A Philippines navy personnel was severely injured when China’s coast guard seized two Filipino ships on a resupply mission to an outpost on Second Thomas Shoal last week as China has ramped up actions targeting the Philippines in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, especially the use of “gray zone tactics”. India backed the Philippines on Friday amid a flaring of tensions in the South China Sea over China’s aggressive actions in recent weeks. “We oppose de stabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion...and we underline the need for peaceful settlement of disputes,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media without directly referring to China.

India's Deputy Representative to the United Nations, R Ravindra, said that it was Pakistan's “another habitual attempt” to divert attention from the “grave violations” against children that continue in their country on Thursday as he slammed Pakistan for its “baseless” and “politically motivated” remarks on Jammu and Kashmir during the United Nations Security Council's open debate on ‘Children and Armed Conflicts’.“Let me respond briefly in the interest of time to remarks which were, obviously, politically motivated and unfounded, made by one representative against my country. I categorically dismiss and condemn these baseless remarks with the contempt they deserve…This is nothing but another habitual attempt to divert attention from the grave violations against children that continue unabated in his own country, as highlighted in this year's Secretary General's report on children and armed conflict,” Ravindra said.

Shangfu former defence minister and his predecessor Wei Fenghe have been dismissed from the party and have been under probe since August and September last year, respectively for corruption investigations and their dismissal from the Communist Party of China (CPC). State-run news agency Xinhua reported that both Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe have been dismissed from the party and have been under probe since August and September last year, respectively. CMC – the top military body in China – opened an investigation into Li’s conduct on 31 August, 2023. Li seriously violated political and organisational discipline. He sought improper benefits in personnel arrangements for himself and others, took advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others, and accepted a huge amount of money and valuables in return according to the investigation results.

Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem was accused of performing "black magic" on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, though police neither confirmed nor denied these allegations. Details surrounding the arrest remain undisclosed by the authorities. The Maldives has a history of incidents involving alleged black magic. In 2012, police disrupted an opposition political rally, accusing the organizers of throwing a "cursed rooster" at officers during a raid. Shamnaz the state minister for environment, climate change, and energy in the Maldives, was arrested on Sunday along with two others in the capital city of Malé, police reported on Thursday. Shamnaz has been remanded in custody for a week pending further investigations.

It was the first official state visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in almost 25 years. On June 19, Putin and Kim Jong Un inked a defense agreement in Pyongyang during their visit. The military agreement stipulates: "In the event that any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay."

In a CNN survey conducted after the debate on Thursday night, 67% of respondents claimed that former President Trump had won, while only 33% claimed that President Biden had. Even worse news for Biden was revealed by the poll: 57% of debate viewers had no trust in Biden's capacity to manage the nation, compared to 44% who expressed no confidence in Trump's capacity.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected to rule on a petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal contesting the Delhi High Court ruling that halted Kejriwal's bail granted by a lower court in the liquor policy issue.

Rahul Gandhi criticized the new NDA government, accusing PM Modi of neglecting key issues. He listed a train accident in West Bengal, terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, NEET exam leaks, rising prices of essentials, and other concerns. Gandhi's remarks came on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session.

The visas issued to Chinese nationals by India has seen a sharp drop, with the number dropping from 200,000 visas issued in 2019-20 to just 2,000 in 2024. According to a Hindustan Times report, citing senior officials in the national security establishment and economic ministries, about 200,000 visas were issued to Chinese nationals in 2019 before the pandemic struck and the June 15, 2020 Galwan clash, and that this number was brought down to just 2,000 in 2024 after a structural screening of Chinese investments in India. According to the report, the government, however, has granted around 1,500 visas to Chinese nationals over the past eight months. Of these, around 1,000 visas were issued to meet the requirements of the Indian electronics industry. Another 1,000 visas are currently being processed, primarily for the electronics sector, following rigorous screening procedures. Despite the Indian government's efforts, including reducing corporate income tax and introducing a Rs 2 lakh crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme across twelve sectors, the trade deficit with China widened to over $38.11 billion in the first five months of the current year. During January-May 2024, India managed to export only $8.93 billion worth of goods to China, while imports from Beijing totaled $47 billion.

Tory candidate Marco Longhi wrote in his campaigning leaflet inviting criticism. "First of all a very happy Eid-al-Adha to you and your entire family. Recently we have seen Modi's BJP being re-elected in India. This means it will be even tougher times for the people of Kashmir in the coming months. Narendra Modi made it clear recently that he is going for a full statehood for Kashmir which would mean full removal of any sovereign rights of the Kashmiris and their special status.," the campaign leaflet read. "I was elected as your MP in 2019 and since my election I have been at the forefront of speaking against the Indian Government atrocities towards the people of Kashmir. My involvement is well publicised and I have participated in several Kashmir events...On 4th July UK General Election, you will have to make a choice. Who will speak for Kashmir in Parliament? Will it be me, or Labour Party Parliamentary candidate Sonia Kumar? I leave this decision to you. However should you vote for me, I make a pledge to you that I will raise my voice for Kashmir in Parliament even more and will be at the forefront of standing up for Kashmiris in Parliament," it added.