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Indonesian President Joko Widodo has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in southwestern China for talks about joint projects that include Indonesia’s development of a new capital

Google has laid off its director of News Ecosystem Development who worked for the company for 13 years. The Indian-origin director, Madhav Chinnappa, took to LinkedIn to announce about the layoff, however, he added that he is in the “privileged position" of being able to have some time to figure out his next move.

Brics (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping in Johannesburg late on Monday, Doval conveyed India’s position, reported Hindustan Times. The meeting between Doval and Wang came a little more than 10 days after external affairs minister S Jaishankar met Wang on the sidelines of Asean-related meetings in Jakarta on 14 July. Both discussed the border row, which has taken India-China relations to their lowest point in six decades.

China, with Russia in tow, found themselves endorsing a document that embraces the Indo-Pacific as a viable regional construct. This goes against the grain of Chinese opposition to Quad.

The 1975, a British pop-rock band, has canceled upcoming shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after their set was cut short at a music festival in Malaysia. The decision came following frontman Matty Healy's comments on Malaysia's anti-gay laws and an on-stage kiss with a bandmate. The band had eagerly looked forward to performing for fans at Jakarta’s We the Fest on Sunday (July 23) and at the Taipei Music Center on Tuesday (July 25) as part of their Asia tour 2023. However, due to the current circumstances, they had no choice but to call off the scheduled performances. In a statement posted on We the Fest’s Twitter page, The 1975 wrote, “The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned. The band never takes the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.” The controversy arose when Matty Healy openly criticized Malaysia's LGBTQ laws during the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on July 21. He also engaged in a kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald on stage. The festival's organizer, Future Sounds Asia, responded by canceling the remaining days of the festival.

National Security Advisors (NSAs) of the BRICS member states will meet in South Africa from Monday to Wednesday and explore a security cooperation mechanism for the grouping amid several geopolitical security threats.NSA Ajit Doval is expected to meet senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the event, which will be closely followed amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Yang is a former foreign minister and special representative for boundary talks with India. It is expected that impasse at the Line of Actual Control will be the key item on the agenda for the meet, said people aware of the matter.

Brics member states will meet in South Africa from Monday to Wednesday and explore a security cooperation mechanism for the grouping amid several geopolitical security threats. It is not clear yet whether NSA Ajit Doval will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission, on the sidelines of the event, which will be closely followed amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

By David Shepardson and Doina Chiacu

Vladimir Putin will not attend a BRICS nations summit in South Africa next month, the country's presidency said on Wednesday, ending months of speculation. Putin's potential visit has been a thorny diplomatic issue for South Africa. The Russian leader is the target of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant — a provision that Pretoria as an ICC member would be expected to implement were he to set foot in the country. «By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit, but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Mr (Sergei) Lavrov,» Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, said in a statement. The decision follows «a number of consultations» held by Ramaphosa in recent months, the most recent of which took place «last night,» Magwenya said.

China's top diplomat Wang Yi told the Indian foreign minister that bilateral ties need to be stabilised, as the two Asian neighbours searched for ways to ease simmering military tensions along their vast border. On the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, Wang told Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that mutual support between the two nations is needed instead of suspicion, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.India and China share a 3,800-km (2,360-mile) frontier, much of it poorly marked, and fought a brief but bloody war over it in 1962.

Indonesian financial services watchdog appointed Hasan Fawzi, a former Indonesia Stock Exchange executive, as the head of fintech and digital assets oversight and innovation. 

US Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo was among a group of senior US officials whose emails were hacked earlier this year by a group Microsoft says is based in China, according to a person briefed on the matter, as fallout from the digital theft continues to spread. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear to China's top diplomat Wang Yi in a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday that any action that targets the U.S. government, U.S.

Antony Blinken will meet top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Thursday as officials gather in Indonesia for ASEAN meetings, the State Department said in announcing the latest in series of interactions between the rival superpowers. Wang is representing China at the Jakarta meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partner countries after Beijing said Foreign Minister Qin Gang would not attend due to health reasons. Blinken met Qin and Wang in Beijing last month, marking the first visit to China by a U.S. secretary of state in five years. It was aimed at bringing stability to intense rivalry between the superpowers, which are also the world's two largest economies U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited China earlier this month and climate envoy John Kerry is to visit next week. Wang, who is the foreign policy chief for the Chinese Communist Party, ranks above Qin, who as the foreign minister is the government's foreign policy chief.

Jakarta Post.  Moreover, this intersection is also characterized by crucial Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) and maritime choke points that serve as vital arteries for the economic well-being of the entire area. Given their stature as maritime powers, both Indonesia and India play a crucial role as de facto gatekeepers of this region, serving as transit points for approximately 60 per cent of global maritime trade.

Dronavalli Harika, for the Asian Games scheduled to commence in Hangzhou on September 23. Vidit Gujrathi and young Arjun Erigaisi in men's and Humpy and Harika in women's section will compete in the individual categories. The men's team comprises Grandmasters D Gukesh, Gujrathi, Erigaisi, P Harikrishna and R Praggnanandhaa.

India will send a strong 10-member chess contingent, including double Asian Games gold medallist Koneru Humpy and bronze medallist Dronavalli Harika, for the continental games, scheduled to commence in Hangzhou on September 23. Vidit Gujrathi and young Arjun Erigaisi in men's and Humpy and Harika in women's section will compete in the individual categories. The men's team comprises Grandmasters D Gukesh, Gujrathi, Erigaisi, P Harikrishna and R Praggnanandhaa.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's prolonged absence from public view for 12 days has raised concerns and speculation about his well-being. Qin was scheduled to meet with the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, this month, but China unexpectedly postponed the meeting without providing further information. There have been rumors in Brussels that Qin's absence might be due to health issues, but Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated that he had not heard about such reports during a press briefing in Beijing. The official website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry indicates that Qin's last official engagement was on June 25, where he met officials from Sri Lanka, Russia, and Vietnam. On the same day, he also participated in an event alongside Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. Additionally, a lunch meeting between Qin and ambassadors from the European Union in late June was abruptly canceled, according to an ambassador based in Beijing who was on the invite list.

Global stock markets are mostly higher after Australia's central bank kept its key lending rate unchanged and Wall Street hit a 15-month high

Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade is reportedly aiming to roll out a national crypto exchange by June this year, six months after its previous target of December 2022.

Dozens of people are still missing after a 5.6 magnitude earthquake devastated the Indonesian island of Java on Monday.

Dozens of people are feared dead and some 700 injured after an earthquake shook Indonesia's main island of Java on Monday, damaging buildings and sending people scrambling for safety.