Submit your Article

The World Health Organization approved a motion allowing the Palestinian flag to be flown at its headquarters, following a vote at its annual assembly. The proposal passed with 95 votes in favor, four against, and 27 abstentions.

Brought forward by China, Pakistan, and others, the move is seen as a symbolic step toward broader international recognition of Palestinian statehood, Reuters reported.

Israel rejected the resolution, describing it as a threat to legal standards. The United States, which intends to leave the WHO, did not participate in the vote.

Palestinians presently have observer status at the WHO and were recently granted access to worldwide health alerts under WHO standards, according to Reuters.

The UN Security Council has called on Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, warning of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The UN reported that aid deliveries, including food, water, and medicine, have been blocked for over 10 weeks, putting Gaza’s 2.1m residents at risk of famine. One in five people is facing starvation, and large parts of the territory remain under evacuation orders or militarized zones, as reported by UN news.

Humanitarian organizations say Israel’s proposed military-run aid system is unworkable and violates humanitarian principles. Nearly 500,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger, and over 400 aid workers have been killed in the conflict.

As stated by UN news, several countries, including China and the UK, urged Israel to comply with international law, allow immediate aid access, and end its military campaign, warning that continued restrictions will worsen civilian suffering.

Preparations for the first-ever Sagarmatha Sambaad, set to take place in Kathmandu from May 16–18, are in their final stages.

The organizers have confirmed that all logistical and technical arrangements meet international standards to ensure the event’s success. Hosted by the Government of Nepal at the Soaltee Hotel, the dialogue will focus on the theme “Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity.”

The high-level forum aims to address urgent global environmental challenges, particularly climate change and its disproportionate impact on mountain ecosystems and vulnerable communities. The event, which will be held biennially from now on, will convene 140 foreign delegates from 40 countries, including ministers, senior government officials, diplomats, donor agency representatives, climate experts, environmentalists, and development leaders. Together, they will seek regional and international cooperation for a unified response to the climate crisis.

According to Sambaad Secretariat Deputy Speaker of China Xiao Jie is confirmed as a chief guest of the program.

He is vice chairman of the standing committee of the 14th  National People’s Congress. Other high-level guests of the programs are Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India, and Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 Presidency, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan.

President Donald Trump announced a "total reset" in US-China ties after both countries agreed to lower tariffs on each other's products for 90 days. He stated that he intends to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping shortly and does not believe tariffs will return to their previous levels, according to BBC.

The agreement is a significant step toward lowering tensions in the continuing trade war. The United States will reduce duties on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent, while China will reduce levies on American goods from 125 percent to 10 percent.

Analysts believe the reduction are larger than projected, however 30 percent remains a high percentage. Following the announcement, US markets grew and rebounded to earlier this year's levels, indicating high investor confidence, BBC reported.

In a major step toward easing trade tensions, the United States and China have agreed to reduce tariffs for a 90-day period starting May 14, according to a joint announcement from both governments.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that both nations will implement a mutual tariff reduction, with US duties on Chinese imports set to decrease to 30 percent and Chinese tariffs on American goods lowered to 10 percent, as reported by BBC.

The agreement also establishes a platform for ongoing conversation on economic and trade issues. China’s Ministry of Commerce expressed optimism that the US would remain committed to cooperation and emphasized that reducing tariffs aligns with the broader interests of the global economy, according to BBC.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China's commitment to collaborating with Russia to protect the United Nations authority and protect developing nation’s interests from bullying and unilateralism during his official visit to Russia.

In talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Xi emphasized the shared responsibility of both nations as permanent members of the UN Security Council. He advocated for collaborative efforts to promote a fair interpretation of World War II history, a multipolar international order, and inclusive, balanced globalization, according to Xinhua.

Xi is in Moscow to attend events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Oil prices dropped over $1 a barrel on Wednesday amid doubts over US-China trade talks and easing concerns about global supply disruptions.Brent crude settled at $61.12, down $1.03, while US West Texas Intermediate fell $1.02 to $58.07, Reuters reported.

Investor sentiment fell as US-China trade talks, scheduled for Switzerland, were considered as unlikely to achieve results. At the same time, hints of progress in US-Iran nuclear talks have allayed concerns about restricted supplies from the OPEC supplier.

Gasoline stocks in the United States unexpectedly increased, increasing demand concerns as the summer driving season approaches. Although oil stockpiles declined by 2m barrels, the increase in gasoline negated optimistic optimism, according to Reuters.

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and signals of reduced investment from US producers provided some relief, but market volatility is set to linger.

China on Wednesday expressed regret and concern over Indian strikes on Pakistan, urging both sides to show restraint in response to a major escalation between its nuclear-armed neighbours, The Indian Express reported.

India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery along their contested frontier on Wednesday, after New Delhi launched missile strikes on its arch-rival.

Pakistan said Indian strikes had killed at least eight people, and India said Pakistani artillery fire had killed three civilians along the de facto border in contested Kashmir, according to The Indian Express.

China, which shares land borders with both countries and is a close ally of Pakistan, said it expressed “regret over India’s military action this morning” and said it was “concerned about the current developments”.

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has opposed the Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to dismantle the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). 

Issuing a press statement, he said that since its establishment under President George W Bush over 20 years ago, the MCC has a proven track record of delivering economically transformative, transparent and accountable returns on foreign assistance through its projects, helping partner countries such as Kosovo and Senegal strengthen their democratic institutions and reduce their dependency on aid in the long-term. “The Millennium Challenge Corporation is a bipartisan, independent government agency established in law by Congress to reduce global poverty through economic growth,” he said.  

Just last year, Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law, a bipartisan bill that expands MCC’s pool of eligible candidate countries. MCC is a necessary tool to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative and dismantling it will open the door for the PRC to further exploit and capitalize on America’s retreat, as it has with Nepal, he said.  “This destructive dismantling of MCC does nothing to make America stronger; it only harms our economic and national security interests.”

Meanwhile, for the current fiscal year, MCA-Nepal has a budget of Rs 13.36bn. Of this amount,
Rs 9.9bn would be funded by the MCC and the remaining Rs 3.45bn would be borne from internal sources.

However, after MCA-Nepal did not spend the budget, about 58 percent of the budget has been returned to the Ministry of Finance. Not only in the current fiscal year but also in the last fiscal year, MCA-Nepal’s expenditure was unsatisfactory. MCA-Nepal had spent only about 30 percent of the total budget for the last fiscal year and returned the remaining 70 percent of the budget.

The government had allocated Rs 10.84bn for the last fiscal year to spend on projects under MCA-Nepal, out of which Rs 7.60bn was returned. The budget could not be spent as per the target as the compensation distribution and acquisition of land required for the construction of the power transmission line has slowed down. 

MCA-Nepal is among the agencies returning the highest amounts under capital expenditures.

Vietnam's trade ministry has ordered stronger import controls to prevent illegal transshipment, in an attempt to avoid US tariffs that might harm the country's export-driven economy.

Effective April 15, the directive warns that rising trade tensions may fuel fraud, undermining attempts to avoid foreign sanctions. Though no country was mentioned, China accounts for about 40 percent of Vietnam's imports, and Washington accuses Beijing of using Vietnam to avoid tariffs, Reuters reported.

Vietnam is at risk of a 46 percent tariff from the United States, which has been postponed until July and might harm GDP and foreign investment.

According to Reuters, the decision comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit and pledged to collaborate to check goods' provenance. Earlier this week, Beijing also cautioned countries against signing trade deals with the United States at its expense.

China's first-quarter economic growth beat expectations, underpinned by solid consumption and industrial output even as policymakers brace for the impact of U.S. tariffs that analysts say pose the biggest risk to the Asian powerhouse in decades, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump has ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese goods to eye-watering levels, prompting Beijing to slap retaliatory duties on U.S. imports in an intensifying trade war between the world's two biggest economies that markets fear will lead to a global recession.

Data on Wednesday showed China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.4% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, unchanged from the fourth quarter, but beat analysts expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 5.1%.

The outlook is expected to dim, however, as Washington's tariff shock hits the crucial export engine, heaping pressure on Chinese leaders as they try to keep the world's second-largest economy on an even keel and prevent mass job losses, according to Reuters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for stronger industrial and supply chain cooperation with Vietnam and wider collaboration in emerging fields, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, amid heightened trade tensions prompted by hefty U.S. tariffs, Reuters reported.

Xi starts a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia this week, beginning his state visits with Vietnam from April 14 to 15.

China hiked its levies on imports of U.S. goods to 125% on Friday, hitting back at U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to single out the world's No. 2 economy for higher duties.

Xi also urged strengthening coordination and cooperation through regional initiatives such as the East Asia Cooperation and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, the ministry said, citing an article by the Chinese leader published in Vietnam media, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump's trade war rattled global markets anew on Thursday as stocks and oil prices sank amid fears China may once again respond in kind with higher tariffs to match the latest levies imposed by the United States, Reuters reported.

Battered global markets and anxious global leaders welcomed Wednesday's reprieve when Trump suddenly decided to freeze most of his hefty new duties for 90 days.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to further assuage skeptics by telling a meeting of Trump's cabinet that more than 75 countries wanted to put in place a process for trade negotiations, and Trump himself expressed hope of a trade deal with China.

But the uncertainty in the meantime extended some of the most volatile trading since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reuters.

Chinese companies that sell products on Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab are preparing to hike prices for the U.S. or quit that market due to the "unprecedented blow" from President Donald Trump's tariff hikes, the head of China's largest e-commerce association said, Reuters reported.

Trump said on Wednesday he would raise tariffs on Chinese imports to 125% from the 104% level already in effect, escalating the high-stakes confrontation between the two world's largest economies.

"This isn't just a tax issue, it's that the entire cost structure gets entirely overwhelmed," said Wang Xin, the head of the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association, which represents more than 3,000 Amazon sellers.

"It'll be very hard for anyone to survive in the U.S. market," she told Reuters.

Some sellers are looking to increase prices in the U.S. while others are looking to find new markets, Wang said.

Twenty people were killed in a fire that broke out in an apartment for the elderly at a nursing home in China, state media said on Wednesday, while authorities arrested its owner as they investigate the cause, Reuters.

It was the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent years, including a fire at a hospital in the capital in 2023 that killed 26 patients and wounded dozens.

Tuesday's fire in the city of Chengde in the northern province of Hebei blazed for two hours before it was doused, the official Xinhua news agency and the state-backed Global Times newspaper said, citing local authorities, according to Reuters.

China said Tuesday it would “fight to the end” and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports, Associated Press reported.

The Commerce Ministry said the U.S.‘s imposition of “so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’” on China is “completely groundless and is a typical unilateral bullying practice.” 

China has taken retaliatory tariffs and the ministry hinted in its latest statement that more many be coming. 

“The countermeasures China has taken are aimed at safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining the normal international trade order. They are completely legitimate,” the ministry said. “The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the US. China will never accept this. If the US insists on its own way, China will fight to the end," according to Associated Press.