Canada's High Commissioner to India, Cameron Mackay, stressed the alignment of India and Canada's strategic interests, despite recent diplomatic tensions. Speaking at a seminar in Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Mackay encouraged continued trade and investment ties, acknowledging past months' strains. He advised both governments and business communities to let diplomacy unfold while fostering friendly business relations, saying, "In the meantime let's have business-to-business ties. We should work together to make our business and nations friendly again." Former Indian high commissioner, Ajay Bisaria, noted the resilience of business ties amid political differences. Mackay highlighted over 100 Indian companies investing in Canada and 600 Canadian companies in India, emphasizing the enduring nature of economic collaboration.

PDP chief and former chief minister of J&K Mehbooba Mufti narrowly escaped a car accident in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. Her vehicle collided with a civilian car, resulting in significant damage. Fortunately, Mufti remained unharmed, continuing her scheduled visit to Khanabal in another car. Although her security officer suffered minor injuries, Mufti's daughter confirmed her safety. National Conference's Omar Abdullah, while relieved about Mufti's well-being, called for a government inquiry to determine the accident's cause and address any security gaps. The PDP spokesperson assured Mufti's well-being and emphasized no serious injuries.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh responded to China's Global Times praising India's global standing, stating, "No one can scare us and get away with it." Singh, currently in the UK, highlighted a shift in China's perspective post-Galwan Valley clash. He emphasized India's strategic power and dismissed the idea of India being weak. The Global Times article acknowledged India's economic growth and diplomatic strategies. Singh affirmed India's desire for good relations but noted the current strain with China. The Defence Minister declared that India's rising global standing cannot be ignored, according to ANI reports.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake originating in Afghanistan sent tremors through Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas today at 2:50 pm IST. The National Center for Seismology confirmed the epicenter's location at Lat: 36.48, Long: 70.45, with a depth of 220 km. Panic ensued as people in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gurugram reported shaking furniture. The quake also reached Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, and cities in Pakistan. No casualties or property damage have been reported. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation as people recover from the unexpected seismic activity.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Wednesday, the first visit by an Indian defense minister in 20 years. Singh discussed with Sunak boosting defence and economic cooperation between their nations to uphold a peaceful rules-based global order. The minister called for the UK and other like-minded countries to collaborate with rising India toward this goal. The rare meeting signals growing defence ties as India and Britain explore closer military interoperability through joint exercises, defense technology transfers and co-development. It follows a productive India-UK defence industry roundtable on expanding strategic ties.

Visiting Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and UK counterpart Grant Shapps hailed deepening military cooperation between their nations as "natural partners" during talks in London on Wednesday. Shapps stated the two are traversing in a "brand new direction" that will encompass greater exchange of military hardware, software and more. He cited shared interests whether in Europe or worldwide. The defense chiefs agreed to unprecedented India-UK defense collaboration spanning joint exercises, knowledge sharing and instructor exchanges. This builds on the 2021 strategic roadmap. The UK also announced plans to deploy naval forces to train with India this year and in 2025, underscoring strengthened defense ties in the first Indian defense minister's visit in over 20 years.

The US government has opposed providing case discovery to Nikhil Gupta's defense team as he faces extradition from the Czech Republic for allegedly plotting to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Federal prosecutors argued that evidence will only be furnished if Gupta appears in a New York court, despite his lawyers recently filing a motion compelling early access to aid their defense preparations. A federal judge had directed the government to respond within days. Gupta was charged last month alongside others over the murder conspiracy. The prosecution's objection risks hampering his legal team's work until he is on US soil to stand trial over the high-profile allegations.

BBC Panorama has revealed that fast fashion company Boohoo attached "Made in the UK" labels to potentially thousands of garments that were actually produced in South Asia. Plain t-shirts and hoodies had their original tags removed at Boohoo's flagship Leicester factory before being relabeled, a misrepresentation the company blames on misinterpreting rules. Up to 1 in 250 of Boohoo’s global supply from January to October 2023 could be affected, amounting to hundreds of thousands of wrongly-labeled items. Boohoo claims it was an isolated incident of human error and says steps were taken to prevent recurrence, though the BBC reports the firm is considering closing the site altogether amidst the controversy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called off its sixth planned medical aid mission to Gaza, citing heightened security concerns. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that requests to visit northern Gaza had not been approved, and security assurances were lacking since the agency's last visit on December 26. Intense bombardment, movement restrictions, fuel shortages, and disrupted communications are impeding aid efforts. The Israeli offensive, triggered by a deadly Hamas attack on October 7, has displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million population, leaving homes and infrastructure in ruins. Despite a recent pledge to scale down the conflict, fighting has intensified, exacerbating shortages of food, water, and medicine. Currently, only 15 hospitals in Gaza remain partially functional.

Indian cricket star Virat Kohli will miss the first T20 international against Afghanistan due to "personal reasons," confirmed coach Rahul Dravid. Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma are returning to the T20 squad after over a year's absence, aligning with preparations for the T20 World Cup in June. Dravid emphasized IPL performance as crucial for squad selection. The series opener in Mohali on Thursday precedes matches in Indore and Bengaluru. Dravid mentioned the flexibility to shuffle openers but expressed satisfaction with Yashasvi Jaiswal's left-right combination. Rinku Singh's role as a finisher also gains prominence in the upcoming series.