Indian PM Narendra Modi spoke by phone with his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo on Tuesday. They deliberated on the bilateral partnership between India and Belgium across various sectors and mutually committed to aiding the prompt restoration of peace in the Middle East as well as in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Nepal and China reiterated their commitment to sign the implementation plan of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as soon as possible. The decision was taken during delegation-level talks between Nepali Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing.
A US State Department spokesperson said on Monday that Washington is closely monitoring reports of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and advocates for a fair legal procedure in the matter. The response came after India protested Germany’s reaction to the arrest and summoned the country’s envoy to India.
A UK court signalled on Tuesday that it would hear Julian Assange’s extradition appeal. The Royal Courts of Justice set a deadline of 16 April for the US to provide assurances regarding Assange’s First Amendment rights and exclusion from the death penalty. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, faces extradition over charges related to one of the US' largest intelligence leaks.
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel determined that Australia’s duties in a steel dispute with China were flawed. China initiated the complaint amid political and trade tensions, contesting anti-dumping measures on various products. The WTO ruled that Australia’s Anti-Dumping Commission acted inconsistently with its rules in all contested categories. Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said the panel had found some technical issues with how the duties were calculated and assured that the country “will engage with China and take steps to implement the panel’s findings.”
The US and South Korea have initiated a new task force to thwart North Korea’s illicit oil procurement amid stalled UN Security Council negotiations on sanctions. The inaugural session of the Enhanced Disruption Task Force convened in Washington on Tuesday. Both sides voiced concerns about the potential Russian provision of refined oil to North Korea and explored strategies to halt illicit cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.