Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will pay his second state visit to India from 24 January to 26 January, as the countries celebrate 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. Sisi will also be the Chief Guest on India’s 74th Republic Day.
The Government of India has blocked the airing, and sharing of clips via social media, of the BBC documentary that questions PM Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots during his tenure as chief minister of the state. On Friday, the government used “emergency powers under IT Rules, 2021,” to block the documentary from being shared, according to tweets by Kanchan Gupta, an adviser to the government, who added that tech giants YouTube and Twitter have complied with government orders.
Media reports suggest that China has agreed to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt and temporarily defer payments, which account for over 50% of the island nation’s $50 billion debt. The IMF previously said that India and China must agree on a debt restructuring plan as a prerequisite for releasing its $2.9 billion aid to Colombo.
The UN apologised for the “significant lapse in judgement” by its officials after a picture of the organisation’s personnel posing in front of a Taliban flag made rounds on the internet. The UN delegation was in Kabul to discuss political issues, including women’s rights.
On Monday, an anonymous source from the Russian Defence Ministry revealed that its warship, Admiral Gorshkov, which is armed with the hypersonic Zircon missiles, will participate in the combined navy drills with South Africa and China next month. The Zircon missiles travel at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of over 1,000 kilometres.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Sunday announced that the 72-year-old Asian suspect accused of shooting down 10 people and injuring 10 more at a ballroom dance hall during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday, committed suicide as police tried to surround the van he used to escape.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday announced that the parliament and presidential elections will be held on 14 May, a month earlier than initially scheduled. According to opinion polls, Erdoğan will be confronted with his “biggest test” in two decades.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Sunday warned the EU that labelling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group would result in “reciprocal” measures. “The parliament is working to place elements of European countries’ armies on the terrorist list,” Amirabdollahian said.
President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Argentinian counterpart Alberto Fernandez on Saturday announced plans for increased economic integration and the development of a common currency in a jointly written article published on Argentinian news website Perfil. “We intend to break down the barriers to our exchanges, simplify and modernise the rules and encourage the use of local currencies,” the South American leaders wrote.