Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said U.S. sanctions were “economic terrorism”, as he sought to foster a united front from visiting regional officials on Saturday. Addressing Parliament speakers from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey, Mr. Rouhani said they had all suffered economic pressure from the U.S. “America’s unjust and illegal …
Read More »Internet use set to cross ‘50/50 milestone’: UN
Over half of world population online Some 3.9 billion people are now using the Internet, meaning that for the first time more than half of the global population is online, the United Nations said on Friday. The UN agency for information and communication technologies, ITU, said that by the end …
Read More »U.S. fails in its UN bid to decry Hamas movement
A U.S. resolution championed by Ambassador Nikki Haley to condemn the Palestinian Hamas movement at the United Nations for firing rockets at Israel failed to win enough votes for adoption on Thursday. The proposed measure won 87 votes in the General Assembly, falling short of a two-thirds majority. Fifty-eight countries …
Read More »‘Huawei affair won’t hit trade talks’
China says it is confident that a trade deal could be reached with the U.S. in 90 days Avoiding a knee-jerk response, China is delinking the detention of the daughter of the founder of Huawei in Canada from trade talks with the U.S. On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated …
Read More »Merkel to pass torch to a new party leader
About 1,000 delegates will choose the new chief of CDU German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hand over leadership of her party on Friday after nearly two decades at the helm, with the race wide open between a loyal deputy and a longtime rival. The contest’s outcome is expected to be …
Read More »CBI confronts Michel with documents
Agency is trying to establish money trail of alleged bribes in copter deal case The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday confronted Christian James Michel, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal case, with a series of documents obtained from Italy and those gathered as part of …
Read More »From dream to nightmare: ‘Little Messi’ forced to flee
Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world with his love for footballer Lionel Messi in 2016. His dream of meeting the Argentinian came true, but now the seven-year-old boy is living a nightmare as one of thousands of Afghans displaced by war. Murtaza and his family abandoned their home in southeastern Ghazni …
Read More »Nasheed to lead Maldives delegation at climate summit
Former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, widely regarded as a climate champion, will lead Male’s official delegation at the UN climate change conference in Poland. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih nominated Mr. Nasheed to head the Maldivian team, according to a statement. Mr. Nasheed’s participation signals a potential shift in …
Read More »U.K. suspends fast-track visa scheme for wealthy investors
Anti-corruption campaigners have welcomed a decision by the British Home Office to temporarily suspend a fast-track visa scheme for wealthy investors — that has been used by many Indians — but have called for urgent action against those found to have invested suspicious wealth in the U.K. The British government …
Read More »‘We will also develop banned N-weapons’
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday dismissed U.S. claims that Russia is violating a major Cold War treaty limiting mid-range nuclear arms. The tense rhetoric comes a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF) within 60 days if Russia does …
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