India withdrew its 12-member Wushu (martial art) team from the World University Games, which began on Friday in China’s Chengdu. The decision was taken when the government realised that the three athletes belonging to Arunachal Pradesh had been given “stapled visas,” signifying China’s contention that the Indian State is disputed. Indian authorities protested against the incident and, after being apprised of the issue, directed the entire Wushu team to put their travel plans “on hold.”
The Asian Development Bank and the Indian government signed a $295 million loan agreement to upgrade around 265 kilometres of state highways with climate and disaster-resilient design and road safety elements in Bihar. The project supports the Bihar government’s programme to upgrade all state highways to standard two-lane widths and improve connectivity in some of the state’s poorest rural districts.
India and Iran are expected to sign a deal for developing Iran’s Chabahar Port by September before the Global Maritime India Summit 2023, to be held in New Delhi in October. The two sides will sign a multi-year deal, allowing India to develop the Shahid Beheshti Terminal in the Chabahar port.
On Thursday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan landed in Saudi Arabia for negotiations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). According to the White House readout, Sullivan met with MBS and other top Saudi officials to address bilateral and regional issues, including efforts to establish a shared vision for a more peaceful, secure, economic, and stable Middle East region increasingly intertwined with the rest of the world.
Argentina became the 28th country to sign the Artemis Accords on Thursday at a ceremony at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson attended the agency’s signing ceremony. Argentine President Alberto Fernández and US Ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley were also present. The Artemis Accords was established in 2020 by NASA in collaboration with the US Department of State and seven other founding member states. It advocates a realistic set of principles to guide global cooperation in space exploration.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, an attempted drone strike was thwarted early Friday when Russian Defence Ministry forces shot down the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Mayor wrote on his Telegram channel that no damage or casualties were reported.
Bolivia has become the latest South American country to regularly use the Chinese yuan to pay for imports and exports. Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro said on Thursday that the country completed financial operations amounting to $38.7 million in yuan between May and July of this year, accounting for 10% of its foreign trade.
In an annual defence paper released on Friday, Japan’s Defence Ministry raised concerns over China’s regional aggression, its growing military ties to Russia, and its claims on Taiwan. Once again, Tokyo justified its significant hike in domestic defence spending as the world enters “a new era of crisis.