The visit marks the first state trip by a South Korean president to India in eight years and comes as both countries seek to strengthen supply chain resilience amid global economic uncertainty linked to the Iran conflict.Lee said the current level of economic cooperation between the two countries remains limited and called for a substantial expansion of ties.

Officials from Seoul said the two sides plan to upgrade their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to boost trade from $25.7 billion recorded last year.Discussions are expected to cover sectors including shipbuilding, finance, artificial intelligence and defence, with Lee also scheduled to attend business events alongside corporate leaders during his visit.

South Korea has increasingly looked to India as a key partner in diversifying supply chains, particularly as disruptions in the Middle East affect energy flows. Last month, Seoul sought increased naphtha supplies from India to offset potential shortages linked to regional tensions.

India accounted for about 8% of South Korea’s naphtha imports last year, and officials say expanding energy trade could also help address imbalances in bilateral commerce. South Korea recorded a trade surplus of $12.8 billion with India, exporting $19.2 billion worth of goods while importing $6.4 billion, according to Korea International Trade Association data.

Analysts say closer cooperation in shipbuilding could emerge as a focal point, aligning India’s employment priorities with South Korea’s industrial strengths. Consumer goods and food sectors tied to the global popularity of Korean culture are also seen as potential growth areas.

Lee is expected to travel to Vietnam after concluding his India visit, as part of a broader regional outreach strategy.

Fire and rescue officials said they were alerted at around 1:32 a.m., as flames spread rapidly across one of Sabah’s water villages, where houses built on stilts stand in close proximity. District fire chief Jimmy Lagung said weather conditions and structural density contributed to the speed of the fire, while low tide hindered access to open water sources for firefighting operations.

Police in Sandakan said no fatalities had been reported, though thousands of residents were affected and forced to evacuate as the fire engulfed large sections of the settlement. The affected communities include some of Malaysia’s most vulnerable populations, with many residents living in informal housing and lacking secure access to public services.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government was coordinating with state authorities to deliver immediate relief, including basic necessities and temporary shelter for displaced residents. He said ensuring the safety of those affected and providing rapid assistance remained the government’s priority.

Water villages in Sabah are particularly susceptible to fire outbreaks due to their wooden construction, high density and limited infrastructure, factors that can complicate emergency response efforts and increase the scale of damage once fires take hold.

Over 70 teams—almost five times the number in 2025—are set to participate in the event, which will feature a more demanding course including paved slopes and parkland terrain designed to test improvements in durability, balance and battery performance.“It will certainly be interesting to see the progress in durability of components and battery lifetime compared to last year,” said Georg Stieler, Asia managing director at a technology consultancy.

He added that manufacturers continue to face pressure to balance product quality with cost as the technology evolves.Organizers said the race marks a shift from last year, when all participating robots were remotely controlled. In contrast, a significant share of entrants this year will rely on onboard sensors and algorithms to complete the course independently, highlighting gains in perception and decision-making systems.

Among the contenders is Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics in collaboration with UBTech. The robot, which won last year’s race in 2 hours and 40 minutes, is expected to run fully autonomously this time, using sensor-based navigation and data-driven gait modeling.

Developers said achieving human-like running speeds presents significant technical challenges due to the limited time available for real-time perception and response. Training footage shared on Chinese social media shows some robots reaching speeds of up to 14 km per hour, though others displayed instability, with occasional falls and collisions.

China remains the dominant player in humanoid robotics deployment, accounting for more than 80% of the roughly 16,000 units installed globally in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. By comparison, U.S.-based Tesla held about 5% of installations.

Domestic firms including AgiBot and Unitree each shipped over 5,000 units last year, with Unitree planning to scale annual production capacity to 75,000 robots.Despite rapid growth, industry experts say humanoid robots remain far from widespread commercial adoption in industrial environments, where precision, adaptability and complex task execution are required.

Current applications are largely limited to research, demonstrations and service roles such as interactive guides.“The reason our applications aren’t taking off is that the robots’ IQ is too low. The models are poor, their success rates are low,” said Tang Wenbin, founder of embodied intelligence startup Yuanli Lingji, speaking at a recent Beijing forum.

The Chinese government has identified embodied intelligence, or physical AI, as a strategic sector to enhance productivity and modernize manufacturing. Companies are investing heavily in data collection and machine learning, often using human workers equipped with sensors to train robotic systems.

UBTech said it expanded the number of humanoid robots deployed in factories from fewer than 10 in 2024 to more than 1,000 last year, and aims to launch 10,000 full-size units in 2026, including models tailored for commercial use, according to its chief business officer Michael Tam.

Trading volumes of the Iranian currency have reached as much as $6 million a day in Pakistan’s open market, according to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan, with demand accelerating after reports of renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

The rally has been fueled in part by Islamabad’s diplomatic outreach, with Asim Munir visiting Iran and Shehbaz Sharif undertaking a regional tour following high-level U.S.-Iran talks hosted in the Pakistani capital. Market participants say these developments have strengthened expectations of a potential breakthrough.

The Iranian riyal has risen by around 50% in Pakistan’s informal market since late February, climbing from about Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 per 10 million riyals after talks began in Islamabad on April 11, ECAP data shows.Small investors are increasingly participating in the trend.

Muhammad Akbar, a chauffeur in Karachi, said he had invested part of his monthly income into the currency, hoping to profit if negotiations succeed. “I have become a millionaire,” he said, referring to the large nominal value of riyals he now holds.Others have built significantly larger positions.

Retail investor Azam Khan said he had accumulated hundreds of millions of riyals as the currency gained traction among traders seeking quick returns.Market participants say the surge reflects heightened expectations rather than underlying economic strength.

Zafar Sultan Paracha said demand had surged across investor categories, though he cautioned that trading volumes may be even higher due to undocumented transactions.“People’s expectations are very high,” Paracha said, urging investors to base decisions on fundamentals rather than speculation.Economists warn the rally bears hallmarks of behavioral bias rather than structural recovery.

Muhammad Waqas Ghani described the trend as a “gambler’s fallacy,” where investors assume a rebound is likely simply because the currency has weakened in the past.He said Iran continues to face deep economic challenges, including liquidity shortages and stress in its banking system, which limit the scope for sustained appreciation.

Without broader reforms or durable sanctions relief, gains are likely to remain localized to Pakistan’s market rather than reflecting a global revaluation.Some investors remain cautious. Isra Ghous Rasool, a business student and stock market participant, said volatility linked to geopolitical developments made the currency too risky. “There’s simply too much volatility for me to comfortably manage,” she said.

Pakistan has also taken steps to facilitate trade through Iran, temporarily easing export rules for shipments of goods to Central Asia via Iranian territory, a move analysts say may have contributed modestly to the currency’s local demand.

Still, analysts say the current surge is driven primarily by speculation tied to geopolitical expectations rather than economic fundamentals, leaving investors exposed to sharp reversals if diplomatic progress stalls.

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Prince Rama, an incarnation of the deity Vishnu, alongside Yash as Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The narrative follows Rama’s exile, the abduction of his wife, and the ensuing conflict with Ravana, a central storyline in the epic dating back thousands of years.

Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the filmmakers said they are seeking to make the story accessible to international audiences. Yash said he had worked to portray Ravana with emotional depth, noting that relatability would be key to engaging viewers beyond India.The production, with a combined budget of up to $500 million for two films, ranks among the most expensive in Indian cinema.

Promotional material for “Ramayana” was showcased alongside major Hollywood releases at the industry event, reflecting its global ambitions.Producer Namit Malhotra said the film would blend large-scale fantasy elements with human drama, drawing inspiration from international productions such as The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.

The first installment is scheduled for release on November 8 in India and the United States, timed with Diwali, with a sequel planned for 2027.

Malhotra said the project aims to merge storytelling traditions and cinematic techniques from both Eastern and Western industries, describing it as an effort to create a globally resonant experience.

The proposed law, which sought to increase the size of the lower house by about 55% to 850 seats ahead of the 2029 general elections, fell short of the required two-thirds majority, with 298 lawmakers voting in favor and 230 against in the Lok Sabha.

The government had linked the expansion to the implementation of women’s reservation, arguing that redrawing constituency boundaries based on updated population data was necessary to ensure equitable representation. Seats in parliament have remained frozen since the 1971 census, despite significant demographic changes.

Opposition parties supported the principle of reserving seats for women but opposed tying it to a nationwide delimitation exercise, alleging the move could be used to alter electoral dynamics in favor of the ruling party.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the bill shortly after the vote, calling it an “unconstitutional trick” that undermined the Constitution under the guise of advancing women’s representation.The government rejected those claims, maintaining that the proposal was essential for modernizing India’s electoral framework.

Interior Minister Amit Shah defended the bill in parliament, warning that blocking it would disappoint women across the country and vowing continued efforts to secure legislative backing for gender quotas.

A law passed in 2023 had already approved reserving one-third of parliamentary seats for women, but its implementation was contingent on the completion of the next census and subsequent constituency redrawing, a process still underway and expected to delay enforcement beyond the next election cycle.

Women currently account for about 14% of members in the lower house and 17% in the upper house, with representation in state legislatures averaging around 10%, according to official data.

The failure of the bill highlights ongoing political divisions over electoral reforms and gender representation, as well as the challenges of securing broad consensus for constitutional amendments in India’s increasingly polarized parliament.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, nearly 900 Rohingya were reported dead or missing last year during dangerous sea crossings in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal the highest toll on record for the crisis.

More than 6,500 Rohingya attempted the journeys in 2025, with over one in seven perishing, making it the deadliest maritime route globally for refugees and migrants, the agency said.

Despite the risks, departures have continued into 2026, with more than 2,800 Rohingya already embarking on similar voyages by mid-April, often aiming to reach Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.

The surge in fatalities reflects a combination of factors, including ongoing violence in Myanmar, deteriorating conditions in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, and declining international aid. The UNHCR said its $200 million appeal for Rohingya support in 2026 remains significantly underfunded.

Recent incidents underscore the dangers. Earlier this month, about 250 people were reported missing after a boat carrying Rohingya capsized in the Andaman Sea, one of several deadly accidents linked to overcrowded vessels and rough conditions.

Overall, more than 1.3 million Rohingya remain displaced across the region, most of them in Bangladesh, where limited resources and uncertain futures continue to drive risky migration attempts.

Luxon dismissed suggestions of dissent within his party, telling a press conference he remained confident of continued backing from lawmakers. “I talk to my caucus all the time. I’m very confident I have the full support of my caucus,” he said, adding that his government would be re-elected if a vote were held immediately.

The comments follow a report by the New Zealand Herald that some National Party members could move against Luxon when parliament reconvenes, although the report indicated that any initial effort was unlikely to take the form of a formal leadership challenge or confidence vote.

The developments come amid weakening polling numbers for the ruling coalition. Several recent surveys have shown the National Party struggling to secure more than 30% support, raising concerns about its ability to retain power in the next general election scheduled for November 7.Luxon’s personal approval ratings have also come under pressure.

A March RNZ-Reid Research poll showed opposition leader Chris Hipkins leading preferred prime minister rankings with 20.7% support, compared with 17.3% for Luxon.

The polling trends underscore growing political headwinds for the government as it approaches the election cycle, with voter sentiment indicating a tightening contest between the incumbent coalition and the opposition bloc.

The Philippines becomes the 13th member of Pax Silica, a programme designed to safeguard the full spectrum of the technology supply chain, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, computing and data infrastructure.

The initiative forms part of the Trump administration’s broader economic strategy to reduce reliance on rival nations and deepen coordination among allied partners. Other participating countries include Australia, Finland, India, Qatar, South Korea and Singapore.

The planned industrial hub will be located within the Luzon Economic Corridor, a key economic zone encompassing Manila and surrounding regions with established manufacturing capacity. The Philippines, Japan and the United States have also committed to increasing infrastructure investment in the corridor under a trilateral framework agreement.

“It is intended to serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing,” the State Department said, adding that both countries aim to reinforce supply chains across semiconductors, electronics and other critical sectors.

The project underscores strengthening ties between Manila and Washington under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has moved to deepen cooperation with the United States.

The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, has also taken on strategic importance in Washington’s efforts to counter China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The benchmark KOSPI index has recovered nearly all of last month’s 19% decline, regaining momentum after being one of the world’s top-performing major indices last year. The rebound has been supported by renewed foreign inflows, with $4.2 billion returning to equities in April after record outflows of $23.8 billion in March, according to LSEG data.

Investor interest has been driven in part by the global surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory used in data centres, benefiting major South Korean chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics. Market participants said the March correction created attractive entry points, prompting portfolio reallocations into Korean technology stocks.

“We’re cautiously optimistic, but we think it’s a megatrend,” said Isaac Thong, senior investment director for Asian equities at Aberdeen Investments, referring to the long-term growth potential of AI-linked semiconductor demand.Despite the recovery, the recent market turmoil has exposed structural vulnerabilities.

South Korea’s equity market remains heavily concentrated in a small number of AI-linked firms, amplifying swings during periods of global uncertainty. Since the onset of the Iran war, the KOSPI has experienced sharp daily fluctuations, including declines of up to 12% and gains of 9%, outpacing volatility seen in other Asian and U.S. markets.

The South Korean won has remained near 17-year lows against the U.S. dollar, increasing the cost of energy imports and complicating policy responses. Authorities face a balancing act as measures to support growth risk fuelling inflation, particularly in an economy highly dependent on imported energy.

Government efforts to address the so-called “Korea discount” through corporate governance reforms have begun to attract activist investors, aiming to narrow valuation gaps linked to longstanding concerns over transparency and shareholder rights within family-run conglomerates.While equities have been volatile, South Korea’s bond market has shown resilience.

Companies raised $74.7 billion in the first quarter, maintaining strong issuance levels, while the benchmark 10-year government bond yield has declined this month to its lowest level since February.

Prospects for sovereign debt have improved further with anticipated inclusion in FTSE’s World Government Bond Index, prompting early inflows from major institutional investors including Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, alongside interest from global asset managers such as Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Principal Global Investors.

Analysts estimate that index inclusion could drive between $50 billion and $70 billion in passive fund inflows, reinforcing demand for Korean bonds even as equity markets remain sensitive to external shocks.

However, continued weakness in the won remains a key concern for global investors, with capital outflows and safe-haven demand for the dollar keeping the currency near levels last seen during past financial crises.

Authorities have responded with verbal interventions and strategic hedging operations by the state pension fund to stabilise the currency.