JAPANESE Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday discussed issues on the “increasingly uncertain” state of the economy and multilateral trade and agreed to cooperate in responding to global challenges.
The first in-person meeting between the two leaders came on the fringes of the Group of Seven leaders’ meeting chaired by Carney, a former central banker, at a time when US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy has raised concerns about the global economy and trade.
During their meeting in Kananaskis, Ishiba welcomed the strengthening of the bilateral “strategic partnership” and agreed with Carney on closer security and economic cooperation, according to a Japanese official.
The two leaders agreed to aim for the early signing of defence-related agreements on intelligence sharing and the transfer of defence equipment and technology, the Japanese official said.
Ishiba took office last October while Carney became prime minister in March. — Kyodo

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

India and Canada agreed Tuesday to return ambassadors to each other's capitals.  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the Canadian Rockies as a guest at the summit of the Group of Seven major economies.

Carney said he hoped the meeting would "provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, trust." "He would describe it as foundational as a necessary first step, a frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression," he also told a news conference. He noted that India is invited each year to G7 summits of major industrial democracies, pointing to the size of its economy.

mitv

The White House says President Donald Trump will leave early from the Group of Seven summit in Canada and return to Washington.

In a social media post on Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "because of what's going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State." She cited the "many important matters" the president needs to attend to. Trump is expected to get back to work at the White House to deal with rising tensions in the Middle East.

Ref : NHK

MOSCOW June 16 

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday.

 "Putin and Erdogan condemned Israel's use of force against Iran, which violated the UN Charter and other norms of international law," the statement said. 

The statement said both sides expressed the most serious concern over the ongoing escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, which has already caused a significant loss of life and poses long-term consequences for the entire region. The two leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged both sides to settle their differences, including those related to Iran's nuclear program, through political and diplomatic means. 

Putin expressed gratitude to Erdogan for providing organizational support for the direct talks between Moscow and Kiev, noting that Russia has strictly adhered to the agreements reached during the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on June 2, including the return of bodies of dead service personnel and the exchange of prisoners of war. 

Xinhua

Vietnam officially gained admission to Brics as a “partner country” on Friday, joining a growing group of emerging economies connected to the bloc’s widening agenda urging global cooperation and governance reform.

The announcement came from Brazil, which holds Brics’ rotating presidency in 2025. In a statement, the Brazilian government welcomed Hanoi’s decision, highlighting shared goals of building “a more inclusive and representative international order.”

Brazil touted Vietnam’s population of nearly 100 million and its “dynamic economy” as key factors in the country’s admission.  “Vietnam stands out as a significant player in Asia,” according to the statement. “The country shares with Brics members and partners a commitment to a more inclusive and representative international order.”

“Its efforts in promoting South-South cooperation and sustainable development further strengthen its alignment with the interests of the group,” it added.

The admission makes Vietnam the tenth nation to be designated a Brics partner, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

Ref : South China Morning Post

US President Donald Trump says billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk will have to face "very serious consequences" if he funds opposition Democratic Party candidates in the midterm elections next year.

The relationship between Trump and Musk has been deteriorating over a Republican-led bill including tax cuts. Musk served in a key post in the Trump administration before quitting it late last month.

In a telephone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump was asked if he thought his relationship with Musk is over. Trump said, "I would assume so."

He criticized Musk for being "very disrespectful" of the office of the president.

Citing a senior White House official, Bloomberg reported on Friday that Trump is considering getting rid of the Tesla car he bought to show his solidarity with Musk's electric vehicle firm.

Ref : NHK

Countering terrorism post Operation Sindoor is a key theme for India; PM’s attendance comes despite U.S. concerns over India’s participation in BRICS and possible initiatives to find alternative trade currencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Rio De Janeiro next month to attend the BRICS summit, sources said here. The gathering is being closely watched by the U.S. Trump administration that sees it as a counterweight to the G-7 group of developed nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to attend, as well as the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, and Indonesia.

Mr. Modi’s attendance at the event comes soon after the four-day conflict with Pakistan, and India’s “new normal” on fighting terror. Any joint statement on cross-border terrorism by the largely economic grouping will be significant for India, officials said. Any meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Mr. Modi last met on the sidelines of the previous BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, will also be watched with interest, given China’s support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and plans to reset bilateral ties with the restart of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for Indian pilgrims to Tibet in June.

Ref : The Hindu

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan also urged quicker regional integration, saying the Asean bloc must act now to reduce the impact of global trade shocks, especially from US tariffs

Boris Pradhan New Delhi 

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has urged Southeast Asian countries to strengthen trade relations with China and India to bypass steep US tariffs. In an interview with Nikkei Asia, Mahathir said, “Malaysia should have a bigger trade with China and India to replace the loss of trade against America.” 

Mahathir was speaking on the sidelines of the Future of Asia forum in Tokyo last week. Mahathir emphasised that trade with China significantly surpasses that with the United States, and noted that there is still potential to further expand trade with India.

Asean reels from US tariffs 

The US, under President Donald Trump, imposed tariffs ranging from 10 per cent to 49 per cent, heavily impacting Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) economies that rely on US exports. Six of the Asean bloc’s 10 member states are among the worst affected, likely impacting the Asean’s 4.7 per cent growth target for the year. 

Following Trump’s announcement of a 90-day tariff pause last month, several Asean countries - including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam - initiated trade talks with Washington to mitigate the economic fallout.

Malaysia calls for regional integration

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan also called for faster regional economic integration to buffer the effects of global trade disruptions. “Asean nations are among those most heavily affected by the US-imposed tariffs,” Mohamad said. “We must seize this moment to deepen regional economic integration; so that we can better shield our region from external shocks.”

Asean has responded by intensifying ties with China and the Persian Gulf, including a landmark trilateral summit held in Kuala Lumpur last month. Trade between Asean, China, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reached over $900 billion last year — nearly double its $453 billion trade volume with the US, according to Aseanstats.

Push for Asean-US dialogue

 As the current Asean chair, Malaysia has formally requested a special summit with the US to discuss trade issues. Mohamad expressed hope that the meeting would take place later this year.

China will be ‘No 1 country in the world’: Mahathir

Mahathir stated that China is on track to become the world’s leading power, asserting that the United States lacks the capacity to halt its rise due to growing domestic preoccupations. “China has been there much longer than the US. I don’t think China is going to be easily defeated by the US,” he said. “I don’t think the US will recover and become No 1 again. China looks like it is going to be the No 1 country in the world.”

Ref : Business Standard

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says Tehran and Caracas are determined to expand comprehensive bilateral cooperation, calling for a transition from dollar-based transactions to national currencies and the use of the BRICS Pay system in their trade relations.

Qalibaf made the remarks on Sunday during a meeting with Iranian and Venezuelan business leaders and private sector representatives in Caracas. The visit marks the beginning of his three-nation tour of Latin America, which will also take him to Cuba and Brazil to participate in the Parliamentary Forum of BRICS member states.

Emphasizing the need to overcome existing obstacles in banking and finance, Qalibaf highlighted the role of the Iran-Venezuela joint bank and underlined the potential of BRICS Pay — the economic bloc’s alternative to the SWIFT system — to facilitate smoother financial transactions between the two heavily sanctioned nations.

"Replacing the dollar with national currencies and regional payment systems like BRICS Pay can neutralize the impact of foreign pressure on our economies," he said. "Traders and private sector actors in Iran and Venezuela are on the frontlines of the economic war waged by our common adversaries."

The speaker reaffirmed that expanding Iran-Venezuela ties is a definitive policy of the Islamic Republic, and called for the swift implementation of long-term strategic agreements to solidify cooperation across vital sectors.  “The more coordinated countries with shared interests and common adversaries are, the more effectively they can capitalize on opportunities and confront threats,” he said.

Qalibaf pointed to wide-ranging areas of cooperation, particularly in oil, energy, and OPEC-related coordination, as key examples of the two countries’ strategic alignment. He also emphasized the importance of leveraging geographic advantages in both countries to bolster economic growth.

The Iranian speaker stressed the urgency of removing banking hurdles and establishing free trade mechanisms to facilitate smoother private sector engagement. He noted that the Iran-Venezuela partnership is grounded in sustainable and logical economic principles based on mutual supply and demand.

In June 2022, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year cooperation agreement during Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s official visit to Tehran. The deal includes collaboration in oil, petrochemicals, defense, agriculture, tourism, and culture, and provides for the repair of Venezuelan refineries as well as the export of Iranian technical and engineering services.

Ref : Tehran Times