Category: Politics

With a sharp rise in the number of Members of Parliament with Indian ancestry, the UK general election on Thursday is predicted to produce the most diverse Parliament in the history of the nation. Based on an analysis by the British Future think tank, if the Labour Party gains a majority, it will have the highest number of Members of Parliament who are members of ethnic minorities (14%).

Fifteen Members of Parliament with Indian ancestry were elected in the previous election; many of them are running again, along with a few new candidates.

Important British Indian candidates to keep an eye on are Rajesh Agrawal, the former deputy mayor of London, running in Leicester East, and Praful Nargund, the Labour candidate running in Islington North. The latter constituency will be watched carefully since Keith Vaz, a former member of parliament, is running as an independent. Sikhs in Britain and other candidates of Indian descent are aiming to win substantial ground for Labour.

Meanwhile, it is anticipated that previous Cabinet members Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, and PM Sunak will keep their positions. There will be about 158 new MPs in the next Parliament, representing a major change in favour of more diversity.

The opposition Labour Party’s resounding victory will put an end to the 14-year Conservative Party rule under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. British elections are open to refugees and immigrants from Commonwealth nations like Nigeria, India, and Malaysia.

After missing the election in his home country of India, Paulraj, 27, who relocated to Britain in February of last year, expressed his eagerness to cast his ballot. “They are giving us an opportunity, like British citizens,” Paulraj said, speaking from his position as a part-time ambassador at the university in Manchester. He came here on a student visa.

Salford resident and Malaysian student Teh Wen Sun is excited to cast her ballot for an immigration-friendly party. In response to increasing pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), housing, and schools—all of which are a result of immigration, a significant issue in Britain—Sunak has pledged to lower net migration levels. Rwanda has been suggested as a destination for asylum seekers, and Sunak has tightened visa regulations.

Support worker Oyinkansola Dirisu, 31, of Manchester, is planning to vote for Labour in the hopes that the party’s immigration policy will be more lenient. Nigerian Esther Offem, 26, is still on the fence but has a little preference for the Conservatives.

Prime Minister Hasina’s visit to India in Modi 3.0 began a “golden era,” accomplishing more in ten years than forty.

As part of the SAGAR theory, the Indo-Pacific vision, and its “Neighbourhood First” and “Act East” policies, India sees Bangladesh as an essential neighbour. On the other hand, India is the biggest Asian market for Bangladeshi goods, and Bangladesh views India as a reliable friend and important development partner.

Ten agreements were signed during the visit, strengthening bilateral and sub-regional cooperation. Both leaders presented a “futuristic vision” that was based on India’s “Viksit Bharat by 2047” and Bangladesh’s “Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041.”

Partnerships in the areas of sustainability, the environment, and the blue economy were highlighted.

Agreements on data-sharing and temporary water-sharing arrangements were made in the field of water resources management. A joint technical committee was established in response to the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty, which is set to expire in 2026. India will help Bangladesh manage and preserve the Teesta River.

New areas of cooperation include energy, digital cooperation, space (India helped launch a satellite for Bangladesh), and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Together with modernization initiatives and cooperative exercises, the defence collaboration will expand.

In response to recent political upheavals across various member states, EU leaders chose Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission. Gains for the far right in EU elections led to changes in political landscapes, most notably in France, which influenced summit deliberations.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for von der Leyen during the G7 meeting in Italy, indicating a consensus in advance of the official endorsement at the summit on June 27–28. The elections were most beneficial to von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP), which strengthened her bid for a second, five-year term as head of the EU executive body.

Other important positions are those of high representative for international affairs (Josep Borrell) and president of the European Council (Charles Michel). Antonio Costa, the former prime minister of Portugal, is the clear favourite to lead the Council, notwithstanding his past political setbacks. Standing ready for the high representative position and indicating a strong stance against the EU’s eastern policies is Estonia’s current premier and opponent of the Kremlin, Kaja Kallas. It is anticipated that Roberta Metsola will remain President of the European Parliament.

On Wednesday, U.S., Japanese, and South Korean trade and commerce ministers met in Washington, DC, and pledged to work together to strengthen strategic cooperation. Protecting AI, regulating exports, renewable energy, and semiconductor supply chains were some of the main points covered.

According to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, “We’re doubling down our efforts to work together,” praising the partnership between the world’s top tech and industrial economies. The gathering, which began following a conference in August at Camp David, brought together South Korean Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Ken Saito.

The ministers vowed in a joint declaration to work towards a more secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and their respective countries. Reinforcing the robustness of the semiconductor and battery supply chains, as well as the safety of artificial intelligence, essential minerals, cybersecurity, and technical standards, are areas of paramount importance.

Saito underlined the commitment to build a strong supply chain for strategic commodities, encouraging objective evaluation that goes beyond just looking at prices. With the trilateral summit underway, Minister Ahn is certain that the three nations will be able to better manage global risks and enhance their industrial cooperation.

Tuesday marked the start of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako’s three-day state visit to London, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla of Britain. A state banquet, military display, and carriage procession are all part of the visit. The imperial couple were greeted ceremoniously at Horse Guards Parade by Prince William, the heir apparent after they had met at their hotel.

The two chiefs of state inspected the Guard of Honour before boarding a horse-drawn carriage with a gold trim to journey to Buckingham Palace. Postponed from 2020 owing to the epidemic, this visit is intended to strengthen military, cultural, and scientific connections between the United Kingdom and Japan. 

A Downing Street meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is one of the political factors absent from the forthcoming British election on July 4. However, Sunak and opposition leader Kier Starmer will be present for the state banquet.

Due to his early 1980s studies in Britain, Emperor Naruhito attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022 and has many happy memories of the country. Before visiting Westminster Abbey, he and King Charles would have lunch together, look at Japanese artefacts from the royal collection, and talk about their experiences.

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and his UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met to discuss current and future cooperation and ties in fields such as education, finance, and trade. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar’s visit, which came shortly after his reappointment, shows how committed India is to its relations with the UAE.

The ministers discussed unexplored potential areas and regional and global concerns and expressed delight over the progress made in many industries.

Additionally, they talked about the Israel-Hamas war and how it affected the area. Calling the temple a cultural bridge and a symbol of friendship between India and the United Arab Emirates, Jaishankar visited the BAPS mandir during his tour and took part in an International Yoga Day programme at the Louvre Museum.

The visit comes after previous discussions between UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and PM Narendra Modi, with a focus on maintaining high-level communication.

The two countries have a trade deal that is anticipated to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion in five years, as well as a comprehensive strategic alliance. 3.3 million Indian nationals live in the UAE, making it one of the biggest expat groups in West Asia.

The foreign minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Justin Tkachenko, has confirmed a firm security alliance with Australia in response to China’s growing regional influence. Seven ministers and the Australian police chief held discussions with Papua New Guinea about security and trade. Defence Minister Richard Marles highlighted that this delegation was the largest ever sent to any country.

On Thursday, the group is scheduled to visit the location of the catastrophic landslide that occurred in Enga province last month. Australia pledged its support for stability programmes in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, with an emphasis on weapons management.

The discussions took place after Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Australia; during his tour, China also proposed a policing agreement with Papua New Guinea. As Tkachenko put it, the cooperation between PNG and Australia is “crystal clear.”

Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, talked to PNG about “strategic trust” and was grateful for the promises made by the country. Aiming to deepen ties, Marles said that the processing times for PNG visa applications had been reduced from three months to seven days. Australia will invest A$200 million in PNG’s prisons, court system, police training, and internal security as part of a security accord the two nations reached in December.

National security advisers Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan met in New Delhi on Monday, during which they promised to remove obstacles to bilateral strategic commerce, technology, and industrial collaboration. The two-day visit by Sullivan coincided with a strengthening of ties between the United States and India in response to growing concerns over China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.

In January 2023, the India-US effort on critical and emerging technology was launched, and Sullivan and Doval presided over the second meeting of the initiative. Initiating a new strategic semiconductor collaboration for electronics centred on national security, they committed to preventing the leakage of critical technologies to countries of concern.

To further diversify the supply chain for critical minerals and move closer to finalising a bilateral critical minerals accord, they also chose to co-invest in a South American lithium project and an African rare earth deposit discovery.

Among the topics covered were the potential joint manufacture of fighter jet engines in India and plans for co-production of ground warfare weapons with General Electric. India revealed last year that it purchased 31 MQ-9B drones from General Atomics during Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to Washington.

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) has announced the completion of joint naval exercises with the United States, the Philippines, and Canada in the South China Sea. During Sunday’s manoeuvres, ships from the Royal Canadian Navy, the Philippine Navy, the United States Navy, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force all participated.

Collectively, these four nations have never before participated in “Maritime Cooperative Activity” like this. The participating vessels were put through their paces in a series of training exercises designed to test their coordination skills, particularly those involving navigation and communication. Along with the US, Philippine, and Australian navies, Japan’s MSDF took part in a comparable Maritime Cooperation Activity in the South China Sea in April.

To promote security, peace, and maritime order in the region, Japanese officials from the MSDF emphasised the importance of strengthening collaboration with Japan’s partners and allies. This partnership comes at a time when China’s involvement in the region is on the rise, and Philippine vessels have been repeatedly disrupted by Chinese patrol ships.

These nations are showing solidarity by conducting this exercise together in response to the threats to regional stability caused by China’s aggressive naval activities.