Category: WORLD NEWS

US Vice President Mike Pence’s efforts to keep North Korea from stealing the show at the Winter Olympics proved to be short-lived, quickly drowned out by the images of the two Koreas marching and competing together, as the South appeared to look favourably on warming ties on the Korean Peninsula. Pence spent the days leading up to the games warning that the North was trying to “hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games” with its “propaganda.” But the North was still welcomed with open arms to what South…

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US President Donald Trump’s immigration framework will end the diversity lottery visa to help reduce green card backlog of high-skilled workers, the White House said today amid growing demands by Indian H-1B visa holders to remove the per country-limit on its allotment. Indian-Americans, most of whom are highly skilled and come to the US mainly on H-1B work visas are the worst sufferers of the current immigration system which imposes a seven per cent per country quota on allotment of green cards or permanent legal residency. As a result, the…

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Clashes erupted today in Bangladesh between supporters of Khaleda Zia and police ahead of a corruption trial verdict against the ex-prime minister and main opposition BNP chief. A Dhaka court is set to deliver the judgement in the trial in which Zia, 72, and five others, including her expatriate elder son Tarique Rahman, accused of embezzling 21 million takas (USD 252,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust. Hundreds of activists poured in on Dhaka roads as Zia headed to the court. Clashes broke out between police and…

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China expressed concern today over the US ramping up trade investigations as official data showed its surplus with America narrowed in January after reaching record levels last year. This week China announced an investigation into imports of a US agricultural product after President Donald Trump’s administration launched a spate of new trade tariffs and probes into Chinese goods. The Trump administration has shown no signs of letting up, with major decisions looming on Chinese aluminium, steel and intellectual property practices. The tensions are raising the spectre of a tit-for-tat trade…

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China is establishing its first global real-time ocean observation network covering most parts of the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, according to Chinese media. Chinese research vessel Kexue recently placed the 400th profiling float in the northwest Pacific Ocean since it joined the forefront ocean monitoring plan Argo in 2002. It signals the establishment of the first global real- time ocean observation network in China, state-run Global Times quoted the China Science Daily as saying. So far, the network covers regions in the northwest Pacific Ocean, the…

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US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to plan a grand parade this year to show “appreciation” for the armed forces, the White House has said, an unusual move aimed at showcasing the might of the world’s most powerful military. A parade showcasing the military strength of a country is a common thing for many countries like China, France and India. But there is no such annual parade in the United States, which is militarily the most powerful country of the world. “President Trump is incredibly supportive of America’s…

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China today announced that it has successfully carried out a mid-course ground-based missile interception test within its own territory, on a day when India test fired its short-range nuclear-capable Agni-1 missile. The test of interception technology was conducted yesterday within China’s territory and achieved “preset goal”, the Ministry of National Defence said. The test is defencive and does not target any country, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. A ground-based interceptor missile was used to knock out a ballistic missile during the “mid-course” of its flight outside the earth’s atmosphere, the…

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Gas leaking from a pipeline at a steel mill in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong killed eight people and injured 10 early today, local authorities reported. The Shaoguan city government said in a post on its microblog that the leak occurred at 3 a.m. at the Shaoguan Iron and Steel company’s Songshan plant. It said the rescue and recovery effort was underway and the cause of the leak was under investigation. China has made considerable progress in improving industrial safety, but scores are still killed annually in the country’s…

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A South Korean appeals court today upheld Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong’s bribery conviction but cut his prison sentence to a suspended term, ordering his immediate release. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, was convicted of bribery in connection with the sprawling corruption scandal that brought down former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye. The 49-year-old was given five years in prison when his original trial concluded in August, making him the first Samsung chief to serve prison time, even though his father was…

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the UAE later this week which authorities and business leaders say signifies the special importance India attaches to its ties with the oil-rich nation and will help in furthering cooperation in diplomatic, economic and security issues. Modi will be in the UAE on February 10 and 11 and will address the sixth World Government Summit in Dubai. This will be Modi’s second visit to the UAE. He first visited the country in August 2015. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi s second visit to…

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