Category: WORLD NEWS

China must strengthen its grip on the internet to ensure broader social and economic goals are met, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday citing comments from President Xi Jinping, underlining a hardening attitude towards online content. Under Xi’s rule China has increasingly tightened its grip on the internet, concerned about losing influence and control over a younger generation who are driving a diverse and vibrant online culture from livestreaming to blogs. “Without web security there’s no national security, there’s no economic and social stability, and it’s difficult to ensure…

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Beijing on Saturday on a four-day visit during which she will hold talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and take part in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Sushma Swaraj is due to meet Wang Yi on Sunday. This is their first meeting after Wang Yi was elevated as state councillor last month which makes him the top diplomat of the country in the Chinese hierarchy. He also continues to be foreign minister. Their meeting is part of efforts by…

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today called on Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said China regards boosting the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as one of its diplomatic priorities. Swaraj called on President Xi along with the rest of the seven foreign ministers of the SCO. “China regards boosting the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as one of its diplomatic priorities,” Xi said during his meeting with SCO foreign ministers as well as with SCO secretary-general, and the director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Executive Committee.…

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Queen Elizabeth II marked her 92nd birthday on Saturday with traditional gun salutes and a Commonwealth-themed charity concert featuring Tom Jones, Kylie and Shaggy. Horse-drawn guns fired 41 times in Hyde Park and 62 times at the Tower of London, while at Windsor Castle, the band played “Happy Birthday” during the changing of the guard. In the evening, the monarch and her family were due to attend a concert with performers from around the Commonwealth, the 53-nation grouping which held its summit in London this week. Australia’s Kylie, Canadian pop…

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The two Koreas opened a hotline between their leaders today, Seoul’s presidential office said, a week before a summit between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and the South’s President Moon Jae-in in the Demilitarized Zone. The line links the presidential Blue House in Seoul with the Pyongyang office of the nuclear-armed North’s State Affairs Commission, which Kim chairs – one of his most important titles. “The historic connection of the hotline between the leaders of the two Koreas has just been established,” said senior Blue House official Youn Kun-young, adding…

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A series of explosive memos prepared by former FBI director James Comey detailing US President Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to influence the bureau’s expanding investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 elections have been submitted to Congress. Trump claimed vindication after the release of memos and said they “‘show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION.” “WOW! Will the Witch Hunt continue? he asked. The redacted and declassified memos running 15 pages in total — had previously been provided to special counsel Robert Mueller to assist his investigation…

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The Trump Administration plans to continue to expand its defence and security cooperation with India and support New Delhi’s growing relationships throughout South Asia, a top US official has said. Speaking with PTI, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said the US-India strategic partnership was based on a shared commitment to uphold the rule of law and free and fair trade among other things. “The US-India strategic partnership stands firmly upon a shared commitment to uphold the rule of law, freedom of navigation, democratic…

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A pilot saw an engine malfunction warning signal moments before his helicopter crashed on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef last month, killing a honeymooning couple from Hawaii and injuring a Colorado couple, a crash investigation reported today. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its preliminary report on the cause of the crash northeast of the Hamilton Island tourist resort on March 21 that killed Peter Hensel, 79, and his 65-year-old wife, Sue, who had married in December. They were heading to a tourist pontoon that has dive facilities and underwater chambers…

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Facebook announced today it would begin rolling out changes to how it handles private data this week to comply with forthcoming EU rules, with European residents seeing the measures first. The social network, which has been rocked by disclosures about hijacking of personal data on tens of millions of its users, said it will start implementing “new privacy experiences” to comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which become effective May 25. “Everyone — no matter where they live — will be asked to review important information about…

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Myanmar’s president today announced pardons for more than 8,500 prisoners, including three dozen jailed in political cases, as part of an annual amnesty marking the country’s traditional new year. President Win Myint, who took office last month after his predecessor suddenly resigned, said the pardons would be granted on humanitarian grounds during the Buddhist new year festival known as Thingyan. The amnesty was extended mostly to drug offenders, as well as more than 50 foreigners and 36 political prisoners, according to a breakdown posted on Facebook by government spokesman Zaw…

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