Kyrgyzstan confers its highest award on President Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, along with other leaders of the group including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is in the Kyrgyz capital to attend the two-day Summit beginning Thursday.
Photo: Twitter
Aditi Bhaduri
Rouhani says Japan wants to keep buying Iranian oil
On a visit to Japan last month, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Abe’s help in dealing with Iran, highlighting what he called the “very good relationship” between Tokyo and Tehran. As a U.S. ally that also has good diplomatic relations with Iran, Japan could be in a unique position to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the United States.
Photo: Courtesy Japan Times
It’s that time for raised hopes
Even without SAARC, India and Pakistan will have to engage with each other within the very framework of the SCO. So why not that bilateral meeting between South Asia’s midnight’s children to start afresh.
‘Russia does not provide any financial, political, or military assistance to the Taliban’
‘In Syria, with assistance from Russian Federation, this phenomenon of ISIL was demolished. We thought that after living in Syria these fighters will go to other countries, and we wanted to demolish there, not in Russia,”
The rising specter of the Islamic State in India – II
The IS narrative in India appears to have gained a new meaning and importance after the Sri Lanka bombings which revealed complex networks through which the Islamic State tends to radicalize people and facilitates terror plots. Self-financed attacks carried out by a close-knit group of educated and computer savvy individuals without any criminal background are emerging as the newest set of perpetrators.
Photo: Agencies
Female circumsion should be a priority like HIV
Some 200 million girls and women are impacted by FGM worldwide, according to U.N. data, but some activists said this was a ‘massive underestimate’
Photo: UNICEF
The rising specter of the Islamic State in India – I
Indian Muslims in general and especially those in conflict theatres of Kashmir have not made common cause with the alleged sufferings of their fellow Muslims elsewhere in the world;, the prospect of living in a caliphate has also not held out much of an attraction for them.
Photo: Quartz
Promoting gender equality a ‘crucial contribution’ to protecting our oceans
Women are engaged in all aspects of interaction with our ocean, yet their voices are often missing at the decision-making level, the head of the United Nations cultural agency said on World Oceans Day, emphasizing that “we must ensure diversity and gender inclusiveness at all levels” to set a balanced course for humanity and foster innovative solutions for the ocean.
Photo: Arne Hoel/World Bank
Modi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ 2.0
One fundamental change in India’s policy under Modi has been to avoid directly countering China’s expanding commercial footprint inside India’s neighbouring nations. China has created an added challenge for India in that the southern country’s work with its neighbours appears diminished, even disinterested, in comparison to the high speed delivery of China’s mega projects.
Global growth forecasts downgraded by World Bank
The World Bank has lowered its expectations of global economic growth for this year in a new report. It says that, although the picture for poorer countries is expected to stabilize in 2020, economic momentum remains weak.
Photo: World Bank