Foreign

Exclusief: staat nu zonder limieten op politieke donaties of openbaarmakingsvereisten, enkele maanden voor de verkiezingen in november Ontvang onze breaking news-e-mail, gratis app of dagelijkse nieuwspodcast “Onbeperkt dark money” zal blijven instromen in de Victoriaanse politiek nadat Labor er niet in is geslaagd een akkoord te bereiken met de Liberals of de Greens over donatiehervormingen die de regering-Allan beloofde via het parlement te versnellen. Victoria is nu zonder limieten op politieke donaties of openbaarmakingsvereisten, enkele maanden voor de verkiezingen in november, nadat het hoogste hof vorige maand de donatiewetten van de staat ongeldig verklaarde. Lees verder...

Objection after museum removes word ‘Palestine’ from list of countries of ancient Levant and Egypt and from some explanatory panelsThe Palestinian ambassador to the UK has called for Foreign Office intervention after the British Museum removed references to Palestine from its exhibits.The UK recognised the state of Palestine in September 2025, but the same year the museum removed the name “Palestine” from a panel listing the present-day countries encompassed by the ancient Levant, and replaced it with Gaza and the West Bank. Continue reading...

• Thailand's foreign minister requested ASEAN-level discussions with his Myanmar counterpart to address escalating conflicts and diplomatic standoffs in the region. • The initiative comes in response to recent attacks and instability in Myanmar, prompting broader calls for coordinated ASEAN intervention. • This move highlights Thailand's leadership role in ASEAN diplomacy, aiming to prevent spillover effects on Southeast Asian security and trade.

• Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have sold Indian stocks on 150 out of the past 240 trading days, reflecting a sustained outflow trend over the last several months. • The selling pressure is attributed to rising oil prices, rupee weakness, and elevated US bond yields, which have made emerging market assets less attractive relative to US fixed income. • This persistent FII exit contrasts with India's overall attractiveness as a global investment destination and poses near-term headwinds for equity valuations.

• India's government approved amendments allowing overseas companies with Chinese or Hong Kong shareholding of up to 10% to invest in India under the automatic route, with notification expected soon under the Foreign Exchange Management Act. • The decision was communicated by the government on Thursday and will come into effect following official notification, marking a significant shift in India's foreign direct investment policy toward greater openness. • This policy change, approved in March 2026 through amendments to Press Note 3 of 2020, aims to attract increased Chinese investment while maintaining regulatory oversight of strategic sectors.

Cross-party group says closure of humanitarian unit will undermine monitoring of legal violations and arms exportsMPs have expressed alarm at the closure of the Foreign Office’s international humanitarian law unit, warning it “will impair the UK’s ability to anticipate, assess and respond to serious violations of international law across multiple contexts”.News of the closure, revealed by the Guardian, was raised with Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions this week by the independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley, Iqbal Mohamed. Starmer said the work would be undertaken by another team as part of a restructuring. Continue reading...

Albanese defends plan forcing Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers through a levy The Trump administration has described Australia’s moves to make big tech companies pay for news online as “extortion” but Anthony Albanese defended the plan by saying it was about protecting and rewarding media outlets for the work they produce.Labor’s plan to encourage Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers, or face a 2.25% levy, is likely to be supported by the Coalition and Greens in parliament. But a bigger problem may be the ire of Donald Trump, who has strongly opposed extra regulation being imposed on US-based tech companies. A major tech industry lobby group on Wednesday urged the White House to consider retaliatory trade measures. Continue reading...