Alliance

• Premier Narendra Modi beschuldigde het Congres van het verraden van de DMK en stelde tijdens een toespraak over de politieke situatie in Tamil Nadu dat hun regering van vóór 2014 'grotendeels overleefde dankzij de DMK'. • Modi benadrukte dat het Congres 25 tot 30 jaar lang een 'nauwe relatie' met de DMK had en op de alliantie vertrouwde om crises te overleven, maar hen 'in de rug stak' voor de macht toen de wind draaide. • De opmerkingen onderstrepen de voortdurende rivaliteit tussen de BJP en het Congres in de aanloop naar de verkiezingen, waarbij Modi de 'machtshonger' van het Congres en de behoefte aan nieuwe bondgenoten om relevant te blijven bekritiseerde.

De Israëlische premier stelt dat hij ‘volledige coördinatie’ heeft met de Amerikaanse president, te midden van berichten dat Washington hem niet langer raadpleegt.

• Aartsrivaal partijen DMK en AIADMK onderhandelen over een alliantie na de verkiezingen, volgend op de resultaten van de hung assembly in Tamil Nadu, om TVK te verhinderen de regering te vormen. • Bronnen bevestigen dat de gesprekken onlangs zijn gestart ondanks de historische rivaliteit, waarbij sommige partijleden aanvankelijk bedenkingen hadden over de coalitie. • De zetelverdeling is onzeker; de stap is bedoeld om hun zetels te consolideren, aangezien TVK met steun van Congress op 112 zetels staat, nog zes zetels tekort voor de meerderheidsgrens van 118.

• The Congress party is deliberating its political alliances in Tamil Nadu following the recent state elections, with reports of post-poll discussions with actor Vijay's TVK party. • The DMK has publicly criticized Congress over these negotiations, expressing concerns about potential shifts in the INDIA bloc coalition dynamics in the state. • Congress has directed its Tamil Nadu unit (TNCC) to make the final decision on support arrangements for government formation.

Liberal frontbencher says the country’s ‘sovereign capabilities’ have been eroded. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCyber criminals have hacked into the Sri Lankan finance ministry’s computer system and siphoned off US$2.5 million, Agence France Presse reports.It is the most amount of cash ever stolen by hackers from a state institution in the debt-saddled country, which is recovering from a crippling economic crisis in 2022 after Colombo defaulted on its US$46 billion external debt.To put it bluntly, if ANZUS is going to continue for another 75 years, we need to invest in our industrial base and our defence force. Continue reading...

• U.S. lawmakers and foreign policy analysts have reached bipartisan consensus that Russia and Iran have formed a "transformational" military alliance that extends far beyond diplomatic convenience, fundamentally reshaping conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. • The alliance involves weapons transfers, intelligence sharing, and sanctions-evasion tactics, with experts describing the relationship's trajectory as shifting "from turbulent to transactional to transformational" following Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. • Senator Tom Tillis emphasized the lethal implications for American personnel, stating that intelligence and satellite data sharing between Moscow and Tehran directly endangers U.S. service members deployed globally.

• The US and Japan signed an upgraded defense agreement Friday expanding joint military operations, technology sharing, and coordinated response protocols to counter Chinese military activities in the Indo-Pacific region. • The agreement authorizes increased US military presence in Japan, including enhanced surveillance capabilities and expedited weapons deployments, representing the most significant defense treaty expansion since 2015. • Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the alliance upgrade as destabilizing and counterproductive to regional peace, while Taiwan and South Korea welcomed the commitment to deterring further territorial aggression.

Trump has upped the stridency and threatening nature of his complaints, but the US and Europe need each otherCollateral damage is a universally acknowledged hazard of war – more commonly known for its impact on truth and non-combatant civilians.Its consequences are much less frequently visited on military alliances. Continue reading...

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on April 8, 2026, focusing on countering North Korean threats and Chinese influence. • Discussions covered $10 billion in new joint defense tech investments and intelligence-sharing pacts; Yoon called it 'a new era of deterrence'. • The trilateral framework with Japan matters for Indo-Pacific security, especially after recent North Korean missile tests overflying Japan.

• NATO formally condemned coordinated Russian cyber attacks launched against critical infrastructure in three alliance member states, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Romania, on April 1-2, 2026. • The attacks targeted power grid control systems and financial networks, with NATO officials attributing the operations to Russian GRU military intelligence with "high confidence" based on forensic analysis and technical signatures. • The incident prompted emergency meetings of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn and triggered Article 5 threat assessment protocols, though military responses remain under deliberation among member states.

• Eight leading technology companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, have pledged to share threat intelligence on fraudster misuse of their platforms, with the agreement announced ahead of the UN Global Fraud Summit in Austria on March 16. • The initiative focuses on collaborating against fraud and improving user security features, though the voluntary accord carries no penalties for companies that fail to meet commitments. • Rising fraud losses driven by AI-enabled realistic personas and messages have forced tech platforms to enhance security strategies and advocate for stricter regulations against global fraud syndicates.

Candidates look for deals with rivals to boost chances as major seats including Paris, Marseille and Lyon look closePolitical parties in France are hastily attempting to negotiate strategic alliances ahead of the final round of local elections this weekend, after a strong showing by the far right and the radical left.This Sunday’s final-round vote for mayors and local councillors in major cities including Marseille, Lyon and Paris will be close. Continue reading...

Pat McFadden says Trump running a ‘transactional presidency’ and that ‘our job is to navigate this’Good morning. Keir Starmer is holding a press conference in Downing Street this morning. As Kiran Stacey reports, the PM’s main intention will be to announce support for people most hit by rising energy prices, particularly householders reliant on heating oil. The measures are expected to be worth tens of millions of pounds.But, inevitably, most of the focus likely to be on how Starmer responds to the latest provocations from Donald Trump. Continue reading...

• President Trump demanded on March 15 that NATO and allied nations help secure the Strait of Hormuz with military vessels, warning that NATO could face a "very bad future" if allies refuse to assist in keeping the critical waterway open. • Trump warned that the US "will remember" countries that do not contribute to securing the strait, applying diplomatic pressure to allies amid escalating military tensions in the Middle East and warnings of potential sanctions waivers if the conflict prolongs. • The demand reflects Trump's strategy of leveraging the energy crisis and geopolitical instability created by the Iran conflict to mobilize international support for US-led efforts to maintain global shipping routes.