(1) India and U.K. sign trade pact
India and the U.K. signed a significant trade pact, reducing import tariffs, supporting cross-border service sector activity and streamlining social security payments for Indian temporary workers in the U.K. on Thursday (July 24, 2025) last week.
The India-U.K. CETA, while reducing tariffs across several tariff lines, has also risked the entry of cheaper processed foods into the country, along with products high in sugar, sodium and fat. With lax labelling and advertising regulations, these products might increase the diabetic and obesity burden of the country if left unregulated.
(2) France to recognise State of Palestine
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday (July 24, 2025) that France will recognise Palestine as a state, amid snowballing global anger over people starving in Gaza.
State for the stateless: on France and Palestinian statehood
Mr. Macron said in a post on X that he will formalize the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″
The French President offered support for Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and frequently speaks out against antisemitism, but he has grown increasingly frustrated about Israel’s war in Gaza, especially in recent months.
France is the biggest and most powerful European country to recognise Palestine. More than 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen in Europe.
France has Europe’s largest Jewish population and the largest Muslim population in western Europe, and fighting in the Middle East often spills over into protests or other tensions in France.
Thursday’s announcement came soon after the U.S. cut short Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar, saying Hamas wasn’t showing good faith.
(3) Thailand, Cambodia agree to truce
Thai and Cambodian leaders agreed to halt hostilities in their deadliest border conflict in more than a decade, after a push by the US and regional powers for a diplomatic resolution.
Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet held discussions Monday (July 28, 2025) in Malaysia, hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar facilitated the dialogue in his role as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Washington and Beijing dispatching envoys.
The talks mark the first formal dialogue since fresh clashes erupted on July 24, with at least 36 people killed and more than 150,000 civilians displaced on both sides of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border. Tensions escalated rapidly over the weekend as heavy artillery fire and aerial strikes were reported, and both sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas.
The current conflict traces its roots to long-standing disputes stemming from colonial-era maps and treaties that defined the two countries’ boundaries. Relations had remained relatively stable since a 2011 clash that left dozens dead, but renewed tensions have triggered fears of escalated fighting.
(4) Seven students killed in Rajasthan after school roof collapses
A portion of a government school building collapsed in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district on Friday (July 25, 2025), leaving seven children dead and 28 injured. The school building was old and collapsed as a result of heavy rainfall in the region, Amit Kumar, a local police officer, told Reuters.
The part of the Piplod Government School building housing Classes 6 and 7 gave way, burying about 35 children.
Angry locals said they had informed the tehsildar and sub-divisional magistrate about the condition of the school building but no action was taken. “This happened due to negligence of the administration,” Balkishan, a local resident, told reporters.
(5) Former Kerala CM and Communist stalwart V.S. Achuthanandan dies at 101
Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday (July 21, 2025) due to age-related ailments. He was 101.
VS, as he was fondly known, was a symbol of resilience, integrity, and a century-long commitment to the working class in the State. The communist stalwart became a moral compass for the Left movement in India, and his life mirrored the evolution of communist politics in the country.
Born in 1923 in the coastal village of Punnapra, Alappuzha, Achuthanandan was shaped by poverty and early loss, forcing him into work by the age of 11. But the hardship only sharpened his resolve. Drawn to the freedom struggle and workers’ movements, he joined the Communist Party as a teenager. Over the decades, he became a key organiser of land reforms and trade unions, surviving arrests, underground life, and inner-party rivalries. He was among the founding leaders of the CPI(M) in 1964 after the party split — a decision that shaped Indian Left politics for generations.
Published – July 28, 2025 05:00 pm IST