Category: 2. World

India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order.

Past trade across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes between the neighbours was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism.

The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia.

But caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime, the countries have moved to mend ties.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to hold talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July.

That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly border clash in 2020 between their nations’ troops.

“For a long time, China-India border trade cooperation has played an important role in improving the lives of people living along the border,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP on Thursday.

It added that the two sides have “reached a consensus on cross-border exchanges and cooperation, including resumption of border trade”.

New Delhi’s junior foreign minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told parliament last week that “India has engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade”.

No restart date was given by either side.

Successive US administrations have seen India as a longstanding ally with like-minded interests when it comes to China.

India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, as well as Australia and Japan.

But ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump’s ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine.

The United States will double new import tariffs on India from 25 per cent to 50pc by August 27 if New Delhi does not switch crude suppliers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China in late August. It would be Modi’s first visit since 2018, although it has not been confirmed officially.

Beijing has said that “China welcomes Prime Minister Modi” for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit opening on August 31.

Verified footage shows buildings swept away in north India floodingpublished at 11:04 British Summer Time

11:04 BST

Shruti Menon
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, Indian Army on X

Several parts of northern India have been bit by heavy rainfall and flash flooding since the beginning of this month, causing severe damage across the Himalayan states.

We’ve verified two dramatic videos from Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh state, which shows the moment a flash flood swept through a riverside area on Wednesday evening following a cloudburst.

In the first video, floodwater is seen rushing into a construction site next to a river where there are buildings with blue roofs. The floodwaters sweep away some of the buildings along with vehicles and construction equipment.

The second video, filmed moments later, shows those same blue-coloured roofs floating in the water. Several people are seen running to safety, while in the background, water rushes down from the mountains into the river. Those on higher ground can be heard whistling loudly – a signal commonly used in the region to alert people to danger.

We’ve verified where the footage was filmed by matching the topography and mountain features with Google Earth imagery. Satellite imagery from the specialist company Planet Labs shows the blue-roofed buildings at the location.

The Indian army has confirmed no-one died in the incident and those affected have been rescued and brought to safety.

King Charles has suffered a huge setback as his portrait in tens of thousands of public buildings has been branded expensive and unpopular, according to a new report.

The Cabinet Office programme, launched around the time of the Coronation, aimed to provide framed images of the King in naval uniform to community venues across the UK.

Legislators hoped the monarch would be a unifying national symbol, visible in places such as churches and council offices.

Oliver Dowden, the then-deputy Prime Minister, said at the time that the portraits would be “a reminder of the example set by our ultimate public servant.”

However, figures obtained by the Guardian reveals that just 20,000 organisations, 31 per cent of those eligible, accepted the free portrait, at a total cost of more than £2.7million.

As per the outlet, more than 46,000 turned down the offer, resulting in a 69 per cent rejection rate. The report claims that hospitals showed little interest, with only three per cent displaying the portrait, and just seven per cent of universities taking part.

Around a quarter of Church of England parishes agreed to hang it, despite the King being their Supreme Governor.

Menawhile, local councils were far more receptive, with 73 per cent accepting the portrait, and every single one of the country’s 23 coastguard organisations taking one.

On the other hand, the supporters argue that royal portraits are a long-standing tradition in the UK and can help foster a sense of national identity, particularly in public spaces. They also point out that the portraits were offered at no cost to the institutions, with the Government covering the expense as part of wider coronation celebrations.

Royal fans and public bodies have also praised the initiative for adding a ceremonial touch to the iconic buildings.

Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded four more hunger-related deaths over the past 24 hours, Al Jazeera reports.

The latest count brings the total number of Palestinians who starved to death during Israel’s war on Gaza to 239, including 106 children.

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug 15 (APP): The United Nations has reiterated the importance of dialogue as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to meet on Friday in Alaska, with the Ukraine war on top of their agenda.

The UN is stressing that any peace effort or deal must be consistent with the principles of the UN Charter, including respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the meeting, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric welcomed “dialogue at the highest level” between the two permanent members of the Security Council.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Alaska at 11 AM local time (Midnight PST). The northern US state is separated from the mainland by Canada, while Russia lies just to the west across the Bering Strait and the International Date Line.

Dujarric reaffirmed that the “[UN’s] position regarding the war in Ukraine remains the same.”

“We want an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards finding a just and sustainable and comprehensive peace, one that upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, its territorial integrity and independence within internationally recognized border and in line with UN Charter, international law and all relevant UN resolutions,” he said.

Asked about reports that the United States and Russia would meet without Ukraine at the table, Dujarric recalled the UN’s principled view that, to reach a durable settlement, “it’s helpful to have all the parties of the conflict at the table, the same table.”

“We’ll obviously be watching what happens, and we’re watching what comes out of it.”

The summit takes place against a backdrop of worsening humanitarian conditions. According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, hostilities continue to exact a heavy civilian toll, destroying homes and infrastructure, forcing thousands more to flee.

Between Monday and Wednesday alone, over 6,000 people evacuated their high-risk communities near frontlines in the Donetsk region, either through organized evacuations or of their own volition.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported this week that July saw the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since May 2022, with 286 people killed and 1,388 injured.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the rights mission has documented the deaths of at least 13,883 civilians, including 726 children, and 35,548 injured, including 2,234 children.

The two leaders are meeting at a U.S. military base in Alaska. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be in attendance. Zelenskyy spoke with Trump twice this week and has rejected the idea of territorial concessions to end the war.

Trump said Aug. 14 that the “more important meeting” will be one that includes both Zelenskyy and Putin. That will come next, he said.

“We’re going to see what happens,” Trump said Aug. 14. “And I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We’ll see if they can get along, and if they can, it’ll be great.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington could increase secondary tariffs on India.

He said the decision would depend on the outcome of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

“We’ve put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, If things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,” Bessent said in an interview to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25% penalty on India in addition to 25% tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia.

The US has been trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and on Wednesday, Trump warned of “severe consequences” if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal.

Trump and Putin are set to meet in Anchorage on Friday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

“President Trump is meeting with President Putin, and the Europeans are in the wings carping about how he should do it, what he should do. The Europeans need to join us in these sanctions. The Europeans need to be willing to put on these secondary sanctions,” Bessent said.

Delhi’s increased imports of cheap Russian crude since the Ukraine war have strained India-US relations and disrupted ongoing trade talks with Washington.

Russian oil made up 35% to 40% of India’s oil imports in 2024 – up from 3% in 2021.

Delhi has defended its purchases of Russian oil, arguing that as a major energy importer, it must buy the cheapest available crude to protect millions of poor Indians from rising costs.

Bessent’s comments come after he called India a “bit recalcitrant” on trade negotiations in an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday.

Trump says his tariffs are part of his administration’s plan to boost the US’ economy and make global trade fairer.

He has repeatedly called India a tariff abuser and is keen to trim a $45bn (£33bn) trade deficit with Asia’s third largest economy.

Trade negotiations between Delhi and Washington have been under way for several months, and are set to renew with US negotiators expected to arrive in India on 25 August.

But experts say India’s refusal to reduce duties on agriculture and dairy products has been a major thorn in the negotiations.

Trump’s new 50% tariff rate on India is set to come into effect on 27 August, which some experts have said is akin to an embargo on trade between the two countries.

It makes India the most heavily taxed US trading partner in Asia and is expected to severely hamper its exports focused industries like textiles and jewellery, and could drag India’s growth down by as much as half a percent.

More than 100 organisations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the “weaponisation of aid” into Gaza, as “starvation deepens”.

Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are “not authorised” to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations.

Groups risk being banned if they “delegitimise” the state of Israel or do not provide detailed information about Palestinian staff, the letter says.

Israel denies there are restrictions on aid and says the rules, introduced in March, ensure that aid “reaches the population directly and not Hamas”.

According to the joint letter, most major international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March.

They say Israeli authorities “have rejected requests from dozens of non-governmental organisations to bring in lifesaving goods”, citing the new rules. More than 60 requests were denied in July alone.

Aid groups’ inability to deliver aid has “left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses”, the statement said.

Sean Carroll, CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), said: “Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away”.

Israel said that any delays in delivering aid occur “only when organisations choose not to meet the basic security requirements intended to prevent Hamas’s involvement”.

Cogat, the Israeli military body in charge of aid, said nearly 20 organisations that completed the registration process are bringing aid into Gaza, with roughly 300 trucks entering daily.

The UN says 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed in Gaza.

The new guidelines introduced in March update the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked.

Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or “promotes delegitimisation campaigns” against the country.

“Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity,” Israel’s Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

“Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate,” added Chikli.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead, said Israel had rejected more than $2.5m (£1.8m) of goods from entering Gaza.

She added: “This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out.”

The warning comes as Israel steps up its bombardment of Gaza City, in preparation for a plan to take control of the city.

Israel says it will provide humanitarian aid to civilian populations “outside the combat zones”, but has not specified whether that aid would be delivered by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel says the system is necessary to stop Hamas stealing aid, an accusation Hamas denies.

The UN this month reported that 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites since May, a figure the GHF denies.

In the joint statement, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said that the “militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation”.

The secretary-general of MSF, Chris Lockyear, told the BBC that GHF was a “death trap”, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “hanging on by a thread”.

Hamas’s 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 seized and taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel’s offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.