Link to article:https://slguardian.org/exclusive-trump-freezes-usaid-funds-amid-ongoing-harassment-cases-in-sri-lanka/ Recently, an internal email from the Trump Administration was leaked by The Washington Post telling USAID employees to cease communications with outside agencies, including the U.S. State Department, while the White House decides which countries will have their foreign aid restarted. USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, works in over 100 countries worldwide, one of… Read more »
Link to article: https://slguardian.org/adani-group-denies-cancellation-of-sri-lanka-power-deal-amid-allegations/ Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate company based in Ahmedabad, India, is denying allegations stating that it has canceled its $440 million power deal with Sri Lanka. A spokesperson emphasized the continuing wind power projects in the northern Sri Lankan regions of Mannar and Pooneryn. These allegations stemmed from a report by AFP in The Economic Times,… Read more »
Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-india-hasina-yunus-minority-881cf57c2ab65fd1c64bc8aa0ae93783 As expressed by the headline, Bangladesh and India have begun holding talks in the name of diffusing tensions between the two states. Then, the article goes on to describe the conflicts between the two countries that have helped to exacerbate that tension. In August of last year, ex- Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India… Read more »
Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/china-india-border-dispute-d808afcdb6eb7a5deab3babea425bc6f This relatively short article gives an update on relations between China and India, stating that representatives from both China and India have agreed to begin working on a solution to their border dispute in the Himalayas. In the recent past, especially in 2020, tensions surrounding the ownership of this territory have heightened, even culminating in a… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-china-agree-fast-track-sinopecs-37-bln-refinery-hambantota-2025-01-22/ Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath announced on Wednesday, January 22, that the country has signed an agreement with Sinopec, a Chinese petroleum refining corporation, to fast-track a $3.7 billion oil refinery in Hambantota, a port city in the south of the island nation. They are still discussing how much will be exported from the facility… Read more »
Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/india-afghanistan-ministers-kabul-humanitarian-7874101f29825dd41a639cfbb3cf685e This article describes the second meeting of Indian and Afghan delegations since the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan and its government. Having historically provided significant aid to Afghanistan in the past, India indicated a continued commitment to providing humanitarian aid to the country. Additionally, they discussed how a port in Iran could be used for… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-pakistan-border-strikes-7dbd4af5dce9c2e9016d429253467312 In December, Pakistan launched airstrikes into the Barmal district in Afghanistan that they claimed were intended to destroy an insurgent military training camp. Afghan officials stated that the airstrikes actually hit refugee camps. 50 people were killed by Pakistan’s attacks, half of which were women and children. This outraged Afghans, leading the Taliban to launch counter attacks on Pakistan…. Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/sri-lanka-india-china-bilateral-ties-01819172aaf279f71ce4d1376c9006c9 Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake was recently elected as president of Sri Lanka, representing a change in the country’s politics as citizens seek relief from the economic crisis. The country declared bankruptcy in 2022, and citizens continue to suffer from the effects of the country’s failing economy. Dissanayake promised to improve economic conditions and lessen the burden placed on the… Read more »
Link to Article: https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-deports-afghans-with-unhcr-papers/7939282.html Earlier this month, Pakistan issued a enactments to expel Afghan citizens from its capital, Islamabad, despite many of the Afghans bearing UNHCR, i.e refugee, documents. It is reported that authorities in Islamabad have deported upwards of 300 Afghan citizens between January 1st and 15th, with an estimated 80 of deported having possession of preliminary refugee documents… Read more »
Link to Article: https://thediplomat.com/2025/01/why-france-is-indias-best-bet-for-building-nuclear-powered-submarines/ Due to China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean, marked by an expanse in its deployment of submarines, and research and surveillance vessels to the region–it presents a major strategic challenge for India and its national security for the future. India’s current submarine fleet is made almost entirely up of conventional, diesel submarines, of which the… Read more »
