India rose six places to rank 38 in the recently released World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index 2023 report. Indian PM Narendra Modi expressed his satisfaction by tweeting that the progress was an “encouraging trend, powered by [India’s] reforms and focus on improving logistics infrastructure. These gains will reduce costs and make our businesses more competitive.”
On Sunday, Indian PM Narendra Modi welcomed the installation of 254 4G towers in Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it would greatly improve connectivity in the northeastern state. This statement came one day after Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju disclosed that 336 remote villages in Arunachal Pradesh would receive mobile towers. However, this move could potentially worsen India’s relations with China. The latter has previously opposed Indian actions in the region and maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is part of Chinese territory.
During a phone call on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) that his country is keen on expanding energy ties with Riyadh. The two leaders recognised the importance of coordination within the Saudi-led Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+). They underscored that the energy cartel is crucial for ensuring global oil market stability. Their conversation comes as OPEC+ has cut oil output by millions of barrels in the last few months despite the US demanding that the cartel ramp up production. Putin and MBS also discussed joint cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — multilateral grouping.
According to leaked Pentagon documents, ISIS has been using Afghan soil to coordinate and orchestrate terror activities across Europe and Asia, along with “aspirational plotting” against the US. The group is targeting embassies, religious institutions, and business centres.
Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan accepted on Sunday that he had dissolved provincial assemblies after being advised by former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Khan admitted that Bajwa told him to dissolve the legislative bodies if he wished to conduct elections.
Myanmar’s deputy director-general of the military-appointed Union Election Commission, Sai Kyaw Thu, was fatally shot multiple times in his car, in Yangon, on Saturday. The attack was carried out by the People’s Defence Force — a loosely organised armed wing of the country’s shadow National Unity Government — which opposes the junta’s rule.
China’s ambassador to the EU, Fu Cong, said that China’s cooperation with Europe and other nations is “endless” and that there is “no upper limit,” just as its ties with Russia are “unlimited.” Relationships “should not be artificially limited,” he said.
In a letter published on Sunday, US President Joe Biden announced that US Armed Force Personnel would remain in Djibouti to ensure the safety of US civil servants amid the civil crisis in Sudan. Biden indicated that additional forces are ready to be deployed if necessary. He further confirmed that he had ordered the evacuation of US diplomatic personnel from Khartoum. He stated that the US had temporarily suspended activities at the embassy in response to the deteriorating security situation in the region.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported late Saturday that Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, along with “stable supply lines” to their positions. Reports proclaim that deploying such outposts signalled the start of Kyiv’s spring counteroffensive. Analysts believe that Ukraine’s primary objective would be to cross the Dnipro River in the south to break the land border between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula.