Ratcheting up the tensions over Ukraine by several notches, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday night signed a decree recognising two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine – Donetsk and Lugansk – as sovereign nations. Putin signed the document after an hour-long, detailed televised address to the nation in which heRead More →
War clouds hovered over Ukraine on Sunday with both Russia and the US deepening their mind games over a possible invasion of Kyiv by Moscow. While Russia extended its military drill in Belarus involving a large number of troops, which was originally scheduled to end on Sunday, the US saidRead More →
In a decision that has evoked mixed reaction, Japan’s Princess Mako has chosen to give up her royal status so that she can marry the man she fell in love with. Pained by the harsh reactions and opposition to her choice, Mako went in on a simple ceremony on TuesdayRead More →
American troops are unlikely to withdraw from Afghanistan by May 1 as envisaged in the “peace deal” signed by the Trump administration and Taliban leaders last year. Days after US President Joe Biden said it would be “tough” to meet the May 1 deadline, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd AustinRead More →
Over 100 people were killed and another 4,000 seriously injured as a gigantic, nuclear-like explosion rocked Lebanon capital Beirut on Tuesday evening. The blast happened at 6 pm local time at the port area in Central Beirut. It as so powerful it sent up a huge mushroom-shaped shock wave flippingRead More →
Even as the border tension stand-off between India and China is yet to abate, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Stakna forward areas in Leh, the capital of Ladakh on Friday. During his interaction with soldiers at the Lukung post near Pangong Lake, Singh said, “Not an inch ofRead More →
Days after two Indian diplomats faced harassment in Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday summoned the Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan to convey New Delhi’s decision to “reduce the staff strength in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by 50%”. This effectively means India will expelRead More →
Excerpts from India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar’s opening remarks at the RIC trilateral foreign ministers’ video conference on June 23, 2020 Friends, We welcome this special RIC meeting of Foreign Ministers to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second World War, as well as the foundation ofRead More →
When Finnish transport minister Sanna Mirella Marin takes over as Prime Minister of the Nordic country later this week, she will be the world’s youngest Prime Minister at 34 – younger than Ukrain’s 35 years young premier Oleksiy Honcharuk and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern who is 39. Marin was electedRead More →
Ministerial declaration, Stockholm, 11 June 2019 We, the participating states – Argentina, Canada, Finland, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland – to the Stockholm Ministerial Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), met today to discuss howRead More →
In a fresh initiative to ratchet up international opinion towards a nuclear weapons-free world, Sweden plans to host an international ministerial meeting in Stockholm on June 11 on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The purpose of the meeting, to be hosted by Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström, is toRead More →
In perhaps the first show of his diplomatic side, Trump called the Mexican President as a “friend” and termed the meeting a “great honour”Read More →
Citing unnamed sources, Indian media has reported that New Delhi has told its diplomats in Islamabad that their wards can no longer study in Pakistan schools. While Indian diplomats posted in Pakistan can’t have their children living with them, spouses will be allowed to stay, say the reports. While IndianRead More →
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Distinguished Members of the U.S. Congress Ladies and Gentlemen. I am deeply honoured by the invitation to address this Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker for opening the doors of this magnificent Capitol. This temple of democracy has encouraged and empoweredRead More →
Indian actor Anupam Kher has said he’s been denied visa to attend the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), which begins February 5. Kher, who was among the 18 Indians invited to participate, was to deliver a speech at the festival. Kher took to Twitter to express his disappointment. “I feel bad forRead More →
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the Parliament of Afghanistan Eight centuries ago, a famous son of Balkh Province, one of the greatest poets in human history, Jalaluddin Rumi, wrote, “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that gives flowers, not thunder”. This is the wisdom ofRead More →
Four suspected terrorists from Pakistan, who were supposedly sailing in a fishing boat in the direction of Gujarat in India, blew themselves up when intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on January 1, 2015 in the Arabian Sea, India’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday. The ICGRead More →
On the first day of the New Year, India and Pakistan exchanged the list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral treaty that bars the two countries from attacking each other’s atomic facilities. This is an annual practice in vogue since 1991 when the Agreement on the Prohibition of AttackRead More →
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got a shot in the arm with his ruling coalition winning a new two-thirds majority in the elections held on Sunday. The win, in which Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) retained its majority in the House of Representatives, is seen as a referendum on hisRead More →
After two weeks of intense talks during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Lima, Peru, delegates from 194 countries came to an agreement on how to tackle climate change. The deal – the “Lima call for climate action” – includes a framework for setting national pledges,Read More →
During his sixth visit to India on 11 December 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin received an assurance from India that Russia would remain a top defence supplier for India. “Even as India’s options have increased today, Russia will remain our most important defence partner,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saidRead More →
The threat of use, or misuse, of nuclear weapons is real and the consequences of such an event will be catastrophic, the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons warned. The two-day conference, which ended on December 9, 2014 in the Austrian capital, sought to draw global attentionRead More →
The interrogation methods used by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on detainees were ineffective, much harsher than previously revealed and often produced wrong information, according to the executive summary of a report de-classified by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released on Tuesday. Only the 528-page summary has beenRead More →
US President Barack Obama picked the man who described the US as “the single most important provider of security in the world” as the new defence secretary. The nomination of Ashton Carter as Pentagon Chief comes about a week after Obama reportedly pressured former defence secretary Chuck Hagel to resign. TheRead More →
Yes, says Goldman Sachs. And as early as 2016, by which time India’s economy is estimated to grow faster than China’s. According to the American investment bank, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016 will grow at the rate of 6.8 per cent, while China’s will be 6.7 per cent.Read More →
By EMILY SCHAUER On Thursday, US President Barack Obama announced his plan to act unilaterally on the hot-button immigration issue by issuing an Executive Order. Opponents, primarily members of the Republican Party, decry his action as unlawful, and to some, it is an impeachable offence. In his speech announcing theRead More →
US President Barack Obama on Friday set the ball rolling for creating history by accepting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to be the Chief Guest of India’s Republic Day on January 26, 2015. For one, Obama will be the first US President to be India’s chief guest during RepublicRead More →
Seeking a third term, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday announced presidential elections ahead of schedule. The decision to hold presidential polls, expected in January next year, comes two years before the expiry of 69-year-old Rajapaksa’s current six-year term. “I am declaring a secret today. I have signed theRead More →
Ebola and climate change were among the non-economic topics mentioned in a joint statement by the Group of Twenty (G20) after their two-day summit in Brisbane, Australia that ended on Sunday, Nov. 16. On the economic front, the leaders of the G20 committed to reviving the subdued global economy withRead More →
In a major victory for India, the US on Thursday agreed to support the former’s demand to be allowed to continue with its food stockpiling scheme. In return, India will lift its veto on a global agreement on streamlining customs rules, known as the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), being negotiatedRead More →
One of the first foreign policy announcements made by Stefan Lofven upon taking over as Prime Minister of Sweden early this month was that Sweden would be the first country in European Union (EU) to recognise Palestine. On Thursday, Sweden officially recognised the state of Palestine, a move welcomed byRead More →
Singapore is the most business-friendly economy in the world, according to the latest annual study by the World Bank, “Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency”. This is the ninth consecutive year the Southeast Asian country has been ranked the best country to do business. The top 10 countries in termsRead More →
In a subtle message to China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that India would supply naval vessels to Vietnam. This would be India’s first significant military transfer to Hanoi. The development is notable as it comes at a time when Vietnam is tied in a territorial disputeRead More →
Squarely blaming the US for disrupting the world order by seeking to impose its will on other nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned that new wars will break out if Washington doesn’t learn to respect the interests of other countries. Putin was speaking on “The World Order: NewRead More →
In a notable victory, India has been re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2015-17, receiving the highest number of votes – 162 – in the Asia-Pacific group. India is already a member of the 47-nation UNHRC and its term is due to end onRead More →
Seeking to enable relief and reconstruction activities in opposition-controlled areas of Syria, the US has eased economic sanctions on the country, the US Department of State said in a statement to the media. According to the media note, which was reviewed by Diplomatic News, Secretary of State John F. KerryRead More →
In a major relief to peaceniks, the three-week face-off between India and China has ended. By Sunday evening, the Chinese troops have started withdrawing from their newly erected tents on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which India claimed was 19 kms inside Indian territory. The move comes as aRead More →
With the standoff between India and China over Chinese troops’ alleged incursion into Indian territory entering the third week, two bilateral visits are at stake. Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid’s proposed China visit on May 9 and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s trip to India – his first foreign sojourn afterRead More →
The love-hate relations between India and Pakistan suffered another blow with the death of Indian citizen Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan. Singh was badly beaten up last week in a Pakistani jail allegedly by fellow inmates. Singh suffered a serious head injury and slipped into coma soon after. He was inRead More →
More than 20 people have lost their lives in the latest spate of bomb attacks in Iraq on Monday. About five bombs went off in the majority Shia Muslim areas, bringing the national death toll over the past week to 200. There has been a steady spike in sectarian violenceRead More →
A powerful explosion ripped through an office building in Prague, the Czech capital, at 9.56 am local time. Initial reports quote Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda as saying it’s a gas explosion and not a terrorist attack. About 40 people have been reportedly injured and some people could be trapped under theRead More →
