Canada's arrest on Friday of three Indian nationals linked to the assassination of Sikh-Canadian activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has escalated diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi. On Friday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged the trio with first-degree murder and conspiracy, adding that they were investigating whether the suspects had links to the Indian government.
India has called the allegations of government involvement in the Nijjar murder “absurd” and a “political compulsion in Canada to blame India,” in the words of Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The arrests fall in the middle of the Indian general election in which President Narendra Modiis expected to win a third term.
News of the arrests came the same day that the Canadian government receiveda report on foreign interference in its 2019 and 2021 federal elections, includingIndia's alleged interference in Sikh diaspora affairs. The government has announced legislation to combat such intrusions, including the creation of a foreign agents registry, a measure already in place in Britain and Australia. We’re watching whether this will go ahead in time for Canada’s elections expected next year, and how the ongoing tension between Ottawa and New Delhi plays in Washington, which is doing its best to buddy up to India.Forty-eight countries have officially qualified for the World Cup, after Iraq booked the final spot with its win against Bolivia on Tuesday.
The US president has now suggested several times that the Iran war could end without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The number of Asian countries that have lined up to participate in the first edition of Eurovision, the world’s longest-running international music competition, on the continent.