International Affairs

Hawking auction raises astronomical sum

A copy of Stephen Hawking’s doctorate thesis signed in a shaky hand was the highlight of an auction of the British physicist’s personal items in London, which raised nearly £1.4 million. The copy, one of only five originals of the thesis entitled ‘Properties of expanding universes’, smashed pre-sale expectations four …

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Ireland woos Indian companies

Ireland woos

With just six months away for Brexit to become a reality, Ireland is wooing Indian companies, currently having United Kingdom (U.K.) as their EU headquarters, to shift base to the country. “Indian companies in the U.K. and particularly, those using the U.K. as a gateway to the EU face some …

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One step forward, two steps backward

One step forward, two steps backward

The newly-appointed U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, recently concluded a trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar aimed at setting the stage for talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Mr. Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives in Qatar in early October, following several statements made by …

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China, U.S. flaunt nuclear muscle

China, U.S. flaunt nuclear muscle

Quietly, the rapidly deteriorating ties between China and the United States — often dubbed a “trade war”— are acquiring a military edge. In the midst of the downslide in the relationship, which first began in the form of rising tariff walls and Washington’s efforts to deny high technology to China, …

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China tests world’s largest unmanned drone

China has successfully tested the world’s largest unmanned transport drone which can carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes, official media reported on Wednesday. A commercial drone Feihong-98 (FH-98) developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology made a test flight in the Baotou site in north China …

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Anna Burns wins Booker Prize

Anna Burns has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for fiction for Milkman , a vibrant, violent story about men, women, conflict and power set during Northern Ireland’s years of Catholic-Protestant violence. Ms. Burns is the first writer from Northern Ireland to win the £50,000 (Rs. 48 lakh) prize, which …

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Maldives court hears Yameen plea

Will take appropriate measures if strongman does not leave office quietly: U.S. Maldives’ judges on Sunday heard a petition by strongman President Abdulla Yameen to have his recent election defeat annulled, potentially triggering U.S. sanctions and plunging the Indian Ocean archipelago into fresh turmoil. Mr. Yameen lost heavily in the …

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China not ready for a deal: Trump

Beijing’s central bank head calls for ‘constructive solutions’ to end trade spat U.S President Donald Trump said on Sunday that China, under pressure due to Washington’s policies, wanted to have a trade deal with him, but he told them a week ago that they were not ready yet. “I told …

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