WORLD

The foreign ministers of the Quad countries will hold a crucial meeting in Melbourne on Friday in the backdrop of increasing tension between Russia and NATO countries over Ukraine, the Afghan crisis and rising concerns over China's muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region.

A day ahead of the talks, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday that the meeting will focus on coronavirus vaccine distribution, countering terrorism and cooperation in maritime security and climate change.

On the next COVID variants, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said that ‘variants are the wild card’ but the next one will take some time to get there. Again sounding an alarm regarding Omicron, WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove asserted that it is not the last variant of concern and currently, the UN health agency is tracking four its different versions.

"We know a lot about this virus, but we don't know everything. And quite frankly, the variants are the wild card. So we are tracking this virus in real time as it mutates as it changes…But this virus has a lot of room to move," she said.

On Tuesday, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar said he had spoken to Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Chung Eui-Yong, on a tweet by Hyundai Motor's dealer in Pakistan.

On February 5, a handle named Hyundai Pakistan Official posted a tweet remembering the 'sacrifices of Kashmiri brothers'. Hyundai India had called the social media post 'unsolicited' and apologised.

"Received a call from Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Chung Eui-Yong today. Discussed bilateral and multilateral issues as also the Hyundai matter," Jaishankar tweeted.

Amid widespread criticism over its move to field a PLA soldier involved in the border clash with Indian soldiers at the Galwan Valley in 2020 as a torchbearer for the Winter Olympics, China said on Monday that his selection met the “standards” to pick up participants for the event and it should be viewed in an “objective and rational light”.

China in a provocative move fielded Qi Fabao, the regimental commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), who was injured during the June 2020 clash in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as a torchbearer for the Olympics Games Torch Relay, which led India to diplomatically boycott the opening ceremony of the games on Friday.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday paid tributes to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who passed away earlier in the day.

Taking to Twitter, Imran Khan said, "With the death of Lata Mangeshkar the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known. Listening to her songs has given so much pleasure to so many people all over the world."

Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said, "In the passing of Lata Mangeshkar, the world of music has lost a singing legend who mesmerized generations with her melodious voice. The people of my generation grew up listening to her beautiful songs that will remain part of our memory. May she rest in peace."