Israel, Lebanon, and the US signed a trilateral framework agreement to ease border tensions, marking a first step towards peace. The deal involves Israeli withdrawal from two areas in southern Lebanon, with Lebanese Armed Forces taking control.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy authorized a 40-day operation against Russian targets, with forces hitting oil refineries and depots. Crimea faces power outages and fuel shortages, while Belarus builds border infrastructure despite warnings. Ukraine is also accelerating plans for a European missile defense system.
Analysis of China's 15-year use of the dragon-elephant analogy to describe China-India relations, with Chinese leaders and state media repeatedly promoting the metaphor while India has consistently declined to adopt it. Indian experts cite military confrontation and accumulated distrust as reasons for rejection, while Chinese analysts frame it as a signal of respect for India's civilisational heritage.
