<p>There was a brief skirmish between Indian and Chinese forces in Sikkim, a northeastern Indian state bordering China.</p> <p>The conflict was able to reach resolution with only minor injuries to soldiers as both sides engaged in dialogue. 4 Indian soldiers were said to be injured and 7 Chinese soldiers during the conflict which involved around 150 soldiers.</p> <p>Both sides have accused each other of intruding on their territory but the major conflict has not arisen since the 1962 war.</p>

Responding to an enquiry from the Muslim Council of Britain over statements made on Kashmir, Labour leader, Keir Starmer, issued a statement clarifying that a lasting settlement may only be reached “with the people of Kashmir”.

Starmer, who has taken over as Labour leader, following the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, had previously statement maintaining that it “bilateral issue for India and Pakistan”. He further stated that such “issues of the subcontinent” should not “divide communities here” and that they were “constitutional issues in India and a matter for the Indian parliament”.

<p>In India, 16 migrant workers were killed during a train accident as they journeyed home and had fallen asleep on their tracks.&nbsp;</p> <p>Reuters&nbsp;notes that the driver attempted to stop the train but was unable to. Small bundles of food, footwear and other belongings were seen scattered along the tracks after the accident.</p> <p>Reuters further notes that under India’s lockdown, all public transport has been suspended making it far more difficult for migrants to travel back home. 47 Roots notes that lockdown is hitting the poorest the hardest.</p>

<p>At least 6 people have been killed by Afghan police during protests in the western Ghor province over the distribution of food.</p> <p>The protests were over the allegations that food was being distributed in a manner that favoured those with political connections. The police were reported to have opened fire on around 300 protesters who had thrown stones on them. Human Rights organisations such as Amnesty International called for an independent investigation into the Afghan police’s conduct.</p>

<p>Riyaz Naikoo, a senior commander of the Kashmiri separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed by Indian troops alongside three others in the Indian-administrated region of Kashmir.</p> <p>The attack occurred as Indian troops received intelligence confirming that Riyaz Naikoo was hiding in south Kashmiri Pulwama district. Al Jazeera notes that during the attack two civilian homes were also blasted.</p>

<p>In the western state of Gujarat, India’s police crackdown on migrant workers using tear gas after authorities had relaxed the coronavirus lockdown.</p> <p>India imposed a nationwide lockdown on the 25 March but will continue till the 17 May. In India, 42,500 have been identified with coronavirus and 1,300 have been identified to have died from the virus.</p> <p>Officials reported that the approximate 1,000 workers who were stranded in Gujarat threw stones at the police.</p> <p>47 Roots have noted that those most vulnerable to the virus are India’s poor.</p>

47 Roots have released a video detailing how India's 800 million poor will be the hardest hit by the state-imposed lockdown.

India’s lockdown which was originally introduced on 24 March, for a 3 week period, was imposed with only 4 hours notice and has a dramatic impact on workers in the informal sector. 47 Roots notes that the informal sector accounts for 81% of employment and includes roles such as drivers, milkmen and construction workers. These workers are only paid for their daily labour can earn as little as two dollars a day. With the lock-down still in place, these workers find themselves without these meagre wages. India’s unemployment rate has risen from 6 - 23%.

<p>Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has issued a statement welcoming Fatou Bensouda, the ICC Chief Prosecutor, report which recognised Palestinian statehood with respects to transferring criminal jurisdiction over its territory to the Hague.</p> <p>The territory under its jurisdiction includes East Jerusalem which is currently threatened by annexation with respects to the US Middle East plan.</p>

(Photo Credit: Chatham House)

Newly appointed leader of the UK Labour Party, Kier Starmer, has shifted the Labour Party’s position concerning the Kashmir dispute, describing it as a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan.
This details a shift from his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, who maintained that:

“The situation in Kashmir is deeply disturbing. Human rights abuses taking place are unacceptable. The rights of the Kashmiri people must be respected, and UN resolutions implemented”.

<p>Turkey’s government has claimed that at least 40 people have been killed in an attack in a crowded market in the Syrian city of Afrin, which included 11 children.</p> <p>The governor of Hatay, a neighbouring province, stated that the deaths were trigged due to a fuel tanker exploding due to a hand grenade.&nbsp; Turkey has placed blame on the Kurdish separatist militant group, the YPG.</p> <p>Turkey maintains strong opposition to the YPG which they claim is an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has banned by Turkey and designated a terrorist organisation. The YPG and PKK deny this affiliation.</p>