 237,000 current and former federal employees. The breach impacted the systems employed to handle TRANServe transit benefits, which pay government employees for some commuting expenses. It remains unclear whether personal data was exploited for criminal purposes. The department is investigating the breach and has restricted access to the transit benefit system until it is secured and restored.
Security authorities in Germany believe that China is still operating two police stations on German soil, despite Beijing’s assurance in February that it had ceased all activities.
China’s Family Planning Association will launch pilot projects in more than 20 cities to create a “new-era” marriage and childbearing culture to encourage women to marry and have children.
Over 1,500 British armed force personnel have been deployed to Estonia for a NATO exercise. In total, 14,000 troops will participate from 11 countries in the Estonia-led exercise, seeking to enhance interoperability.
According to a Human Rights Watch statement on Monday, Afghanistan is home to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over two-thirds of the population facing a threat to food security. Consequently, the organisation has urged the UN to continue providing funds and aid to the war-torn country, along with maintaining pressure on the Taliban to end its human rights violations.