Category: WORLD NEWS

Moscow on Wednesday dismissed US claims that Russia is violating a major Cold War treaty limiting mid-range nuclear arms, from which Washington is planning to withdraw. “Groundless accusations are again being repeated,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Russia in “material breach” of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.“No proof has been produced to support this American position,” Zakharova said.She described the treaty as a “cornerstone of global stability and international security”.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile said facts had been distorted…

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Commencing her five-day official visit to the United States, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Monday asserted that New Delhi sees the US as an important partner in the field of defence.In her remarks at the start of her bilateral talks with the US Defence Secretary James Mattis at the Pentagon, Sitharaman said mutual trust and confidence in defence partnership between the two countries were growing.The defence minister added that she was encouraged by the importance attached to the India-US defence relationship in the new US National Security Strategy. “A strong foundation…

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China has agreed to scale back tariffs on imported US cars, President Donald Trump said Sunday, one day after agreeing with Xi Jinping to a ceasefire in the trade war between the world’s top two economies. Asia stocks had rallied on the news that Washington and Beijing would not impose any new tariffs during a three-month grace period, during which the two sides are meant to finalise a more detailed agreement.“China has agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on cars coming into China from the U.S. Currently the tariff is…

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit here on Thursday and they discussed ways to further boost economic, cultural and energy ties. The two sides also held discussions on enhancing investment in technology, renewable energy and food security.”Had a fruitful interaction with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. We discussed multiple aspects of India-Saudi Arabia relations and ways to further boost economic, cultural and energy ties,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.”Deepening strategic ties. PM @narendramodi met…

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Prime Minister Imran Khan will on Wednesday lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died.The Kartarpur…

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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine against any “reckless acts” on Tuesday after Kiev declared martial law in response to Moscow’s seizure of three of its navy vessels.The Ukrainian parliament late on Monday voted in favour of President Petro Poroshenko’s request for the introduction of martial law in parts of the country for 30 days. The decision came as Ukraine and Russia face their most dangerous crisis in years after Russian forces fired on, boarded and captured Kiev’s ships on Sunday off the coast of Crimea.The incident was the first…

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  The US on Monday announced a USD 5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who committed, conspired, aided or abetted the 2008 Mumbai attack.The Trump administration announced this major reward (of over Rs 35 crore) on the 10th anniversary of the terror attack in which 10 Pakistan-based LeT terrorist went on a shooting rampage in India’s financial hub killing 166 people, including six Americans.The move comes less than a fortnight after Vice President Mike Pence had a meeting with Prime…

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday made it clear that he would never reappoint ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe even as he accepted that the action of removing his arch-rival has created “some form of political unrest” in the country.Sirisena last month abruptly sacked Wickeremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapksa in a controversial move termed by many as unconstitutional.The controversial action on October 26 led to a political crisis in the country with both Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa claiming to be the legitimate prime minister.Sirisena, addressing the…

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who last month abruptly sacked prime minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapksa, will write a book on his “unsuccessful political marriage” with the ousted premier.Sirisena’s controversial action on October 26 led to a political crisis in the country with both Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa claiming to be the legitimate prime minister.Wickremesinghe termed his dismissal as invalid and said he still holds a majority in the 225-member Parliament.Sirisena, addressing a public gathering on Friday, said the book will be titled ‘My unsuccessful…

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Indonesia on Friday wrapped up the grim task of identifying Lion Air jet crash victims from recovered body parts, with a preliminary report on the cause of the accident that killed 189 people due next week.The Boeing 737 Max jet — one of the world’s newest and most advanced commercial planes — plunged into the Java Sea on October 29 shortly after taking off from capital Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city, killing all on board.Since then, investigators have been doing DNA testing on recovered body parts. As of Friday, 125 people…

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