Five Indian Army soldiers were killed after being shot at by “unidentified terrorists” in the Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday afternoon. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the ambush and attack on the “brave soldiers.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Goa in May. Zardari will be the first Pakistani FM to visit India in six years.
Two US B-1B supersonic heavy bombers will participate in Exercise Cope India — a joint drill between the US and Indian military, held less than 700km from the Chinese border, from 13 to 24 April. This marks the first time supersonic bombers will participate in an exercise in India.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said that the China-imposed fishing ban in a vast area of the South China Sea violates Vietnamese “sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) and the sovereign rights and jurisdiction in Vietnamese waters and its exclusive economic zone.” Hanoi further urged Beijing to respect its sovereignty and “not to complicate the situation.”
Iran’s Navy claimed it forced an American submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf; however, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet denied this report. Iranian Navy commander Shahram Irani said the submarine was attempting to pass undetected through the Strait of Hormuz and violated the Iranian border. The US dismissed the claim as “disinformation” and confirmed that its submarine had not recently transited the Strait of Hormuz.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in the multi-national air exercise — INIOCHOS-23 — hosted by the Hellenic Air Force at the Andravida Air Base in Greece from 24 April. The IAF will showcase four Su-30 MKI fighter jets and two C-17 transport aircraft. This exercise aims to improve international cooperation, teamwork, and interoperability among all the participating air forces.
Russian state-controlled media TASS cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying that a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber jet accidentally fired a weapon into the city of Belgorod near Ukraine late on Thursday, injuring two women. The Belgorod region governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced a state of emergency and said on Telegram that four cars and four apartment buildings had been damaged in the attack.
The G7 is considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia ahead of a summit meeting in Japan next month. At a news conference, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated that it is critical to stop Russian aggression as soon as possible. The G7 remains united in support of tough sanctions against Russia and substantial assistance for Ukraine. According to reports, the US and Ukraine’s allies are also considering “an outright ban on most exports to Russia.”
On Thursday, Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced the nationalisation of the country’s lithium industry to boost the economy and protect the environment. The move aims to transfer control of Chile’s lithium operations from industry giants SQM and Albemarle, which supply Tesla and LG Energy, among others, to a separate state-owned company. “This is the best chance we have at transitioning to a sustainable and developed economy. We can’t afford to waste it,” Boric said in an address televised nationally. Chile is the world’s second-largest producer of lithium, which is used in EV batteries.