International Relations

Ruling Progressive Party rejects Opposition claims that poll might be postponed Dismissing Opposition claims that the Maldivian presidential election might be postponed, the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has assured that the poll will be held in September as scheduled. The Elections Commission of the Maldives in June …

Trump warns Tehran again as sanctions get reimposed; Rouhani calls it ‘psychological warfare’ U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told Iran to change its “destabilising” behaviour or risk further economic isolation, hours before the reimposition of sweeping sanctions against Tehran, though he left the door open to a new deal. …

Indian pilgrims stranded due to bad weather Around 200 Indians on their way back home after the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage in Tibet are stranded in Nepal’s Humla district due to bad weather, a statement by the Indian Embassy said on Sunday. The representatives of the Indian Embassy in Simikot, Hilsa and …

The textile industry has urged the Centre to push for negotiations with China to provide duty-free access to Indian cotton textiles. Sanjay Jain, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, said in a release that in 2017-2018, India exported textile goods worth $1,362 million to China. The Indian textile …

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has called for the rebuilding of 11 schools torched by suspected Islamic extremists in northern Pakistan. She tweeted about the attack, saying “extremists have shown what frightens them most: a girl with a book.” She was shot and injured by the Pakistani Taliban in …

Asian countries have voiced concern about the potentially devastating impact of a U.S.-China trade war, with Ministers calling for the acceleration of talks for a gigantic Beijing-backed free-trade deal that excludes the United States. Fear that a simmering trade spat between the world’s top two economies could spiral into a …

“National tragedy.” That is how Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera described the problem of prevalent household indebtedness in Sri Lanka, when he recently announced the government’s decision to write off debt of LKR 1 lakh or less, incurred by 75,000 women in 12 drought-affected districts across the country. The move, aimed …

At the stroke of midnight on July 3, 1954, members of the London Housewives’ Association held a ceremony in central London to mark the end of food rationing in Britain that had commenced 14 years before, after the start of the Second World War. Rationing covered goods from meat and …

Of the many delights of living in Paris is the ability to enjoy history, art and culture, thanks to the city’s outstanding museums. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Centre Georges Pompidou are some of the world’s most popular museums located in the French capital. But there are others …

Venezuela’s controversial Constituent Assembly (CA) marked its first anniversary on Saturday as the embodiment of President Nicolas Maduro’s entrenchment in power despite an economic crisis that has crippled the country’s public services and destroyed its currency. The assembly’s very creation last year was largely responsible for four months of street …

North Korea has pressed ahead with its nuclear and missile programmes and continues to evade UN sanctions through increased illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil products at sea, a UN report said on Friday. In a 62-page report sent to the Security Council, the UN panel of experts also listed violations …

the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Russian bank accused of helping North Korea with weapons-related activities. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listed stringent preconditions for any engagement with Iran. And the administration’s top intelligence and law enforcement officials vowed to combat Russian interference in the midterm elections, while Senate …

India should respect the promise it made in 2010 to open embassies in three more Latin American nations, a group of Ambassadors has urged Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. A senior diplomat from the region told The Hindu that these countries were awaiting action on India’s promise, especially after Prime Minister …

Beijing warned on Friday that it was prepared to impose new tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods if Washington ups the ante in the escalating U.S.-China trade war. The Commerce Ministry issued a statement saying the new duties would be applied if Washington pulled the trigger on President …

Extract: The Vatican said Pope Francis had approved a change to the catechism of the Catholic Church — the compilation of official Catholic teaching. Previously, the catechism said the church didn’t exclude recourse to capital punishment “if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the …

Extract: China’s top envoy called on the U.S. to remain “cool-headed” on Thursday as Washington threatened to raise the tariff rate on the next $200 billion of Chinese imports. “We have been very clear about the specific changes China should undertake. Regrettably, instead of changing its harmful behaviour, China has …

A relatively new anti-blasphemy party, whose leader has reportedly vowed to nuke the Netherlands should he ever come to power, did surprisingly well in Pakistan’s elections. Islamist fundamentalist parties fielded more than 1,500 candidates in Pakistan’s provincial and national elections that were won by Imran Khan. The performance of Tehreek-e-Labaik …

India has welcomed the decision of the U.S. government to grant it the status of a trading partner equivalent to its closest allies in the NATO. This decision is likely to boost India’s defence trade with the U.S. The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said it proved India’s …