Japan is considering joining India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) system as the two countries are trying to promote digital cooperation, said Japanese Digital Minister Kono Taro. Taro called UPI a “very convenient payment system” that “can increase interoperability between governments.” He noted that UPI could be another standard of cross-border payment and said that G7 countries have agreed to establish a new framework in cross-data flow, which they hope India would join. The Japanese minister appreciated the cooperation shared between India, Japan, and the Quad, and hoped that the two nations could collaborate on digital payments. UPI is a payment system allowing users to link multiple bank accounts to a single smartphone app and make real-time payments without providing bank details.
At the Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction (2015-2030) midterm review, Dr P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary at the Indian PM’s Office, highlighted the importance of ambitious mitigation programs, early warning access, and collaboration. He also showcased the impressive progress made by India in disaster risk reduction. In his speech at the review, Mishra said that India has significantly increased funding earmarked for disaster risk reduction. He added that India is ready to join efforts to reduce disaster risks at home and everywhere in the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of Turkey’s opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said on Thursday that he would “send all refugees back home” if elected in the upcoming elections. Kılıçdaroğlu has previously declared that he would facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their home country within two years.
Sources quoted by Reuters reported that India and the UK are unable to make progress on Free Trade Agreement talks due to disagreements over Indian duties on car and liquor imports. Indian sources further highlighted that the deal is unlikely to be concluded before PM Narendra Modi’s second term, which is ending next year.
During their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Thursday, British PM Rishi Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida agreed to cooperate in a broad range of areas, including defence, clean energy, cybersecurity, and semiconductors. The leaders said the pact would strengthen their economic, security, and technological cooperation.
North Korea accused the US and South Korea of indulging in “nuclear blackmail” by staging joint military drills and vowed countermeasures. “Their plot to crush us militarily is another clear indication that the enemy warmongers’ madness has reached a point where it cannot be overlooked. The frantic nuclear war fuss among US and puppet warlike bellwethers is bound to trigger corresponding responses,” state media KCNA said on Friday.
Following US President Joe Biden cancelling the second leg of his Asia tour due to the debt ceiling crisis in Washington, the State Department said Thursday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would visit Papua New Guinea on 21 and 22 May, sign bilateral agreements on maritime security and defence, and meet with the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum. According to the Department, Blinken intends to discuss a wide range of issues with leaders from the Pacific Islands, including shared concerns like tackling the threat of climate change and promoting inclusive economic growth for the region’s residents.
The Kremlin stated on Thursday that its decision to freeze the bank accounts of Finnish embassies and consulates in Russia was in reaction to hostile actions of “the collective West,” which included Finland. Officials from Finland and Denmark reported that both nations’ diplomatic bank accounts in Russia were frozen, compelling their embassies to make cash payments. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on Russia’s reaction, saying, “This is not an initiative from the Russian side. We are reacting to the situation created by the authorities of several countries of the collective West, including, to our regret, Finland.”