Category: World

The United States said on Tuesday it had approved the sale of 24 MH-60R helicopters to India, significantly boosting its emerging ally’s firepower to target submarines as China expands in the Indian Ocean. In a quick reply to an Indian request submitted late last year, the US State Department said it was informing the US […]

The United States will not send high-level officials to attend China’s second Belt and Road summit in Beijing this month, a US State Department spokesman said on Tuesday, citing concerns about financing practices for the initiative. China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, said on Saturday that almost 40 foreign leaders would take part in the summit […]

The children of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have received multi million dollar homes and are being paid thousands of dollars per month by the kingdom’s authorities, The Washington Post reported Monday. Khashoggi ─ a contributor to the Post and a critic of the Saudi government ─ was killed and dismembered in October at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul […]

Air pollution will shorten the life expectancy of children born today by an average of 20 months and will have the greatest impact in South Asia, according to a study published on Wednesday. The State of Global Air report, published by the US-based Health Effects Institute and the University of British Columbia, says air pollution is […]

Brunei on Wednesday introduced strict new Sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, despite a storm of global criticism from politicians, celebrities and rights groups. The tough penal code in the tiny country on tropical Borneo island — ruled by the all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah — fully came into force following […]

NEW DELHI: India’s Congress party announced its election manifesto here on Tuesday, which revealed an indirect connect with Pakistan through the Saarc template. The party appeared contrite on Kashmir, making particular references to human rights and anti-torture steps. The manifesto drew instant criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which described it as appeasement of terrorists and […]

An Australian senator was censured by his colleagues on Wednesday for seeking to blame the victims of last month’s mosque shootings and vilify Muslims. Senator Fraser Anning was the target of widespread condemnation for blaming the attack in New Zealand on immigration policies. He faced more criticism later for physically striking a teenager who cracked […]

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will work more closely with Interpol as part of ongoing efforts to combat corruption in the sport, the governing body said on Wednesday. Alex Marshall, the general manager of ICC’s anti-corruption unit, met Interpol officials in Lyon last week to seek closer working relations, it added. “The ICC has an […]

Iran’s foreign minister said United States sanctions imposed on Tehran by the Trump administration last year have hampered successful rescue efforts for flood-stricken areas of the country where at least 50 people have died so far. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted late on Monday that America’s “maximum pressure” policy on Iran “is impeding aid efforts by […]

India’s main opposition Congress party pledged on Tuesday to expand a rural employment guarantee programme, reward businesses for creating jobs and scrap an 1870 sedition law if it wins a general election that starts next week. In a manifesto released by party president Rahul Gandhi, Congress highlighted job creation, tackling farm distress and empowerment of women as […]