Category: WORLD NEWS

China today hit out at Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat for calling Dokalam a disputed territory and said that his “unconstructive” comments were not helpful for maintaining peace at the borders. In an angry rebuttal to Gen Rawat’s comments, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said his comments went against the consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit last September to bring ties back on track and preserve peace on the border. The Chinese reaction came following comments by Gen Rawat two…

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India and the UK have signed two agreements on return of Indians, who are living in Britain as illegal migrants, and sharing criminal records and intelligence. The development comes close on heels of India seeking UK’s help in early extradition of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya from Britain to face the law at home in connection with cases of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed by UK’s Minister of Immigration Caroline Nokes and India’s Minister of State for Home Affairs…

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US President Donald Trump today denied having told a leading US daily that he shared a “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, asserting that he was “falsely” quoted in the “fake news” story. In an interview on Thursday, ‘The Wall Street Journal’ reported that Trump had developed a positive relationship with the North Korea’s leader despite their differences. “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un. I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised,” Trump was quoted as saying in the interview.…

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A Pakistani court today handed down life sentence to a 24-year-old ‘misogynist’ who stabbed at least 17 women, leading to the death of one of the victims. Muhammad Ali said that he hated women and found fun in hurting them. He prowled at night and targeted lonely women, using a kitchen knife. He had terrorised residents of the garrison city of Rawalpindi in 2016. He was arrested by the counter-terrorism police in August, 2016. Additional district and sessions Judge Raja Qamar Sultan found him guilty and sentenced him to life…

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President Donald Trump today cancelled a “working visit” to the UK planned for next month to officially launch a new US embassy, blaming a “bad deal” struck by the previous Obama-administration to relocate the base from central London to an “off location”. The US president launched his attack on Twitter against the embassy’s move from Grosvenor Square in the posh Mayfair area of the city to Nine Elms, south of the Thames, in a USD 1.2 billion project. He wrote: “Reason I cancelled my trip to London is that I…

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The increase in work of the International Court of Justice shows that various countries are reposing much greater confidence in the world court’s functioning, Indian ICJ Justice Dalveer Bhandari has said. A reception in honour of Judge Bhandari — who was re- elected as ICJ judge recently for a fresh term from 2018-2026 — was hosted by Venu Rajamony, India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands yesterday at the iconic Peace Palace here, according to an official statement issued today. Bhandari was re-elected in November to the International Court of Justice with…

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Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering allegedly amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore, today appeared in court here for a hearing related to his extradition trial. The 62-year-old Mallya is back in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London for what is expected to be one of the final hearings in the case to determine the “admissibility” of some of the evidence presented by the Indian government. Judge Emma Arbuthnot will rule on the evidence, following which she is expected…

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The British Army launched a campaign today highlighting the emotional support available to new recruits as it seeks to address falling soldier numbers — but drew accusations of political correctness. Short films entitled “What if I get emotional in the army?”, “Can I practise my faith in the army?”, “Do I have to be a superhero?”, and “Can I be gay in the army?” will be broadcast on television, radio and social media. They are part of a drive launched last year presenting the army as a family, as military…

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With the US mulling reforms to end illegal immigration, President Donald Trump today pushed for a merit-based system to allow only people with “great track record” to enter the country. He also called for ending the chain migration, the fastest and easiest way to gain legal entry into America, through sponsorship by a family member who is already a legal resident or citizen of the US. Trump has repeatedly called for the merit-based system to reduce overall immigration to the US. “I would like to add the words ‘merit’ into…

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In an unusual move, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has sought the Supreme Court’s opinion if he could be the president for six years, a request which contradicts the amendment he introduced to reduce the presidential term to five years. Sirisena, 66, spearheaded the 19th amendment (19A) to the Constitution in 2015 to prune the presidential term from six to five years. The president’s term should end in 2020, but has sought the Supreme Court’s opinion if he could continue until 2021. The Registrar of the Supreme Court yesterday informed…

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