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The Trump administration is pressing Islamabad to take “credible steps” to dismantle the terror groups operating from its soil, a top US diplomat has said, describing Islamabad’s recent counter-terrorism mesaures like the prosecution and conviction of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed as important but not irreversible. Speaking at an Atlantic Council-organised virtual discussion, Alice Wells, the outgoing Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, also said the US encourages practical steps that India and Pakistan can take to reduce bilateral tensions. She said the recent counter-terrorism…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is encouraged by the agreement between Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, saying it will help find a way to enable progress towards intra-Afghan negotiations and a comprehensive peace agreement. As per the deal, Ghani will stay as the president while Abdullah will helm the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR) with executive authority and his team will have a 50 per cent share in the Cabinet, according to reports. The HCNR has been mandated to lead future peace talks including with the Taliban. Abdullah…

Japan’s economic growth plunged into recession in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic squelched production, exports and spending, and fears are growing that worse times may lie ahead.   The Cabinet Office reported Monday a 3.4 per cent drop in the annual pace of seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product, or GDP, for the January-March period. The annual pace gives what the rate would be when continued for a year. For just the quarter, the drop was 0.9 per cent. Exports dived 21.8 per cent. Private residential investments slipped…