‘Trust-based, brotherly relations’: Putin on nearly 80 years of India-Russia ties

ST PETERSBURG: India and Russia share a “brotherly” and “trust-based” relationship dating back almost 80 years, Vladimir Putin has said. The Russian President on Friday reaffirmed Moscow’s willingness to deepen cooperation with New Delhi across defence and technology sectors. Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin spoke of both nations navigating recent energy supply vulnerabilities caused by the US-Israeli war near the Strait of Hormuz....more

Lebanon president tells Iran 'not your job to interfere' in country

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Iran not to interfere in his country in an interview broadcast on Friday, also telling the Tehran-backed Hezbollah that diplomacy was the only solution to the conflict with Israel. "It's not your country, it's our country... It's not your job to interfere into our country," Aoun said in the interview with CNN, addressing Iran's Revolutionary Guards....more

Trump confident of India trade deal despite new tariff threat

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that India and the US will soon reach a trade deal, even as fresh tariff proposals from his administration threaten to complicate negotiations. "We'll get to a deal, because I like your prime minister a lot," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. "He's a good friend of mine. We get along great, and we're going to make a deal."...more

Trump Plans New Tariffs On India Over 'Forced Labour'

WASHINGTON: The United States is planning to impose new tariffs on at least 60 trading partners for alleged failures to act against forced labour, as the Donald Trump administration seeks to rebuild its tariff agenda following legal setbacks. The tariffs, proposed by the US Trade Representative (USTR), range from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent, according to a government filing....more

Vihaan Jain Clinches Maiden IGU Category A Title

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vihaan Jain clinched his maiden IGU Category ‘A’ (15–17 years) title with an impressive three-shot victory at the IGU Andhra Pradesh Junior Boys Golf Championship held at East Point Golf Club, Visakhapatnam. The 16-year-old displayed remarkable composure in the final round, carding a two-under 70 to finish the 72-hole championship at four-under 284....more

'Raped By 600-700 Men': UK MP Shares 'Pak Grooming Gang' Testimonies

LONDON: British MP Rupert Lowe's recent speech has reignited discussion around the horrific "grooming gangs" in the United Kingdom that have indulged in "gang-based child sexual exploitation" across several states in the country. The UK government's investigation into these gangs has found that perpetrators of organised child sex abuse are mostly "taxi drivers and market traders of Pakistani heritage"....more

Modi, Rob Jetten Launch New Roadmap For Strategic Partnership

By Deepak Arora

THE HAGUE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Rob Jetten have agreed to elevate the India-Netherlands bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by following focused, time bound initiatives and joint plans of action. The two leaders held wide-ranging talks on strengthening the India-Netherlands relationship at the Dutch Prime Minister's official residence (Catshuis) in The Hague....more

@ Netherlands Returns 1,000-Year-Old Chola-Era Copper Plates To India

@ Modi invites Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India

@ Modi visits Afsluitdijk Dam, a symbol of engineering excellence and innovation

Trump May Resume War With Iran If US Troops Are Killed: Report

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has privately told aides that he would consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran kills American troops, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials. For now, however, the ceasefire remains in place despite a series of clashes between the two sides....more

India rejects ‘unwarranted’ references to Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan-EU statement

NEW DELHI: India strongly rejected references made to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint press communique issued after the 8th round of the European Union-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, saying those who have no "locus standi" (or legal standing) in the matter should avoid commenting on the country's internal affairs....more

Rahul meets Gen-Z blogger Sarthak as govt finally acts on CBSE amid paper-checking scandal

NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday evening met Sarthak Sidhant, the 17-year-old whose blog exposed alleged irregularities in the procurement of the CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. He is the second teenaged whistleblower — of the three overall — whom Gandhi has publicly backed in three days....more

UN tells world to brace for extreme weather as El Nino looms

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations’ climate agency has warned of an increased risk of extreme weather in the coming weeks and months due to the emerging El Nino weather pattern. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the alert in a news release on Tuesday, saying that there was an 80 percent chance of an El Nino event – marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean- between June and August and a roughly 90 percent chance of it forming by November....more

18 Foreigners Among 21 Killed In Fire At Delhi Hotel

NEW DELHI: At least 21 people were killed, and several were injured after a massive fire ripped through a bed-and-breakfast in Delhi's Malviya Nagar. The fire, which is believed to have been caused by a short circuit, has pushed the Delhi government into action as the capital reels from this disaster....more

America at 250: Advancing Freedom Worldwide Still Matters

By Daniel Twining

WASHINGTON: America was built on a radical premise: that individual liberty is an unalienable, inherent right worth fighting for in the face of tyranny. Revolutionary at the time of our founding, this idea remains the bedrock of American democracy and strength. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, we should acknowledge the endurance of these ideals and their relevance today....more

From Fuel Shock to Supply Chain Strain: How the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Rippling Across Indian Industry

By Avica Kumar

NEW DELHI: India's energy security and industrial stability are coming under increasing strain as tensions around Iran continue to disrupt critical oil and gas supply routes. The fallout is no longer confined to global markets. Indian industries are now confronting escalating operational and financial risks, with cascading midstream and downstream impacts....more