International Relations

Pakistan’s economy is at a “critical juncture” where it needs an ambitious and bold set of reforms, the IMF has said, days after the global lender agreed to give a $6 billion bailout package to the cash-strapped country. “Pakistan is facing significant economic challenges on the back of large fiscal …

Both sides support reducing civilian casualties to zero The Taliban and Afghan representatives, including some government officials, agreed on Tuesday to a basic road map for negotiating the country’s political future, a major step that could help propel peace efforts to end the long war, now in its 18th year. …

A lie, say activists; threaten more mass rallies Hong Kong’s embattled pro-Beijing leader on Tuesday said a China extradition bill that sparked unprecedented political unrest “is dead” — but protesters immediately dismissed her comments, threatening more mass rallies. Chief Executive Carrie Lam admitted that her administration’s attempt to introduce the …

The French government is to impose a tax of up to €18 on plane tickets for all flights from airports in France to fund less-polluting transportation projects, a Minister said on Tuesday. The move, which will take effect from 2020, will see a tax of €1.5 imposed on economy-class tickets …

It has long had a field day putting tariffs on U.S. items: Trump U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on India for imposing tariffs on American products and said it was “no longer acceptable”, days after he held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and agreed …

Asia, which accounts for 60% of the global population, recorded the lowest rate of homicide in 2017 with only 2.3 killings per 1,00,000 people while the Americas had the highest homicide rate, according to a UN report. The Global Study on Homicide 2019 published on Monday by the UN Office …

He may make a case for India to align itself less with Iran Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to travel to India in September just days before he faces election, official and diplomatic sources confirmed to The Hindu . Mr. Netanyahu, who was due to be in Delhi …

Police in the Maldives have asked the country’s Prosecutor-General to charge former President Abdulla Yameen with money laundering and his former Minister with aiding him. 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.AP …

Ivanka Trump unveiled an effort aimed at helping 50 million women in the developing world get ahead economically over the next six years. On Thursday, the White House officially launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, a government-wide project led by the senior adviser and daughter to President Donald …

Senior U.S. Treasury official and World Bank critic David Malpass has been confirmed as the U.S.’s choice for the presidency of the Bank, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday afternoon. The announcement is the culmination of a search effort headed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the President’s daughter, Ivanka …

President Donald Trump has proved himself adroit at creating villains to serve as his political foils. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he introduced a new one: socialists. Right after his calls to support the overthrow of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, and condemning the “socialist policies” that …

Of the 129 Indian students detained in the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit’s University of Farmington sting operation, consular officers have established contact with 117, sources told The Hindu . These individuals are being held across 36 locations across the country as per the source. The goal is to …

Officials cite Chinese intrusion into Japan’s ‘territorial waters’, but peace prevails From their forward base in Ishigaki, a part of the Okinawa chain of 150 islands, large ships of the Japanese coast guard, all gleaming white, keep a tight round- the-clock vigil on a group of islands, 170 km away. …

The race for tech ascendancy between China and the U.S. is climbing new heights. The Americans want the Chinese to be dragged backwards, trying to keep them away from the crown jewels of digital technology — the tools for a new age of smart industrialisation, driven as much by data …

U.S. makes announcement after top North Korean official’s visit; decision on location to be made soon U.S. President Donald Trump will meet for the second time with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un around the end of February, the White House said on Friday, after a top general from Pyongyang paid …

The barrier will stop the shedding of American blood by illegal immigrants, says U.S. President President Donald Trump used a prime-time address to the nation on Tuesday to insist on $5.7 billion for a steel wall along the Mexican border that he said would stop the shedding of “American blood” …

The season is the most busy time for workers, who view their work as ‘spiritual’ In Vietnam’s “incense village”, dozens are hard at work dying, drying and whittling down bamboo bark to make the fragrant sticks ahead of the busy lunar new year holiday. It is the most frantic time …

TNA MPs challenge speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s decision Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was on Tuesday named the Leader of Opposition in the Sri Lankan Parliament, amid pending questions about his eligibility to hold the position. The announcement came as a reaffirmation of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s earlier position acknowledging Mr. Rajapaksa as …

President Donald Trump is looking forward to another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he said on Tuesday. “I look forward to meeting with Chairman Kim who realizes so well that North Korea possesses great economic potential!” Mr. Trump said in a brief tweet. The development comes after Mr. …

The Russian government said on Wednesday it has allowed an American citizen held on espionage charges to have access to U.S. officials seeking answers about his arrest. U.S. consular officials were granted access to Michigan resident Paul Whelan for the first time since his arrest during a visit to the …