Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate three Indian-assisted development projects on Wednesday via video conferencing. The three projects are the Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line, and Unit – II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly acknowledged that the Canada-India relationship was “facing a difficult moment.” Joly said she has been in contact with her Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, regarding the matter and will continue to do so. The Canadian FM emphasised that it is essential to remember that this is just one moment in a relationship that spans decades and is built upon a strong connection between both peoples.
On Tuesday, large numbers of Afghans in Pakistan started heading to the border to return home as the Islamabad government announced that those in the country illegally should leave the country by 31 October or face deportation. Pakistan announced the deadline as a part of its new anti-migrant crackdown that seeks to target all undocumented or unregistered foreigners.
China will begin polling 1.4 million people on Wednesday in a survey on population changes. The poll will be based on a sample of 500,000 urban and rural households and will last until 15 November, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said.
A helicopter, presumed to belong to the Russian military, violated Japan’s airspace over its northernmost island of Hokkaido. Japan’s Ministry of Defence scrambled fighter jets to respond and also “lodged a stern protest with Moscow over the incident through diplomatic channels.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that preventing and resolving financial risks must be an “eternal theme” for the Chinese government. He also vowed to strengthen supervision on all fronts. In addition, Xi said that consolidating and improving Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre was a policy objective.
The Hamas attack on Israel will inspire the most major terror threat to the US since the rise of ISIS almost a decade ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned at a congressional hearing on Tuesday. Wray stated that since the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza earlier this month, many foreign terrorist organisations have advocated for attacks against Americans and the West, heightening the threat posed by local US violent extremists.
Bolivian Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani announced on Tuesday that his country has severed diplomatic ties with Israel in response to its assault on Gaza. Bolivia “decided to break diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip,” Mamani said. Additionally, Bolivian neighbours Colombia and Chile have withdrawn their ambassadors to the war-torn Middle Eastern country for consultations.
The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it had intercepted a surface-to-surface long-range ballistic missile and two cruise missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that the missiles were launched from the southern Red Sea. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strikes, as reported by Al Masirah TV. A Houthi official told media sources that the attacks were in reaction to the war in Gaza.