Morning Digest: India-China border talks begin; Canada to hit back with tariffs; and more
India and China will hold the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the boundary question in Beijing on August 25, 2026. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to lead the discussions. Ahead of the talks, Hu Shisheng, a leading Chinese strategic affairs scholar on South Asia, said the focus would be on “institutionalising stability” even as “structural differences” in the relationship remained. The border issue has been a source of tension since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. The two sides are also expected to take stock of ties ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit to India for the BRICS Summit next month.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have questioned Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the Manusmriti and women’s rights. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey quoted verses from the text that emphasise respect for women, while Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Gandhi of using women’s empowerment as a pretext to target Hinduism. The comments have sparked a political debate over the interpretation of the ancient legal text.
Canada will announce retaliatory tariffs against the United States on August 25, an official familiar with the plans told The Associated Press. This move escalates a trade conflict that has sharply worsened since negotiations with the Trump administration collapsed. The specifics of the tariffs were not immediately disclosed, but the announcement is expected to trigger further tensions between the two neighbours.
P.P. Chaudhary, chairman of the joint parliamentary panel examining the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bills, said that holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in 2029 is possible if the Constitution is amended and state governments support the move. The panel has been studying the feasibility of the proposal, which the Modi government has pushed as a way to reduce the frequency of polls and administrative costs.
The Trump administration on Monday released a proposed regulation to codify a fee of more than $100,000 on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. President Donald Trump had first imposed this measure last year, but it was blocked by the courts. The new proposal is likely to face legal challenges from technology companies and immigrant advocacy groups.
DMK president M.K. Stalin has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court seeking 100% counting of VVPAT slips in the Kolathur Assembly constituency. He has also asked the court to nullify the election of TVK MLA V.S. Babu and declare him the returned candidate. The case is being closely watched as a significant political dispute in Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court on Monday concluded that journalist Tarun Tejpal’s appeal against a 10-year sentence in a 2013 rape case cannot be listed for hearing without first deciding his separate application seeking exemption from surrender. A single-judge bench clarified the procedural sequence, meaning the appeal will remain pending until the exemption issue is resolved.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday directed security agencies to take strict measures against infiltration, asking police chiefs to detect and deport illegal migrants. He was speaking at the inauguration of the two-day National Security Strategies Conference-2026 (NSSC). The directive underscores the government’s focus on tightening immigration enforcement.
Manipur is awaiting a decision from New Delhi on the upcoming Census exercise, which remains in limbo in the state. Several Meitei and Naga civil society groups have demanded that a National Register of Citizens (NRC) be compiled before the Census. A government source said a review of the situation is likely to be held soon.
