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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told United States President Donald Trump that India will never accept mediation to resolve tensions with Pakistan. According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the topic came up during a phone call when Trump asked for the details about India’s military strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on Pakistan in May.

Trump was told that India had agreed to the ceasefire only on Islamabad’s request, said Misri. The “halt to military action was directly between India and Pakistan”, the foreign secretary quoted Modi as having reiterated.

The call between the two leaders came against the backdrop of the US president repeatedly claiming that he helped settle the tensions between India and Pakistan. New Delhi has rejected Trump’s assertions. Read on.

India hyphen Pakistan: US rhetoric revives New Delhi’s nightmare

India and Canada have agreed to designate new high commissioners in each other’s capitals. This was announced after Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit.

Other diplomatic steps “to restore stability in the relationship” will “follow in due course”, said Misri.

In October, India and Canada expelled several diplomats amid strained relations. This followed New Delhi’s rejection of a Canadian communication that named India’s high commissioner and other envoys as “persons of interest” in an investigation. While it was unclear which investigation Ottawa was referring to, reports said that it was related to the June 2023 murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Read on.

The Kerala High Court has ordered the arrest of a Liberian-flagged ship to secure claims related to cargo losses incurred after its sister vessel sank off the Kochi coast in May. The conditional arrest would be lifted if the vessel’s owner, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, deposits Rs 74 lakh or furnishes adequate security in court.

On June 13, the High Court issued a similar order to detain another vessel operated by the same company following petitions from five other cargo owners who also lost shipments in the sinking.

The vessel that sank was carrying 640 containers, including 13 hazardous cargo and 12 calcium carbide containers. The Kerala government had declared the wreckage a state-specific disaster. Read on.

The Supreme Court has questioned the Tamil Nadu government and the Madras High Court on the arrest and suspension of Additional Director General of Police HM Jayaram in connection with his alleged involvement in the abduction of a 17-year-old boy.

“These kinds of orders are shocking and demoralising,” said the court.

While Jayaram’s counsel told the Supreme Court that he had been formally arrested, the state government maintained that he was not arrested but had merely joined the investigation. Read on.

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