WORLD

In a development that raised eyebrows across the world, Chinese President Xi Jinping made an unannounced visit to Tibet this week, including to Nyingchi located close to Arunachal Pradesh.

This was Xi’s first visit to Tibet since taking over as president in 2013.

According to Xinhua news agency, the president visited the Tibet Autonomous Region in connection with the 70th anniversary of Tibet’s “peaceful liberation the first time in the history of the party and the country”.

Russia, which has given the world the likes of MiG and Sukhoi, has unveiled a new fighter aircraft named 'Checkmate'. The aircraft will compete against US' F-35 in the international market.

Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the homegrown second fifth-generation fighter aircraft at the MAKS-2021 air show in Moscow.

The jet is expected to take to the skies in 2023, with the first batch due to be produced in 2026. Moscow plans to produce 300 units of the aircraft over 15 years once serial production begins.

Abdulla Shahid, the President-elect of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (PGA-elect) and foreign minister of the Maldives, arrived in India on Wednesday on a three-day visit.

India is the first country Shahid is visiting in his official capacity as President-elect of the UN General Assembly after he was elected to the post on June 7, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India supported Shahid's candidature to the post.

Shahid will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on key international, multilateral, regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest, the MEA said.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos flew into space on his company Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft on Tuesday, marking a historic moment in space travel. The founder of Amazon, Bezos, announced a $100 million "Courage and Civility" award upon his return to the planet.

This award will be conferred on leaders who engage the public to counter challenges facing the human race.

The first two "Courage and Civility" awards have been conferred on American political commentator Van Jones and celebrity chef José Andrés. Each of the award winners will receive a sum of $100 million.

Afghan Army Chief General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai is scheduled to visit India from July 27 to July 29, as per sources. He will interact with top security officials including the Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane. He is also expected to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Ahmadzai's visit to India comes against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict between the Taliban and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's deputy minister of acquisition and technical planning was also scheduled to visit India from July 11 and 16. However, his trip was rescheduled. "The visit is likely to happen later but the dates have not been fixed yet," said an official.