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Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in India ahead of a BRICS summit overshadowed by the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

This comes as Canada expands its military support for Ukraine, and as Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the UAE.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Canada pledges drones and interceptors for Ukraine: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada plans to manufacture millions of drones over two years and send a third to Ukraine, announcing the commitment during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit on Thursday. Prime Minister Carney also pledged C$350m in air-defence interceptors and more than C$430m in loan guarantees to help Ukraine buy natural gas before winter.

2️⃣ 🇭🇰🇨🇳 Hong Kong sentences Tiananmen vigil organisers: A Hong Kong court sentenced three former Tiananmen vigil organisers on Friday for inciting subversion under the national security law, imposing seven years on Lee Cheuk-yan and seven years and three months on Chow Hang-tung. Albert Ho received five years and two months, with his guilty plea partly accounting for the shorter term, while Lee and Chow had pleaded not guilty.

3️⃣ 🇮🇱🇱🇧 Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah's ridge infrastructure: Israel's military said it had destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel network extending more than two kilometres beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that troops would remain to prevent the group rebuilding its presence, while Hezbollah had not responded to the reported demolition.

4️⃣ 🇾🇪🇸🇦 Houthis reportedly seize strategic Red Sea port: Military sources and witnesses said Houthi fighters seized Mokha from Saudi-backed government forces after fierce clashes, and residents said the fighters entered the city on Wednesday night. The port lies 75km from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Houthis maintained their embargo on Saudi ships while saying international navigation remained safe.

5️⃣ 🇩🇿🇦🇪 Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the UAE: Algeria announced on Thursday that it was severing diplomatic relations with the UAE, accusing it of repeated hostile actions and saying efforts to preserve ties had been exhausted. The UAE said it hoped the break would be temporary, while Ennahar TV reported that Algeria would close its airspace to UAE-registered aircraft from Friday, with an exception for commercial services to and from Algiers until year-end.

Together With CEPA

How close are China and Russia really?

Joint military exercises and expanding trade tell only part of the story. Experts from the Center for European Policy Analysis examine where Beijing and Moscow cooperate, where their interests collide, and why the relationship increasingly favours China.

Their analysis follows the partnership across global institutions, military cooperation, economics and regional competition. Explore the research behind our China–Russia video series.

Read CEPA’s China-Russia report

Major Story

🇮🇳🇷🇺🇨🇳 BRICS faces a test of unity

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on today ahead of a BRICS summit expected to focus on the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

President Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to meet the host.

The expanded grouping includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, whose sharply different positions on the Middle East war expose divisions among its members.

In CEPA's China-Russia report, expert Evgeny Roshchin describes BRICS as a platform for greater Chinese and Russian influence, but says its diverse membership prevents a coherent political programme.

The report's authors argue that Beijing and Moscow share enduring strategic objectives while differing over implementation, with deepening cooperation falling short of a formal military alliance.

Together With CEPA

Would China and Russia fight a war together? Who depends more on their economic relationship, and what happens when their influence overlaps?

Our video series with CEPA examines those questions across military cooperation, trade, global governance and regional competition. Watch the explainers, or explore the underlying report for the deeper analysis.

Watch the full China-Russia explainers:

• How close are China and Russia really?

• What kind of world are China and Russia trying to create?

• Would China and Russia actually fight a war together?

• Who needs the China-Russia economic relationship more?

• What happens when Russia & China's influence collides?

• Is the China-Russia relationship dangerous?

Watch the full video

Read the full CEPA report

Other News

1️⃣ 🇵🇪🇺🇸 Peru joins US-led security alliance: Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori announced on Thursday that Peru would join the US-led Shield of the Americas, an alliance sharing intelligence and coordinating military operations against drug cartels. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would act only at its partners' request, as protesters in Lima opposed the agreement and warned against greater American military influence.

2️⃣ 🇪🇺 ECB raises rates as war-driven inflation persists: The European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.50% on Thursday, responding to inflation fuelled by higher energy prices during the Iran war. ECB President Christine Lagarde warned that inflation would remain above target for an extended period and said future decisions would depend on incoming data, without committing to a particular rate path.

3️⃣ 🇪🇸 Spain advances citizenship law for Sahrawis: Spain's lower house backed legislation on Thursday granting access to citizenship for Sahrawis born before 29 September 1977 and their children, including those living outside Spain. The measure passed by 168 votes to 31 but still requires Senate approval, with eligible applicants to have three years to apply after its official publication if enacted.

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