On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi landed in New Delhi for her first-ever visit to India as she began the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A First Visit, A Long Partnership

The visit comes as an important step to further advance the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, and Minister of State Jitendra Singh greeted the Japanese PM on his arrival in the Ministry of External Affairs said. 

The visit comes as an important step to further advance the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, and Minister of State Jitendra Singh greeted the Japanese PM on his arrival in the Ministry of External Affairs said. The three-day visit, from July 1 to July 3, is on Modi's invitation and after he visited Tokyo last August for the 15th annual summit. 

In a statement ahead of the talks, Takaichi emphasized the importance of the two democracies in the region. 

As a major democratic country in Asia, India has a role to play to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, which is under my focus here, I said I'll speak very clearly with Prime Minister Modi about the work done towards the 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific,' which is a Japan, the United States, Australia and India framework.

The visit was also an opportunity to "further deepen the personal trust relationship with Prime Minister Modi," she added. 

The subject of Trade, Technology and Defence was put on the Table

Presently, there are approximately 1,400 Japanese companies operating in India, with nearly half of these being in the manufacturing sector, and bilateral trade in FY 2025/26 stands at USD 27.5 billion, with Japanese investment in India amounting to USD 3.2 billion during April-December 2025. 

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year visited Tokyo, Japan had offered to invest more than USD 61 billion in India in the next 10 years. 

This is the first summit where the focus is different. Unlike the previous round, which focused mainly on trade, the current one will be twice as much about "economic security" — safeguarding critical technologies, supply chains and energy resources against geopolitical disruptions, in addition to maritime security, military exercise and defence technology cooperation, officials said. 

The leaders will hold discussions on introducing enhanced mutually complementary cooperation under the Japan-India Joint Vision for the Next Decade in the field of economic security, encompassing energy, as well as economic growth in terms of investment and innovation. During her visit to India, Takaichi will give an address at the India-Japan Business Forum in New Delhi.

On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi landed in New Delhi for her first-ever visit to India as she began the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The visit comes as an important step to further advance the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, and Minister of State Jitendra Singh greeted the Japanese PM on his arrival in the Ministry of External Affairs said. 

The visit comes as an important step to further advance the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, and Minister of State Jitendra Singh greeted the Japanese PM on his arrival in the Ministry of External Affairs said. The three-day visit, from July 1 to July 3, is on Modi's invitation and after he visited Tokyo last August for the 15th annual summit. 

In a statement ahead of the talks, Takaichi emphasized the importance of the two democracies in the region. 

As a major democratic country in Asia, India has a role to play to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, which is under my focus here, I said I'll speak very clearly with Prime Minister Modi about the work done towards the 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific,' which is a Japan, the United States, Australia and India framework.

The visit was also an opportunity to "further deepen the personal trust relationship with Prime Minister Modi," she added. 

The subject of Trade, Technology and Defence was put on the Table

Presently, there are approximately 1,400 Japanese companies operating in India, with nearly half of these being in the manufacturing sector, and bilateral trade in FY 2025/26 stands at USD 27.5 billion, with Japanese investment in India amounting to USD 3.2 billion during April-December 2025. 

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year visited Tokyo, Japan had offered to invest more than USD 61 billion in India in the next 10 years. 

This is the first summit where the focus is different. Unlike the previous round, which focused mainly on trade, the current one will be twice as much about "economic security" — safeguarding critical technologies, supply chains and energy resources against geopolitical disruptions, in addition to maritime security, military exercise and defence technology cooperation, officials said. 

The leaders will hold discussions on introducing enhanced mutually complementary cooperation under the Japan-India Joint Vision for the Next Decade in the field of economic security, encompassing energy, as well as economic growth in terms of investment and innovation. During her visit to India, Takaichi will give an address at the India-Japan Business Forum in New Delhi.

Japan PM Takaichi Arrives for 16th India Summit

In one of the biggest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent weeks, Russian missile and drone strikes overnight claimed at least 13 lives and injured over 85 people in Kyiv.

A Night of Sirens and Shelters

The toll was caused by the death of 85 people, including at least one child and several medical workers who were injured in a strike on an ambulance substation, and the damage extended over six floors of an apartment building which collapsed after being hit head on by several bullets, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. 

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said 56 people, including two children, were injured and three dozen locations across the city had been damaged. 

The attack came days after Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shortened his trip to Ireland. "Today, we have information on another large-scale Russian strike, we have relevant intelligence data," said Zelenskyy in a joint news conference in Dublin with Taoiseach Micheal Martin. 

He appealed to people to "stay safe and protect your families and children" by following air raid alerts. 

A familiar routine of shelter and wait were described by the residents. People were spending the night in shelters, Ukraine's Ambassador to the USA Olga Stefanishyna told on social media, while pictures reveal how the residents of Ukraine's major cities stuffed themselves into the underground stations, holding sleeping mats under their arms. 

The Justification of Moscow, the Rebuttal of Kyiv

The Russian Defence Ministry accused its adversaries of striking "the energy and military infrastructure of the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and other regions" with "massive use of high-precision, long-range weapons, including drones".
But Ukrainian officials did not buy it. 

The death toll would continue to rise, warned Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha, and Russia requires strong measures from international community not just declarations of condemnation. 

Regional Alert

However, the magnitude of the attack led to neighbouring states being on their guard. Poland scrambled fighter jets, posting on social media that "fighter jets have started operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance are now in a state of readiness. This was also the case in Finland, which also closed its airspace as a precaution. 

More than 4,000 hours into the war, Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "not interested in peace" after Kyiv had engaged in diplomatic efforts towards him. 

The head of Ukraine's military continues to refuse to end the Russian occupation of the east, Zelenskyy told ISW, emphasizing that the country has, on official and unofficial channels, notified its adversaries of "readiness for meetings and meaningful negotiations.

In one of the biggest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent weeks, Russian missile and drone strikes overnight claimed at least 13 lives and injured over 85 people in Kyiv.

The toll was caused by the death of 85 people, including at least one child and several medical workers who were injured in a strike on an ambulance substation, and the damage extended over six floors of an apartment building which collapsed after being hit head on by several bullets, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. 

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said 56 people, including two children, were injured and three dozen locations across the city had been damaged. 

The attack came days after Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shortened his trip to Ireland. "Today, we have information on another large-scale Russian strike, we have relevant intelligence data," said Zelenskyy in a joint news conference in Dublin with Taoiseach Micheal Martin. 

He appealed to people to "stay safe and protect your families and children" by following air raid alerts. 

A familiar routine of shelter and wait were described by the residents. People were spending the night in shelters, Ukraine's Ambassador to the USA Olga Stefanishyna told on social media, while pictures reveal how the residents of Ukraine's major cities stuffed themselves into the underground stations, holding sleeping mats under their arms. 

The Justification of Moscow, the Rebuttal of Kyiv

The Russian Defence Ministry accused its adversaries of striking "the energy and military infrastructure of the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and other regions" with "massive use of high-precision, long-range weapons, including drones".
But Ukrainian officials did not buy it. 

The death toll would continue to rise, warned Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha, and Russia requires strong measures from international community not just declarations of condemnation. 

However, the magnitude of the attack led to neighbouring states being on their guard. Poland scrambled fighter jets, posting on social media that "fighter jets have started operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance are now in a state of readiness. This was also the case in Finland, which also closed its airspace as a precaution. 

More than 4,000 hours into the war, Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "not interested in peace" after Kyiv had engaged in diplomatic efforts towards him. 

The head of Ukraine's military continues to refuse to end the Russian occupation of the east, Zelenskyy told ISW, emphasizing that the country has, on official and unofficial channels, notified its adversaries of "readiness for meetings and meaningful negotiations.

Russian Strikes Kill Over a Dozen in Kyiv

President Donald Trump on Wednesday characterized a financial disclosure that listed more than a billion dollars of cryptocurrency-related income as "more than the IRS will ever actually know," while stating that he doesn't run his own finances.

The Filing Reveals

The 927-page annual financial disclosure Trump released this year from the US Office of Government Ethics offers the most detailed picture so far of the wealth he has accumulated since he took office.

The total crypto-related income, as calculated by Reuters, was well over $1.4 billion, while the Associated Press came up with a smaller number of almost $1.2 billion. 

Of that, his firms got nearly $800 million from by far World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture he and his sons co-founded, of which over $520 million came from token sales and over $250 million from the sale of a stake in the company. The TRUMP meme coin operation reported approximately $635 million in income via CIC Digital LLC. 

Trump's Response

Trump has also separated himself from the day-to-day operation of his finances before leaving for the newly reconverted Air Force One in a speech to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

I don't become involved in my personal — we have money that runs my money," he said. When challenged about the profit he is making from the presidency, he answers: "Well, you know why I'm profiting is the stock market's going up, everybody's profiting. 

So we're all enjoying the benefits, I am enjoying it because I have plenty of money and plenty of cash to give to institutions. 

Trump's team has cited the Securities and Exchange Commission's estimate that 54.4% of Americans are invested in the stock market to bolster their definition of "broad-based gains.

Wider Scrutiny

The White House has denied any wrongdoing. Anna Kelly, the President's spokeswoman, said the President and his family have never engaged in, nor will they engage in, a conflict of interest, but as a result of Trump's policies, such as the GENIUS Act, innovation is taking place. 

Despite that, a Public Opinion Strategies poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted in May 2026 revealed that 62% did not believe the Trump administration is even trustworthy to regulate crypto; and only 45% knew the Trump family's crypto holdings. 

According to Reuters reporting this spring, the approximately $2.3 billion in profits earned by Trump-affiliated cryptocurrency projects was similar to the losses suffered by other investors in the same projects until April.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday characterized a financial disclosure that listed more than a billion dollars of cryptocurrency-related income as "more than the IRS will ever actually know," while stating that he doesn't run his own finances.

The 927-page annual financial disclosure Trump released this year from the US Office of Government Ethics offers the most detailed picture so far of the wealth he has accumulated since he took office.

The total crypto-related income, as calculated by Reuters, was well over $1.4 billion, while the Associated Press came up with a smaller number of almost $1.2 billion. 

Of that, his firms got nearly $800 million from by far World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture he and his sons co-founded, of which over $520 million came from token sales and over $250 million from the sale of a stake in the company. The TRUMP meme coin operation reported approximately $635 million in income via CIC Digital LLC. 

Trump has also separated himself from the day-to-day operation of his finances before leaving for the newly reconverted Air Force One in a speech to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

I don't become involved in my personal — we have money that runs my money," he said. When challenged about the profit he is making from the presidency, he answers: "Well, you know why I'm profiting is the stock market's going up, everybody's profiting. 

So we're all enjoying the benefits, I am enjoying it because I have plenty of money and plenty of cash to give to institutions. 

Trump's team has cited the Securities and Exchange Commission's estimate that 54.4% of Americans are invested in the stock market to bolster their definition of "broad-based gains.

The White House has denied any wrongdoing. Anna Kelly, the President's spokeswoman, said the President and his family have never engaged in, nor will they engage in, a conflict of interest, but as a result of Trump's policies, such as the GENIUS Act, innovation is taking place. 

Despite that, a Public Opinion Strategies poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted in May 2026 revealed that 62% did not believe the Trump administration is even trustworthy to regulate crypto; and only 45% knew the Trump family's crypto holdings. 

According to Reuters reporting this spring, the approximately $2.3 billion in profits earned by Trump-affiliated cryptocurrency projects was similar to the losses suffered by other investors in the same projects until April.

Trump Defends $1.4-Billion Crypto Income Surge

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced its withdrawal from producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028, one of the biggest changes in the evolution of the console industry from physical to digital media.

The Announcement

Sid Shuman, SIE Content Communications' Senior Director, stated in a PlayStation Blog post that the move is in response to the way gamers like to purchase and play content. 

This change will help us to move closer to how the majority of our community are now accessing and playing games, Sony wrote, saying it'll focus its resources on providing players with a choice when buying games. 

This does not affect games that are already available for PS4 and PS5 to play on as of January 2028, and those that are currently being released will continue to be released. Starting from that date, new titles will only be available in the PlayStation Store or in boxes at retail through digital download codes.

A Two-Decade Arc

On November 1, 2006, PlayStation moved to the Blu-ray format when the PlayStation 3 was released in Japan, a format which PlayStation helped pioneer and popularise in the format war against HD DVD. Since then, it is reported that Sony has produced and sold 1.5 billion to 2 billion PS titles on Blu-ray in the world. 

The move is in tandem with Sony's decision back in January 2025 to end production of recordable Blu-ray discs, mini discs and MiniDV cassettes for the consumer market, with the company saying just “there will be no successor models.”

Industry Implications

The decision is believed to be linked to the next generation of consoles. This effectively means PS6 will not be delivered until 2028, at the latest, according to Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis. 

Removing disc drives should help to reduce manufacturing costs in time of general industry increase in component and semiconductors prices. 

The shift is in opposition to Microsoft's Xbox console, which still supports and sells video games launched throughout the four generations of its Xbox consoles, but will it be followed by other manufacturers and third-party publishers since the 2028 deadline nears? 

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced its withdrawal from producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028, one of the biggest changes in the evolution of the console industry from physical to digital media.

Sid Shuman, SIE Content Communications' Senior Director, stated in a PlayStation Blog post that the move is in response to the way gamers like to purchase and play content. 

This change will help us to move closer to how the majority of our community are now accessing and playing games, Sony wrote, saying it'll focus its resources on providing players with a choice when buying games. 

This does not affect games that are already available for PS4 and PS5 to play on as of January 2028, and those that are currently being released will continue to be released. Starting from that date, new titles will only be available in the PlayStation Store or in boxes at retail through digital download codes.

On November 1, 2006, PlayStation moved to the Blu-ray format when the PlayStation 3 was released in Japan, a format which PlayStation helped pioneer and popularise in the format war against HD DVD. Since then, it is reported that Sony has produced and sold 1.5 billion to 2 billion PS titles on Blu-ray in the world. 

The move is in tandem with Sony's decision back in January 2025 to end production of recordable Blu-ray discs, mini discs and MiniDV cassettes for the consumer market, with the company saying just “there will be no successor models.”

The decision is believed to be linked to the next generation of consoles. This effectively means PS6 will not be delivered until 2028, at the latest, according to Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis. 

Removing disc drives should help to reduce manufacturing costs in time of general industry increase in component and semiconductors prices. 

The shift is in opposition to Microsoft's Xbox console, which still supports and sells video games launched throughout the four generations of its Xbox consoles, but will it be followed by other manufacturers and third-party publishers since the 2028 deadline nears? 

Sony to End PlayStation Discs from 2028

The Gujarat High Court has said that registering a Hindu marriage is not enough for it to be legally valid without the performance of customary rites and ceremonies, including saptapadi.

The Case

The ruling was issued on an appeal by Kaushal Pramodbhai Sonar, who is based in the UK, and wanted the union with Ahmedabad resident Khushi Sanjay Shah declared invalid. Sonar said he found out about the alleged marriage after the defendant approached his parents and presented a marriage certificate that she was his lawfully wedded wife.

He stated that he never performed any Hindu rites and ceremonies or ever lived with her, as husband and wife, and that his signature on the marriage papers was fraudulently obtained. 

More importantly the written statement filed by the respondent clearly admitted that there were no rites and rituals performed and that there was no relation between the parties as husband and wife. But a family court had previously rejected Sonar's request in November 2025, saying that the registered certificate created a presumption of a valid marriage which needed all the proceedings to be conducted. 

What the High Court Held

The division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and R.T. Vachhani differed, setting aside the order as wrong. The court held that registration of a marriage under Section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 is merely a record of a marriage which has already been validly solemnised in accordance with Section 7 of the Act and registration does not of itself make the marriage a valid marriage unless the necessary customary rites and ceremonies are performed. 

The bench noted that ceremonies like saptapadi, wherein the bride and groom take seven steps around the sacred fire together, endow a marriage with its spiritual, social and legal character, of being a sacrament or samskara. 

The court's June 23 order also included a broader comment on the institution of marriage, which is “a solemn act, the basis of all other (social) relationships” and “not only an occasion for song and dance, or wining and dining”. 

It said that a wife is viewed as "ardhangini" (one-half) of her husband, but doesn't lose her identity or her status as a spouse equal to her husband.

The marriage was cancelled as null and void ab initio, and the appellant was granted liberty to approach competent authority for canceling the marriage.

The Gujarat High Court has said that registering a Hindu marriage is not enough for it to be legally valid without the performance of customary rites and ceremonies, including saptapadi.

The ruling was issued on an appeal by Kaushal Pramodbhai Sonar, who is based in the UK, and wanted the union with Ahmedabad resident Khushi Sanjay Shah declared invalid. Sonar said he found out about the alleged marriage after the defendant approached his parents and presented a marriage certificate that she was his lawfully wedded wife.

He stated that he never performed any Hindu rites and ceremonies or ever lived with her, as husband and wife, and that his signature on the marriage papers was fraudulently obtained. 

More importantly the written statement filed by the respondent clearly admitted that there were no rites and rituals performed and that there was no relation between the parties as husband and wife. But a family court had previously rejected Sonar's request in November 2025, saying that the registered certificate created a presumption of a valid marriage which needed all the proceedings to be conducted. 

The division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and R.T. Vachhani differed, setting aside the order as wrong. The court held that registration of a marriage under Section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 is merely a record of a marriage which has already been validly solemnised in accordance with Section 7 of the Act and registration does not of itself make the marriage a valid marriage unless the necessary customary rites and ceremonies are performed. 

The bench noted that ceremonies like saptapadi, wherein the bride and groom take seven steps around the sacred fire together, endow a marriage with its spiritual, social and legal character, of being a sacrament or samskara. 

The court's June 23 order also included a broader comment on the institution of marriage, which is “a solemn act, the basis of all other (social) relationships” and “not only an occasion for song and dance, or wining and dining”. 

It said that a wife is viewed as "ardhangini" (one-half) of her husband, but doesn't lose her identity or her status as a spouse equal to her husband.

The marriage was cancelled as null and void ab initio, and the appellant was granted liberty to approach competent authority for canceling the marriage.

Japan PM Takaichi Arrives for 16th India Summit

A First Visit, A Long Partnership

The subject of Trade, Technology and Defence was put on the Table

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