Elon Musk-owned US-based electric carmaker Tesla has started scouting for potential showroom locations in New Delhi and Mumbai. The move comes as the company aims to start sales in India later this year. It has already started producing right-hand drive cars in Germany for export to India. The company is presently looking for showrooms of 3,000-5,000 square feet and a service hub in each city.
The Taliban has said that they are “particularly committed” to defending the rights of Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan. A senior officer of Taliban’s Justice Ministry said on Monday that they were in “continuous contact” with the displaced Hindus and Sikhs of Afghanistan and will soon restore the property rights of the minority communities in the country.
The US State Department announced on Monday that National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan has once again postponed his visit to India. Sullivan was scheduled to be in India on 18 April for an annual meeting of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. The decision was taken owing to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The visit was earlier planned for February, but it was delayed as Sullivan was preoccupied with the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.
South Korea’s foreign ministry summoned a Japanese diplomat on Tuesday to express strong opposition to Japan’s annual diplomatic policy Bluebook, which claimed sovereignty over islands contested by both nations. The ministry reiterated that the islands, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, are historically and geographically part of South Korea’s territory. Despite recent improvements in relations, this issue remains a point of contention between the two neighbours.
Rebel forces in Myanmar celebrated on Monday as they captured an army base, burning the military government’s flag and hoisting their own banner. The fighters, affiliated with the Karen National Union, seized control of Myawaddy, a strategic town near the Thai border, marking a significant blow to the military regime.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Chinese officials in Beijing from 14 to 16 April. The talks covered a range of topics, including Middle East developments, the South China Sea, Taiwan, and North Korea.