International Issues

It risks raising tension between Paris and Tehran Iran confirmed on Tuesday the arrest of a French-Iranian academic without giving any details of her case, the latest in a long list of dual nationals held in the country’s prisons. The detention of Fariba Adelkhah, 60, risks increasing tension between Paris …

Washington may seek Pak. assistance in securing a deal to end war in Afghanistan Pakistan expressed hopes on Tuesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s maiden trip to the White House later this month would help repair its acrimonious relationship with Washington as the U.S. seeks its help in ending the …

As the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague prepares to deliver its verdict in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case on Wednesday, the government is pinning its hopes on two precedents, both in cases against the United States in 2001 and 2004, when the ICJ ruled for a review and …

The successor of the Dalai Lama has to be decided within China and any interference by India will impact bilateral ties, Chinese authorities have said. In first clear assertion on the sensitive issue, Chinese officials and experts said the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be approved by the Chinese …

He was ‘set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism’, says memo from former U.K. envoy It was just hours after Boris Johnson, then Britain’s Foreign Secretary, returned to London from a whirlwind trip last year to try to persuade the White House to abide by the Iran nuclear accord. Kim …

Crackdown under President Xi has left the press entirely devoid of critical reporting, with many topics being off limits She was once one of China’s best journalists, roaming the country uncovering stories about police brutality, wrongful convictions and environmental disasters. But these days, Zhang Wenmin struggles to be heard. The …

Two interviews of Opposition leaders were taken off air, another one was cancelled at the last minute In recent weeks, Pakistan has seen interviews of two high-profile Opposition leaders being taken off air, raising fears of growing censorship of media by the government. After former President Asif Ali Zardari’s interview …

Delhi meet discusses need to boost non-defence commerce The scheduled September meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to highlight bilateral non-defence trade. The discussion in this regard took place in the antional capital during July 9 and 10 at the Second India-Russia Strategic …

United States Trade Representative team to meet officials In the first such formal engagement since the U.S. decided to withdraw India’s preferential trade status in March, a team from the office of the United States Trade Representative will arrive in Delhi on Thursday for meetings with officials of the Commerce …

U.S. House to vote on diluted Bill on defence cooperation with Delhi The U.S. House Committee on Rules voted on Tuesday night to send a watered-down version of an amendment to enhance defence cooperation with India to the full House floor for a vote. The new India NDAA amendment, a …

Japan, S. Korea, Europe to be beneficiaries Caught in the crossfire of the U.S.-China trade war, Chinese students are looking for alternative study destinations — threatening to turn off an important source of revenue for American universities. China accounts for nearly a third of foreign students on U.S. campuses who …

Beijing pushes for diplomacy for the settlement of the issue China on Monday alleged that “unilateral bullying” by the United States was the “root cause” of Iran’s decision to expand uranium enrichment. While regretting Iran’s announcement as a breach of the nuclear deal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made …

‘People gave us a strong mandate to change Greece. We will honour it to the full’ Greece’s new conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in on Monday after a sweeping election victory put him in charge of the EU’s most indebted member with promises to end a decade of …

Maldives’s former President Abdulla Yameen was charged with money laundering on Wednesday, according to a local media report. The case stems from an allegedly shady deal to lease islands for tourist resort development and the discovery of $1 million in his bank account. The case has been filed at the …

The British government denied on Wednesday that it was secretly plotting to force MPs into a last-minute choice on Brexit between a rejigged deal and a lengthy delay. ITV television reported that it had overheard Prime Minister Theresa May’s chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins in a Brussels bar saying the …

Instagram on Wednesday shut down an account that published comic strips about the struggles of a gay Muslim in Indonesia after it sparked a backlash in the world’s biggest Islamic nation. The move comes after Indonesia’s Communications Ministry sent a letter to the social media giant warning that the “pornographic” …

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that he is likely to sign a bipartisan border security deal from Congress that will keep the federal government open past Friday. Mr. Trump, however, indicated he was not happy with the terms, which provide him with far less funding for shorter stretches of …

Sunderland, a city near the prosperous northern English city of Newcastle, had for many years been the place that won the race to first declare general election results, though its results rarely surprised, it being a firm Labour stronghold. However, when it came to the June 2016 referendum, the city …

States in the U.S. have the practice of emblazoning their vehicle license plates with their mottos. New York plates have ‘Empire State’ on them, California’s have ‘Golden State’ on them and New Jersey’s, ‘Garden State’. And then there is the rather incongruous ‘Taxation without Representation’ license plate from Washington DC. …

It takes around three hours to fly from Tokyo to Naha, the southern tip of Okinawa island in the East China Sea. Naha’s subtropical charm can be mesmerising. At the airport, the sight of giant-sized phalaenopsis orchid — in shades ranging from deep pink to crispy white — are a …