 "FirstUp: South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung to meet Trump in Washington and other top news")
It is a busy Monday.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump today for discussions on trade and defence ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi starts a two-day trip to Gujarat today. He will inaugurate 449 houses and 130 shops built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
The bi-annual Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) are set to begin today.
The sixth round of India-US trade discussions was to start today, but reports last week said they have been postponed.
Let’s take a look at the events:
South Korean President’s Washington visit
South Korea’s new President Lee Jae Myung will be in Washington today to meet US President Donald Trump for talks on trade and defence, against the backdrop of a nuclear-armed North Korea and other challenges.
The August 25 summit comes after a July trade agreement in which Washington agreed to reduce its reciprocal tariff on South Korea to 15% from the earlier proposed 25% and apply the lower rate to South Korean cars, the country’s main export to the United States.
South Korea, in return, agreed to purchase $100 billion worth of US energy and invest $350 billion in the country. Lee and Trump are likely to discuss how this investment plan will be implemented and managed.
Talks are also expected to focus on boosting cooperation in key sectors like semiconductors, batteries and shipbuilding, Lee’s spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.
Experts told Reuters that the summit may also cover the possible shift in the role of US troops from primarily countering North Korea to addressing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and deterring China.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPM Modi in Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a two-day trip to Gujarat today.
He will inaugurate 1,449 houses and 130 shops constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) at a cost of Rs 133.42 crore.
“Under the in-situ slum redevelopment component of the PMAY (Urban), the PM will inaugurate the rehabilitation work of a total of 1,449 houses and 130 shops constructed at a cost of Rs 133.42 crore in sector-3 of the slum popularly known as Ramapir Tekra in Sardar Patel Stadium ward of the West Zone of Ahmedabad city,” it said.
Gujarat is also among six states chosen by the central government to carry out the Light House Project under the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC).
BSF-BGB talks
The next round of Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) will begin in Dhaka today.
The last round took place in February in New Delhi. That meeting was the first high-level engagement between the two forces after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year.
According to the BSF, today’s discussions will cover issues such as preventing attacks on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh-based miscreants, checking cross-border crimes, and matters related to the construction of a single-row fence.
The BSF is also expected to raise concerns over illegal crossings from Bangladesh. According to a report by The Hindu, in 2024, 3,474 Bangladeshi nationals were caught while entering or leaving India illegally, compared with 3,342 in 2023.
Are India-US trade talks deferred?
The sixth round of India-US trade talks was planned to start today. But several reports last week said the talks have been put off, quoting people familiar with the matter.
A source told Reuters that the ongoing round of negotiations for a bilateral trade deal will be moved to another date, which is yet to be finalised.
The US embassy in New Delhi said it has no further details on the trade and tariff talks, which are being managed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
So far, there has been no official confirmation of the postponement from either side.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced an extra 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil. The move has increased tensions between the two countries.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
