Diplomacy

Field notes from Bengaluru

India gifts Italy a toffee and breaks the internet

Indian PM Narendra Modi visited Rome and gifted his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni a packet of toffee that rhymed with her surname.

Beyond bromance: Xi-Putin summit a nod to China’s superpower status

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping following their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 20.

Pakistan steps up diplomatic bid to get US-Iran peace talks on track

Women holding Iran's national flags during an anti-US and Israel protest in Tehran on May 17.

US opens Greenland consulate as unease grows over Trump push

The new US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland. The facility is aimed at bringing the US and Greenland “closer”, said US ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery.

Japan PM Takaichi gifts President Lee a pair of glasses after South Korea visit

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses for photographs with glasses received from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in Andong, South Korea, on May 19, 2026.

China’s Xi and Russia’s Putin unite in criticism of US, but fail to clinch big gas deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi during a signing ceremony in Beijing on May 20.

Taiwan open to direct talks between Trump and Lai amid concerns after Beijing summit

US President Donald Trump had made a range of different pronouncements about Taiwan at the summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Iran chief negotiator Ghalibaf appointed to oversee ties with China: Media

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will “coordinate various sectors of relations between Iran and China”, according to Tasnim news agency.

Commentary

Trump-Xi summit: Win, lose or draw?

US President Donald Trump (R) walks with China’s President Xi Jinping (L) at Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

‘Japan Passing’? Trump eases Tokyo jitters with phone call to Takaichi after Xi summit

US President Donald Trump meets Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House on March 19, 2026.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.