India and Burundi held Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Bujumbura on 12 December. The two sides reviewed their bilateral relationship and discussed trade and economic matters, consular issues, development partnerships, and cooperation in areas of agriculture, education, health, digital technology, and renewable energy, among others. The two countries agreed to intensify and diversify cooperation in various areas to strengthen this relationship further. Puneet R. Kundal, Additional Secretary (East and Southern Africa), led the Indian delegation, and the Burundian side was led by Ambassador Ernest Niyokindi, Director General of Bilateral Relations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burundi.
Indian PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) summit on Tuesday. In his speech on the occasion, Modi remarked that India is the leading player in the field of AI talent and AI-related ideas today. At the summit, Modi called on countries to work together to create a framework for the ethical use of AI, including the testing and development of high-risk or frontier AI tools. Modi also pointed to the dangers of terrorists getting access to AI tools and highlighted the potential for increased cybersecurity and data theft incidents.
Russia has lost nearly 315,000 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, constituting about 90% of the military personnel it had in February 2022, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a declassified US intelligence report. According to the report, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with 360,000 troops. By now, 87% had been killed or injured. “The scale of losses has forced Russia to take extraordinary measures,” such as allowing the recruitment of criminals and older civilians, the report said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Moscow and Tehran are prepared to accelerate work on a “major new interstate agreement” following a phone call between their foreign ministers, who agreed to continue and speed up work on the process. The Ministry did not specify the nature or scope of the deal but noted that it is already at “a high stage of readiness.”
The US has been coordinating with China to arrange military-to-military talks, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. “We have been working closely with our defence attache office and our policy team has been in active coordination with Beijing in order to arrange communication,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told a press conference. Ryder added that he did not have any specific details on the possible discussions at the moment.
Last month, Taiwan’s military countered four attempts by the Chinese military to approach the island’s sensitive contiguous zone, Taiwan security officials said. An internal government memo said that Beijing’s moves were part of a “multi-front campaign of voting interference,” which also included exchange activities with Taiwan politicians and spreading misinformation to sway public opinion.