After a five-year hiatus, direct flights between China and India have resumed.
Around 180 passengers were on board IndiGo flight 6E1703 from Kolkata, which touched down in Guangzhou, southern China, just before 4 00 AM on Monday (20:00 GMT on Sunday). The latest indication that the two most populous countries are slowly but surely rekindling diplomatic ties after a number of diplomatic sluggish years.
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The government of India predicted that the return of flights will promote “people-to-people contact” and promote “gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges.”
Early in 2020, flights between the neighboring nations were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shared Himalayan border has been the site of deadly clashes that have raged for a long time.
However, relations are resuming as a result of President Donald Trump’s administration’s battle with American foreign policy issues.
India’s ties to Washington, a crucial trading partner, are deteriorating, with New Delhi trying to persuade it to reverse its decision to impose 50 percent trade tariffs.
Trump’s supporters claim that India has financed Russia’s conflict in Ukraine with oil purchases.
China is accused of directly supporting Russia’s use of weapons in a trade dispute that is ongoing.
In an effort to stop their trade dispute from worsening, Trump and President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on Thursday.
Thaw
Following discussions between Xi and Narendra Modi in China in August and in Russia last year, New Delhi and Beijing thawed.
At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the border skirmish between the nuclear-armed countries in 2020, which led to the ban of hundreds of apps, including TikTok, in New Delhi.
India then strengthened its ties to the US-led Quad alliance, which included Japan and Australia, in an effort to combat China’s influence in the Asia Pacific.
However, this month, Chinese and Indian soldiers stationed at the Himalayan border exchanged sweets during the Hindu holiday of Diwali, according to Yu Jing, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in India.
In an editorial following Modi and Xi’s meeting in August, The Indian Express stated that strengthening ties with Beijing “sents an appropriate signal” to Washington.
However, the newspaper added that “India’s long-term challenge is managing an increasingly assertive China.”
Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition leader, has been charged in a new Turkish court. His arrest in March sparked widespread anti-government protests.
The Istanbul mayor’s arrest on Monday comes as part of an investigation launched last week into alleged ties to a businessman who was detained in July for carrying out intelligence operations for foreign governments.
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The allegations are a result of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) ongoing crackdown on the opposition.
The government of Turkiye rejects this claim and insists that the opposition’s involvement in corruption and other illegal activities is directly at the heart of the charges and investigations.
Imamoglu was detained in March on corruption charges, sparking widespread protests, and he was given a jail sentence in July for insulting and threatening the chief Istanbul prosecutor.
Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival, is suspected of transferring personal information from Istanbul residents as part of an effort to secure international funding for his presidential campaign, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Imamoglu has denied all of the allegations, both in court and on social media.
The devil wouldn’t even consider such a slander, lie, and conspiracy! he authored an X-. We are dealing with an unethical behavior that cannot be adequately described.
Necati Ozkan, a former campaign manager for Imamoglu, and Merdan Yanardag, the television news channel’s editor-in-chief, were also charged.
The state took control of the state-run program on Friday, citing the espionage allegations.
arrest waves
As Imamoglu was being interrogated by the prosecution, hundreds of supporters gathered on Sunday outside Istanbul’s main courthouse. He had not left Istanbul’s Marmara Prison, which is located just outside the city, in seven months.
Critics see his arrest and the subsequent additional accusations as part of a wider crackdown on the opposition, which gained significantly in the elections last year.
CHP mayors and municipalities have been the subject of numerous arrests for corruption-related offenses throughout the year.
Erdogan has refuted allegations of judiciary-related political interference.
President Donald Trump presided over the signing of a peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, beginning his weeklong, high-stakes diplomatic tour of Asia in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Trump had flown to Malaysia to attend the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where he also signed separate trade deals on Sunday with Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia as well as agreements on critical minerals with Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
A peace declaration between Cambodia and Thailand, which expanded on a ceasefire agreement reached in July, which brought deadly border clashes to an end, was the highlight of his appearance.
The agreement was overseen by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who currently chairs ASEAN, and the prime ministers of the ASEAN neighbors, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
While the regional leaders hailed the ceasefire as “historic”, the differences between them run deep with decades-long disputes over their border and temples claimed by both sides.
What’s the deal, then, and is there a guarantee of a ceasefire?
At the signing of a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, the leaders of Malaysia, Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, Cambodia, and US President Donald Trump sign documents.
What do we know about the peace agreement?
The neighbors’ “unwavering commitment to peace and security” and “unwavering commitment to an immediate halt to hostilities” were reiterated in a joint statement released on Sunday by the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, confirming their earlier commitment to refrain from using force and respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The most thorough attempt to put an end to the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia along their disputed border has been made by Trump, as Trump has called it.
At the core of the deal is a plan for military de-escalation under ASEAN members ‘ supervision. With the approval of a new ASEAN Observer Team (AOT), the two parties agreed to remove large weapons from border areas and return them to their regular bases.
The agreement addressed a “information war” that has recently erupted and heightened tensions in both nations, in addition to military measures. Bangkok and Phnom Penh pledged to refrain from spreading false or inflammatory claims through official or unofficial channels.
Both countries have agreed to resume normal diplomatic relations and coordinate local-level discussions through established bodies like the Joint Boundary Commission and the General Border Committee.
One of the key factors leading to the recent round of fighting was the commitment to coordinate and implement humanitarian de-mining in the border regions.
Upon fulfilment, Thailand has undertaken to release 18 Cambodian soldiers captured during this year’s fighting.
On August 20, 2025, soldiers and personnel from the Thailand Mine Action Centre stand guard in the Chong Chub Ta Mok area of Surin province, where landmines were discovered following a ceasefire. [Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters]
Which response has the other side given?
Anutin said Bangkok stands for peace and “this declaration, if fully implemented, will create the building blocks for a lasting peace”.
Hun Manet referred to the joint declaration’s signing as a “historic day.”
According to Anutin, “it will kick off the restoration of our ties,” adding that “innocent civilians have suffered significant losses.”
Anwar said the agreement “reminds us that reconciliation is not concession but an act of courage”.
Trump has the longest speaking career.
Trump said, “Everyone was sort of surprised that we got the [the ceasefire] done so quickly,” while seated with the regional leaders in front of a backdrop covered in the words “Delivering Peace.”
“My administration immediately began working to prevent the conflict from escalating”, he added, recalling how he had learned of the fighting while visiting his Turnberry golf course in Scotland in July.
Trump continued, “I said this is much more important than a round of golf,” noting that “I could have had much fun doing this, saving people and saving countries.”
Trump bragged that there has never been another war like the eight that my administration has ended in eight months. “It’s like, I shouldn’t say it’s a hobby, because it’s so much more serious, but something I’m good at and something I love to do”.
These landmines were deactivated near the Thai-Cambodge border, according to Thailand. On August 20, 2025, the army visited the area to display them. [Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters]
What was the fighting about?
Thailand and Cambodia have had the worst relations in decades.
The conflict between the Southeast Asian neighbors has long been a source of tension due to its 800 km (nearly 500 km) border. Both sides dispute demarcations drawn in 1907 during French colonial rule in Cambodia.
The border regions are home to numerous ancient temples, some of which both sides claim. Communities on both sides of the border that share ancestry and heritage also reside in the conflicted areas.
In February, a dispute over Prasat Ta Moan Thon, a Khmer temple, flared up after Thai police reportedly stopped Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at the contested site.
After a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border dispute in May, there were more escalations and a full-fledged diplomatic crisis.
The fighting then grew even more severe in late July, with numerous fatalities reported on both sides over the course of five days. At least 300, 000 people were displaced on both sides.
Trump contacted both leaders, saying he would not negotiate trade deals with them if the fighting continued. Both nations’ export markets are dominated by the US.
However, tensions came to the fore again in August when Thai soldiers were injured by landmines while patrolling a buffer zone between the countries. Cambodia allegedly laid new mines in violation of the ceasefire, a claim that Phnom Penh vehemently refuted.
De-mining along the border and the elimination of heavy weapons are now included in the expanded peace agreement.
What is the current situation on the ground?
The current truce is still fragile because of local disagreements and conflicting political views in both nations.
Both of their prime ministers thanked Trump for his actions at the ceremony on Sunday. Hun Manet also reminded Trump that his government had nominated the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize, an international recognition that Trump campaigned for , but did not get when this year’s prizes were handed out this month.
The countries’ land border crossings were closed as a result of the tensions, which still impede bilateral trade, which reached $ 10.45 billion last year.
Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former longtime leader, and Hun Manet’s father, filed a complaint with the UN earlier this month about “intense, high-pitched noises” being broadcast across the border.
The still powerful Hun Sen said Thailand was broadcasting ghost-like sounds from its Sisaket province, and the Cambodian Human Rights Committee accused Thailand of “engaging in psychological warfare”.
Since October 10, the committee has blasted high-decibel sounds from “ghosts,” wailing children, howling dogs, and roaring helicopters through loudspeakers at night.
According to The Nation newspaper, Thai social media activist Kannawat Pongpaibulwech, also known as Kan Chompalang, is responsible for the nightly sound explosions at Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaew in Sisaket province.
Kannawat, who had received permission from the Thai army regiment overseeing security in the border province to carry out the campaign, said he aimed to drive out Cambodian settlers encroaching on Thai territory.
Anutin claimed that the tactic violated no fundamental human rights. He claimed that we had to defend our sovereignty.
Buddhist monks take part in a march for peace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on August 10, 2025, after a border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand]Roun Ry/Reuters]
The ceasefire will it continue?
The joint declaration, according to Chheang Vannarith, a political analyst and the head of Cambodia’s National Assembly Advisory Council, is “a positive, significant step toward the restoration of peace and normalcy” in the area.
“The ceasefire will hold, but the international community must keep closely monitoring the implementation”, Vannarith said, adding that Trump’s role has been “decisive” in brokering the deal. He continued, “He has a lot of weight.”
However, he claimed that Bangkok’s tensions could be changed by domestic political manipulation.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor and senior fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, said that post-summit, the ASEAN bloc would have to contend with the lasting effects of the Thai-Cambodian conflict over the coming years, “spilling into the Philippines’s turn to chair next year and possibly Singapore’s in 2027 when ASEAN turns 60”.
The respective governments of Thailand and Cambodia “appear intent and incentivized to stoke the flames of nationalism for domestic political gains,” he said despite progress being made in negotiations to lower the tensions and restart border talks.
Anutin, according to Thitinan, “will likely try to use domestic anti-Cambodian feelings and reactions to gain electoral advantage ahead of a new poll by the second quarter of next year.”
In Cambodia, Hun Manet could rally anti-Thai grievances and resentments to maintain political control and divert attention from allegations involving scam centres and transnational crime based in Cambodia, Thitinan said.
According to Thitinan, “the Thai-Cambodian conflict has become ASEAN’s albatross, and bilateral, ASEAN mechanisms urgently need to be focused on mitigation and resolution.”
Prince Andrew is unlikely to write an autobiography in the “Harry-style” style, a source said, but concerns have grown that Fergie cannot be the same. She has reportedly been approached by publishers.
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Sarah Ferguson relinquished her title of Duchess of York (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
With Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson reportedly in talks to vacate the Royal Lodge , fears have started to grow that the disgraced former Duke and Duchess might “go rogue” and start airing secrets of the royal family if they are exiled from royal life.
Insiders believe that while Andrew is unlikely to “do a Harry” and start exposing confidential Palace information, the same cannot be said for his ex-wife Fergie. With Sarah Ferguson known for accepting lucrative deals with various brands and publishers in order to fund her lavish lifestyle, some royal circles are growing concerned that she could pen an explosive memoir about her time in the Firm.
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According to The Sun, Sarah held “exploratory talks” with a string of publishers who are keen for her to pen her first memoir in nearly fifteen years. The talks were reportedly held during the summer – before her 2011 email to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein resurfaced.
Her discussions with publishers are reportedly meant to be “life lessons” rather than a “Spare-style” tell-all memoir. However, sources claimed Fergie “would not be able to write” Andrew out because “he is a significant part of her life” if a new book were to be written.
Fergie’s friend told the publication, “A lot has happened since her most recent memoir, almost twenty years ago, including having cancer twice and having grandpas.” She would not be able to expunge Andrew because he is a significant member of her life, despite the fact that it is not intended to. Without him being a part of the memoir, she couldn’t write it.
In 1996, Sarah released her first biography, My Story, which gave an inside look at the royal family, the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Andrew, as well as the media scrutiny.
She then wrote about her financial struggles and personal struggles in her second memoir, Finding Sarah, in 2011. Nothing has been agreed or written, according to Jennifer’s friend, despite Sarah’s frequent meetings with publishers.
Prince Andrew is unlikely to begin disclosing royal secrets, a source told The Sun. “Andrew won’t write a book like Spare,” despite the possibility that Fergie might write a memoir. The King has been promised by him.
According to a statement, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s decision to renounce their royal titles, including the Duke and Duchess of York, and their continued alleged collusion with them and their ongoing relationship with Epstein “distract” from the royal family’s work.
Through years of scandals and accusations, Andrew has vehemently denied that he had ever been a part of Epstein. An email from Fergie to Epstein in 2011 that was sent by Sarah Ferguson to the billionaire paedophile recently came back as evidence of her friendship with Ferguson.
Despite his child sex abuse convictions and her public denunciation of the late financier, Fergie described Epstein as a “steadfast and supreme friend” in the correspondence.
Andrew is said to be in talks with the King’s advisers about finally leaving Windsor as the discussions about the fallout of Fergie’s Epstein connections drag on.
Due to a knee injury, Wales lost veteran number eight Taulupe Faletau for their autumn series.
Tigers of Leicester uncapped Olly Cracknell, 31, has taken the place of the 23-year-old British and Irish Lions forward.
Four minutes into Cardiff’s victory over Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, Faletau fell off.
Steve Tandy, head coach for Wales, described the loss of the 109-cap back row as “hugely disappointing” and said it will be “hugely disappointing.”
Because Toby is a world-class player, he said, “It’s incredibly disappointing to lose him to injury.”
However, Olly has been a fantastic player for Leicester, and we are excited to add him to the team.
Cracknell, a former Ospreys player, has made an impressive comeback for the Tigers in recent years and was chosen ahead of Ospreys’ Ross Moriarty.
Along with captain Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright, Morgan Morse, and Taine Plumtree, are competing for the top spot in Wales.
five days ago
Wales squad updated
Forwards
The following are the names of Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff), Adam Beard (Montpellier), Liam Belcher (Cardiff), Rhys Carre (Saracens), Brodie Coghlan (Dragons), Christian Coleman (Dragons), Olly Cracknell (Tigers of Leicester), James Fender (Ospreys), Archie Griffin (Bath), Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs), Jac Morgan
As Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary fighters claim to have taken control of the besieged city, the UN has issued an urgent call for the protection and safe passage of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Sudan’s el-Fasher.
In response to reports of civilian casualties and forced displacement in North Darfur, the state’s capital, on Monday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher raised the alarm.
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In an effort to recapture the Sudanese army’s final stronghold in the vast western region of Darfur, the RSF has laid siege to El-Fasher for almost 18 months. At least 250, 000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the fighting.
In a statement, Fletcher said, “Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified – shelled, starving, and without access to healthcare, food, or safety,” describing el-Fasher as “at breaking point.”
He also demanded that all civilians fleeing the fighting be free of any obstacles to humanitarian aid and safe passage. Fletcher wrote on social media that “ceasefire now, in El Fasher, in Darfur, and throughout Sudan.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a warning about a “terrible escalation” later on Monday, praising Sudan’s “unbearable” humanitarian situation, which had been raging since April 2023.
Guterres also urged all nations that are “providing weapons to the parties to the war” to stop putting pressure on efforts to reach a ceasefire in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a press conference.
RSF strengthening its hold on Darfur
The civil war in Sudan, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million, and left 30 million people in need of aid, could turn out to be the biggest humanitarian crisis in history, according to observers.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, who was reporting from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, predicted that the RSF’s grip on Darfur would be strengthened by its takeover.
According to Morgan, “This implies that the RSF has more autonomy in the western region,” adding that the fighters may even seek to “separate” Darfur from the rest of Sudan.
The paramilitary group has been accused of committing atrocities in El-Fasher despite RSF’s assurances of civilian protection.
The Sudan Doctors Network claims that the advancing RSF fighters killed unarmed civilians on “ethnic grounds.”
The RSF has reported that there are more than dozens of victims, but access to the affected areas is still difficult because of the complete security collapse it has caused, according to reports from our field teams.
The statement could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Darfur’s governor, Minni Minnawi, who is allied with Sudan’s army, has vowed to keep civilians safe from the advancing RSF.
Minnawi, who was quoted by the AFP news agency as calling for an “independent investigation into the alleged RSF violations and massacres,” was also quoted as saying.
