 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and JD Vance during a bilateral meeting in Paris, France. Reuters/File Photo")
Today, April 21, is set to be a busy day.
US Vice President JD Vance will begin his visit to India and is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. This will be Vance’s first visit to the country since assuming office.
The Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund for 2025 will get underway.
In South Korea, a hearing will be held in the criminal case against ousted leader Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces charges of leading an insurrection.
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, will begin his visit to Japan today, which will continue until April 23.
The Karnataka High Court will hear the bail application filed by Ranya Rao, who was arrested in connection with a gold smuggling case.
JD Vance in India
US Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by his wife Usha and children, is set to visit India today. He will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
This will be Vance’s first official trip to India and any Asian country, since taking office.
“This is an official Visit. He will be meeting the Prime Minister. And with the United States of America, we have a Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership. So, when you have that level of partnership with any country, obviously you will discuss all relevant issues,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly press briefing last week.
Discussions between the two leaders are expected to include matters relating to bilateral ties, trade tariffs, and talks on a potential trade agreement.
During his France visit in February for the AI Action Summit, PM Modi had gifted an eco-friendly wooden alphabet set to Vance’s daughter, Mirabel Rose Vance.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSpring Meetings of IMF and World Bank
Today also marks the beginning of the 2025 Spring Meetings hosted by the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, which will run through to April 26.
Among the major scheduled events are the Development Committee Meeting, the International Monetary and Financial Committee gathering, and various sessions focusing on development issues, financial stability, and the global economy.
Notably, these meetings bring together a range of participants, including central bank heads, finance and development ministers, lawmakers, business leaders, civil society groups and academics.
Conversations will focus on global economic challenges, poverty, development efforts, and aid strategies.
The sessions will take place at the World Bank’s MC, J, and F buildings and the IMF’s HQ1 and HQ2 offices between April 21 and 26.
Yoon Seok Yeol’s criminal trial
A court hearing is scheduled today in the criminal trial of South Korea’s former president Yoon Seok Yeol , who faces charges of leading an insurrection.
The case is linked to Yoon’s declaration of martial law, which remained in effect for nearly six hours before he withdrew it following pushback from lawmakers and protests by the public.
The move led to political unrest and culminated in the Constitutional Court’s decision earlier this month to remove him from office for overreaching constitutional authority.
At the last hearing, Yoon, who served as chief prosecutor prior to his presidency, defended himself directly before the court and countered the claims brought by prosecutors.
“Martial law is not a coup d’état,” Yoon told the court.
His decision on December 3 to impose martial law stunned the nation and disrupted South Korea’s political, economic and diplomatic landscape, the Constitutional Court’s judgement said while removing him from power.
If convicted, Yoon would become the third South Korean head of state found guilty of insurrection, joining two former military rulers held accountable for the 1979 coup.
The charge of insurrection carries severe penalties, either life imprisonment or, at most, a death sentence.
Netherlands’ Prime Minister in Japan
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof begins his visit to Japan today, which will continue through to April 23.
During the trip, he will hold discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba..
Schoof is also expected to take part in the inauguration of the Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2025, to be held in Osaka, Kansai.
“Prime Minister Schoof’s visit is likely to further deepen the amicable ties between Japan and the Netherlands, which uphold shared values and principles,” said an official release from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ranya Rao’s bail plea hearing
The Karnataka High Court will today hear the bail petitions filed by Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru Raju, both arrested in connection with a gold smuggling case registered by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Rao has approached the high court after being denied bail twice, first by the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru on March 14, 2025, and again by the Sessions Court on March 27, 2025.
She, along with businessman Tarun Raju and jewellery trader Sahil Jain, stands accused of arranging the illegal import of gold valued at over Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai into India.
The case surfaced on March 3, 2025, when Rao was caught at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport with 14.8 kilograms of gold allegedly smuggled in from Dubai.
With inputs from agencies