US President Joe Biden has welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House. They are expected to increase cooperation over a perceived Chinese threat in the Asia-Pacific region. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his official visit to the US as he was welcomed by US President Joe Biden to the White House Tuesday night. The two leaders will discuss plans to restructure the US military presence in Japan in the face of perceived threats in the Asia-Pacific region, especially from China and North Korea. This will be the biggest upgrade to defense deals between Washington and Tokyo since the 1960s. According to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the two leaders are expected to "announce measures to enhance security cooperation, to enable greater coordination and integration of our forces." Media reports say they could agree to the biggest upgrade in US-Japan command and control structures in decades. What is Kishida's plan Kishida is traveling with his wife Yuko and was welcomed by Biden and the First Lady Jill.  "Our nations are partners in a world where we choose creation over destruction, peace over bloodshed, and democracy over autocracy," Jill Biden told reporters during a preview of Wednesday's state dinner. The summit officially begins on Wednesday with a welcome including military bands, which will be followed by a meeting between Biden and Kishida. The two will then hold a joint news conference in the Rose Garden. On Thursday, Biden will host a summit between Japan, the US and the Philippines, which will be attended by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Kishida will also address the US Congress, the second Japanese leader to do so after the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  This will be followed by a gala dinner hosted by the Bidens. Kishida's last visit to the US was in August last year, when he was also joined by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Last month, Biden announced he opposes the planned sale of the US Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan, raising fears this could cause a potential rift between him and Kishida.  

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang during his visit to Beijing. They discussed their close ties and plans to boost Eurasian security. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Beijing would "strengthen strategic cooperation" with Moscow during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.  In comments reported by the RIA Novosti news agency, Wang said Beijing and Moscow would "provide each other with strong support." The meeting took place during a two-day visit by Lavrov to China. The two powers improved their diplomatic ties since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, declaring a "no limits" partnership. The West is "implementing unlawful sanctions towards a number of states, Russia is among them of course. This policy is starting to be actively applied toward [China] as well," Lavrov said, referencing efforts by the US to restrict China's access to key US-made technologies. Plan to launch Eurasian security 'dialogue' Russia and China agreed to strengthen security cooperation across Eurasia to counter US and Western influence. Lavrov said such a move had been put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that the two countries had agreed to "start a dialogue with the involvement of our other like-minded people on this issue." "For a long time, there was a Euro-Atlantic security structure in the form of NATO, of course, as well as the OSCE, but it is striking itself out from the list of relevant structures within which it is possible to conduct meaningful negotiations and agree on something based on a balance of interests," Lavrov said. Moscow and Beijing are planning on launching a "dialogue" on Eurasian security issues, but no further details were given. Wang said NATO should not extend its activities in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Russian news agencies. The two countries should "oppose hegemonism and power politics, oppose the monopoly of international affairs by a few countries," he added. What the West has said about China-Russia ties China has faced increased pressure from Western nations to leverage its influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The US has warned Beijing against providing indirect aid to Russia.  In Brussels last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that "China continues to provide materials to support Russia's defence industrial base." During a visit to China on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of "significant consequences" for any Chinese companies supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. Washington would not rule out tariffs on clean energy imports from China to protect its industry, she said. What the foreign ministers said about Putin and Xi Lavrov and Wang both stressed their support for each other's leaders, with the Chinese foreign minister praising "the strong leadership of President Putin." "China will support Russia's stable development under the leadership of Putin," he added. Lavrov pointed out that "Xi Jinping... was among the first ones to send congratulations to the president-elect Putin" after his reelection win last month, "And we are overall grateful to our Chinese friends for this support." The Russian minister had his turn at lavishing Chinese leader Xi Jinping when the two met later on Tuesday. "We would like to express our highest appreciation and admiration for the successes you have achieved over the years and, above all, over the past decade under your leadership," Lavrov told Xi, according to Reuters.  

Military ties between India and Germany have been minimal, but Russia's war against Ukraine and China's growing assertiveness are causing New Delhi and Berlin to rethink their defense partnership. In a significant strategic change, Germany is signalling an interest in boosting military relations with India.  Earlier this month, the German ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, said in an interview that there is now a "clear political will" in Berlin to improve defense ties with New Delhi, calling it a "huge paradigm shift." "We have earlier been very hesitant. Now, there is clear political will in Germany to increase defense cooperation with India through military visits, exercises, co-production and other areas, including new ones like cyber," Ackermann told The Times of India on March 4. The defense minister of both countries held talks in Berlin at the end of February over developing defense cooperation, the security situation in the Indo-Pacific and possible joint exercises in the region. The German air force is now slated to take part in multilateral drills hosted by the Indian air force in August, along with France, the US and other countries. In October, a German naval frigate and a combat support ship are scheduled to visit India's western state of Goa. What's driving the change? Germany is beginning to see India as a natural partner in the region, said observers, pointing out that the shift in Berlin's attitude toward New Delhi is driven by Russia's war in Ukraine and China's rising assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. For India, it's about reducing a decadeslong dependence on Russian arms and diversifying defense procurement. Defense ties between Berlin and New Delhi have so far been minimal as "there was very little commonality" and both were "looking elsewhere rather than at each other," Arun Prakash, a former chief of the Indian navy, told DW. "Germany was focused on the EU and India's main defense relationship was with Russia, France and Israel. So, to put it in a nutshell, so far the relations have been quite distant, except for one instance where we acquired four submarines in the late 1980s, the HDW," he said. "That program also, unfortunately, went into terminal decline." German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' visit to India last year provided a renewed thrust to the bilateral defense partnership. The first German defense minister to visit the South Asian country since 2015, Pistorius is in favor of making defense cooperation and weapons deals with India easier by treating the country as a strategic partner like Australia or Japan. Defense experts in India have said New Delhi would welcome such a change. "German engineering and German technology have always been superior but we knew that Germany was focused towards the EU, plus legal restrictions prevented exports, so we didn't receive too many offers from Germany," said Prakash.  "They are now changing their laws and are being more open about military hardware being made available to us. We'll be happy with that." During the defense minister's trip to India, German and Indian companies signed an agreement envisioning the possible construction of six advanced stealth diesel-electric submarines. Prakash noted that the Indian navy would welcome having German equipment in its inventory, provided there was also an agreement on support and spare parts. Defense cooperation in 'mutual interest of both nations' Deependra Singh Hooda, a retired lieutenant general and former commander of the Indian army's northern command, sees closer military relations as a win-win for both India and Germany. "India needs to modernize," he said. "It needs to diversify its weapons procurement. It's looking for additional technology and Germany has a very strong and robust defense industry. There is a huge scope for cooperation to grow, which is going to help both sides." Prakash shares a similar view. "At this current moment, it happens to be in the mutual interest of both nations to establish relationships with each other and see how they turn out," he said. While India is the world's largest importer of military gear, Germany is one of its biggest exporters. Hooda said New Delhi's weapons needs are extensive. "If you look at India's defense imports, they cut across everywhere. India's defense industry is not well-developed. I think the scope is very vast considering that India's requirements are huge. There is a great deal of capacity and opportunity on both sides," he said. German, Indian air force to focus on joint drills Joint drills form another element of the cooperation. The multilateral air force exercises in August are expected to see participation by dozens of German aircraft, including the Tornado jets, Eurofighters, midair refueling tankers and military transport planes. "When the German air force contingent flies into India for the exercises, the formation is going to be led by their chief himself. He is going to fly in with the Eurofighters. I have not seen this happening before," Anil Golani, a retired air vice marshal and the additional director general of New Delhi-based Centre for Air Power Studies, told DW. He said many air forces worldwide are increasingly wanting to take part in drills with the Indian air force. "One of the reasons is that we operate both the Russian as well as Western fleets of aircraft — the Sukhoi, the Rafale and the Mirage, among others. Nowhere else do the other air forces get to pitch their aircraft against the Russian-made fleet." What does the future hold? As India and Germany embark on a path to forge closer defense relations, observers have said there is also a need for the two nations to understand each other's strategic concerns. "Germany has been looking with suspicion at why India has not come out openly on one side in the Russia-Ukraine war. But it has its own strategic concerns. We should look at areas where there's convergence and wherever there are differences, sit and discuss and get greater clarity on both sides," said Hooda. "Frankly, if you look, that's how the India-US relationship has matured over the years." While Golani said the future of Indo-German defense relations is "good and robust," former navy chief Prakash stressed that "it is hard to predict the future and how the relations will turn out." He said India and Germany should first make a start and carry out a project to its successful conclusion. "That will lead the way to future relations," he said.

The European Union (EU) has expressed their eagernass to strengthen partnership with Bangladesh in the coming days.  "We strongly reconfirmed mutual interest in strengthening between EU-Bangladesh cooperation on disaster preparedness and discussed the need to reinforce humanitarian response to Rohingya refugees," European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud in Brussels on the sidelines of 3rd EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum. European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen aslo expressed that EU is willing to strengthen ties with Bangladesh in a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud. European Commissioners expressed  their keen interest in working together with Bangladesh on various issues by increasing EU cooperation and strengthening partnership. Dr. Hasan Mahmud also attained a number of bilateral meetings on the day with Hanke Bruins Slot, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Foreign Minister of Hungary Péter Szijjártó, Foreign Minister of Portugal Dr. João Gomes Cravinho and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.    During the bilateral meetings, The Ministers discussed matters of deep mutual interest including increasing trade and investment.  Dr. Hasan requested them to increase international pressure on Myanmar for repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas with full rights.   Dr. Hasan Mahmud also had fruitful exchanges with  EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel and Foreign Minister of Slovenia Tanja Fajon.  

Saudi Arabia has expressed interest to take the existing bilateral relations with Bangladesh to a new height. President of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibraheem Al Sheikh paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Wednesday (January 31). The delegation of Saudi Arabia expressed its interest there. After the meeting, Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary KM Shakhawat Moon briefed the reporters. By this time, he said, the Saudi delegation congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for decorating the Prime Minister's seat again. "The President of the Shura Council praised the unprecedented development in Bangladesh under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina" Moon said to the reporters.

The duo shared two pictures of them decked up in wedding clothes on Instagram, leaving netizens shocked at the revelation. Additionally, Javed swiftly changed her name on Instagram to Sana Shoaib Malik. Shoaib Malik poses for a photograph with Sana Javed after their marriage.-- X photo In a surprising turn of events, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik announced his marriage to actor Sana Javed amid rumours of his separation from Indian tennis player Sania Mirza, reports Dawn. The duo shared two pictures of them decked up in wedding clothes on Instagram, leaving netizens shocked at the revelation. Additionally, Javed swiftly changed her name on Instagram to Sana Shoaib Malik. People believe the two met at Fahad Mustafa’s show Jeeto Pakistan after Mirza posted a picture of him and Javed in March of 2023, captioned ‘Happy Birthday Buddy’. After the announcement, Mustafa took to his Instagram story to congratulate the couple, adding that, ‘Happiness is all that matters’. Malik and Mirza were married in April 2010 with wedding ceremonies held in both Pakistan and India. The couple welcomed their first child in 2018. Before Mirza, Malik was married to Ayesha Siddiqui. The two divorced in 2010 after eight years of marriage. Javed, best known for her role in Ruswai, married singer Umair Jaswal in 2020. Neither party publicly confirmed their separation from their former spouses.

High Commissioner of India Pranay Verma paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Hasan Mahmud, MP today (Jan 15) at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the first call by a foreign envoy on the Foreign Minister after assuming his charges.  Terming India as the most important and closest neighbor, Foreign Minister mentioned that Bangladesh wants to work closely with India for promoting bilateral relations. He cited a few areas of engagement like connectivity, water, coastal shipping, trade and investment. He emphasized on start working on renewal of Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, which will expire on 2026. He also emphasized on resolving the pending issues amicably. He appreciated the initiative of making payments for bilateral trade through local currency for reducing dependency on international currency.  Pranay Verma noted the successful holding of the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on 7 January, which was free, fair and participatory. He also noted that international elections observers and media who visited Dhaka to cover elections expressed their satisfaction over the election process. He mentioned that BNP is taking resort to arsons in the name of movements and protests and no discussions can be held who patronizes this kind of heinous activities.    Foreign Minister thanked Government of India and the External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaisankar for sending Message of Congratulations.  Indian High Commissioner congratulated Foreign Minister and expressed desire to work together. He termed the year 2023 as one of the most successful years, citing a number of notable achievements like inauguration of a few projects related to connectivity and power. He stressed to collaborate each other in areas like climate change, digital payment system, start-up, trade facilitation and more. High Commissioner also extended an invitation on behalf of the Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Delhi at a mutually convenient time. Foreign Minister accepted the invitation and told him that he would visit Delhi soon.   

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament that his government had "credible" reasons to believe that "agents of the government of India" were responsible for the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in the western province of British Columbia three months ago. "Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said in a statement to the House of Commons. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Monday "the head" of Indian intelligence in Canada was ordered to leave the country. On Tuesday, India responded by expelling a high-level Canadian diplomat based in India. India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that "allegations of government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd." The statement added that India is a "democratic polity" with a "strong commitment to rule of law" and urged Canada to take "prompt and effective legal action" against all "anti-India elements operating from their soil." Former Indian diplomat Anil Wadhwa told DW that Canada has made a mistake by "escalating the issue," after India rejected having been involved in the killing, and should have "worked with Indian authorities to allay any concerns." "I see a further escalation in this spat, which will affect our trade and people to people ties in a major way. This will play out in international fora as well. It will be a downhill slope for India-Canadian relations," Wadhwa said. Canada home to Sikh diaspora On June 18, Sikh leader and activist Nijjar was gunned down by two masked assailants as he left a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. According to media reports, Nijjar was a prominent organizer in the Sikh community in Canada. He was also a proponent of the "Khalistan Movement," which calls for a Sikh homeland by carving out an ethno-religious state in India's Punjab region. The movement dates back to India and Pakistan's independence in 1947, when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries. India's government has outlawed the Khalistan Movement as a security threat, and over the decades, there have been periodic episodes of violence related to the movement, including a decade-long insurgency in Punjab during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1985, Canada-based Sikh militants were responsible for the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland that killed all 329 passengers and crew, including 268 Canadian citizens. Indian officials said Nijjar, who came to Canada in 1979 claiming refugee status, had been organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora in Surrey. India's government had labelled him a terrorist, and sought to have him extradited. Canada is home to the largest population of Sikhs outside of Punjab, and the Sikh diaspora in Canada often stages activism and peaceful protests for Sikh causes. "That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern," India's government said in a statement in response to Trudeau's announcement. Priti Singh, a professor from the Centre for Canadian, US and Latin American Studies at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University said Trudeau was using the killing to shore up his image domestically in the light of falling approval ratings. "This issue was raised publicly by Canada when back door diplomatic channels are there to resolve it. This sharp escalation in rhetoric is because Trudeau is losing domestic support," Singh told DW. Canada-India ties hit new low The tit for tat diplomat expulsions mark scaled-up tensions between Canada and India, which have been exacerbated by what India perceives as Canadian indifference to the activities of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada. "They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship," said a statement released this week by the Indian prime minister's office. In 2022, tensions between Canada and India were also raised after a Sikh separatist group organized a so-called referendum in the Canadian city of Brampton on Khalistan. India's government at the time condemned Canada for allowing the vote to take place. In July, India was particularly irked by a float at a pro-Khalistan rally in Toronto, which gruesomely depicted the 1984 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was killed by her Sikh bodyguards. At the sidelines of the recent G20 summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about his concerns over "extremist elements" in Canada during his meeting with Trudeau. Trudeau had reportedly raised Nijjar's killing directly with Modi during the G20 summit, and urged the government of India to cooperate with Canada. At the same summit, Canada announced it would pause talks on a free-trade agreement with India. Meera Shankar, a former Indian ambassador to the US, said the diplomatic spat is unfortunate given that India and Canada have much to gain by strengthening cooperation. Shankar told DW that "extremist elements" are given "free reign" in Canada, and claimed that Trudeau's government was pandering to Sikh voters for political support. "Liberal principles or the cultivation of domestic constituencies should not involve tolerance of violence, or threats to Indian diplomats, or funding of violent activities in India," she said. Canada is home to nearly 800,000 Sikhs, who represent an important political constituency. Four Sikh cabinet ministers were appointed by Trudeau in 2015. However, Ravinder Singh Ahuja, president of the Sikh Forum in New Delhi, told DW that the Khalistan Movement is often misconstrued as representing the will of the entire Sikh community worldwide. "Khalistan is not a reflection of the Sikhs living in India. It is not a physical or geographical line that is drawn and is merely utopian," he said.

In a move that would have been unthinkable only months earlier, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, in Jeddah on Friday.  The Iranian diplomat met his Saudi counterpart on Thursday but extended his one-day visit to the kingdom to meet the man considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Relations between the two regional rivals have steadily improved since a Chinese-brokered deal announced in March saw them reestablish diplomatic ties. Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016 after the Saudi Embassy in Tehran was attacked during protests. The demonstrations were in response to Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Iranian-Saudi relations thaw Footage of the meeting on Iranian and Saudi state media showed the two men smiling as they spoke. "Discussions were frank, beneficial, and productive," Amirabdollahian said in a social media post after the meeting. He added they "agree on 'security and development for all' in the region." Iran and Saudi Arabia have backed opposing sides in conflicts across the Middle East, including in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. Iranian officials have, however, said that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sought to end political and economic isolation from the United States by establishing new relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has lost confidence in the US commitment to regional security and sought to strengthen ties with China, which has maintained good relations with Iran.

Popular television actress Tasnia Farin revealed on Monday that she got married to the love of her life after a long and successful relationship. Farin wrote in the post, "After eight and a half years of love, friendship, and togetherness; we finally made it official on August 11, 2023. Even though it’s been a long time, you still make my heart race, just like day one." Further elaborating on her journey with Rezwan. Farin wrote, "I find my peace in you. We have built our own sanctuary devoid of outside noise. We fell in love when I was in college, before I first appeared in front of the camera. My life rapidly changed before you." Tasina tied the knot with Shaikh Rezwan on August 11, the actress shared on her verified Facebook profile. She also revealed that they have been in a relationship for almost a decade now.