India hosted its 100th G20 meeting, the Meeting of Agriculture Chief Scientists (MACS) in Varanasi, on Monday, marking a major achievement during its G20 Presidency. More than 12,300 delegates from 110 nations have attended in person, including G20 members, nine invitee countries, and 14 international organisations. The meetings have occurred in 41 cities across 28 States and Union Territories, accompanied by 150 cultural events featuring over 7,000 artists showcasing local and national art forms.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani announced on Monday that President Ebrahim Raisi has officially invited Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to visit Tehran. The invitation was extended in return for President Raisi getting invited by Riyadh. The announcement follows last month’s normalisation of ties between the two countries, which China brokered.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stated on Monday that Egyptian troops held in Sudan were there to conduct joint exercises with their Sudanese counterparts and not to support any warring parties. This comes after clashes erupted between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army on Saturday. The RSF accused Egypt of supporting the Sudanese military and shared a video of Egyptian troops, who they claimed had surrendered to them.
Australian businessman Alexander Csergo was arrested on Friday, and refused bail on Monday, for accepting money from two suspected Chinese spies in exchange for intelligence on Australia’s defence, economic, and national security set-up since 2021, including the AUKUS nuclear-submarine deal with the US and the UK.
Two New York City residents — Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59 — were arrested Monday for allegedly running a Chinese “secret police station” in the city’s Chinatown district. The duo has been charged with obstruction of justice and conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government without the knowledge of US authorities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tweeted on Monday that he met with the Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss the Helmand River dispute. In the discussions, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated Iran’s water rights and claims over the river.
On Monday, Sweden launched the Aurora 23 military exercise, its largest drill in 25 years, which will see the participation of the US, the UK, France, Germany, and other Nordic countries. The exercise seeks to enhance interoperability in case of a major armed attack against Sweden.
The US criticised Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday for remarks he made over the weekend. Lula had asked Western nations to stop providing Ukraine with arms for the war because doing so was “encouraging” the Russia-Ukraine conflict. On his recent visit to Brasilia, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Lavrov thanked the Brazilian president for his proposal for peace negotiations and continued to applaud him for a clear understanding of the “genesis of the situation.” Lula also urged a coalition of countries not involved in the war to engage Russia and Ukraine in peace negotiations.
US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited imprisoned Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich, who Moscow has arrested on espionage charges, on Monday. It was the first access granted to US authorities since Gershkovich’s detention last month. Tracy tweeted, “[Gershkovich] is in good health and remains strong.” According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, the US wants consular access to continue regularly, which Russian officials had denied for about three weeks after the WSJ reporter’s initial detention.