India and the EU on Monday launched their Trade and Technology council, which was announced in April 2022 amid the EU’s plan to develop digital and green partners to replace China. The council paved the way for the setting up of three working groups – on digital governance and connectivity, green technology, and trade – that will meet later this year.
The UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, told the UN Security Council that around 6 million in Afghanistan face the threat of famine, expanding the need to release aid and fight extreme hunger. He urged international donors to release $770 million to help Afghanistan mitigate the humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the cold winters.
On Monday, hundreds of opposition parties’ members in India protested the Adani Group’s stock manipulation and accountancy fraud as alleged in the 24 January Hindenburg Research report. The protestors are calling for a parliamentary panel to investigate the issue and have raised concerns regarding investments in the Adani Group, which were made by the state-backed State Bank of India (SBI) and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). Both Gautam Adani and PM Narendra Modi’s government have denied accusations of favouritism.
During a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission on Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un encouraged the country’s armed forces to perfect “preparedness for war.” He also spoke of “constantly expanding and intensifying the operation and combat drills.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed that another balloon spotted flying over Latin America had been verified to be Chinese. Mao alleged that the airship was “of civilian nature and used for flight test.” She added that due to weather conditions and limited self-steering capability, the balloon “deviated far from its planned course” and entered into Latin American airspace. Mao further stated that the balloon does not “pose any threat to any country.”
A 25-year-old Iranian singer, Shervin Hajipour, received a Grammy for his song, which has become a symbol of defiance in the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran, on Monday. Despite this accolade, Hajipour remains under threat of imprisonment, having been arrested in October on charges of spreading propaganda against the regime and inciting violence through his music. Although he was granted bail a few days after his arrest, the young singer still faces the possibility of serving up to six years in jail.
In response to the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, where the death toll has crossed 4,300 in total, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Monday the deployment of its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to help Turkish authorities in their disaster relief efforts. While the exact details of aid to Syria, which was also severely hit, are not yet clear, USAID chief Samantha Power emphasised that Washington is dedicated to offering life-saving assistance on both sides of the border.
Russia’s State Duma deputy Yelena Yampolskaya revealed on Monday that Russian lawmakers are establishing a joint task force next week to determine ways to use the country’s Criminal Code to punish popular exiled Russians, who have expressed their opposition to the Ukraine war or contributed financially to the Ukrainian forces. Yampolskaya will lead the task force, which is considering seizing the properties of such individuals.
Commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command Gen. Glen VanHerck on Monday admitted that there was a “domain awareness gap,” which led to the US Intelligence in being unable to detect three other spy balloons during the Trump administration. He further mentioned that Washington was able to gather intelligence “from additional means that made us aware of those balloons that were previously approaching North America or transited North America.”