International

North Korea’s Kim test drives a new tank


Seoul, South Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined troops training on a new model of tank and drove one himself, state media reported Thursday, as his rivals South Korea and the U.S. wrapped up their annual military exercises. It’s the third time Kim was reported to have observed military exercises since the start...

U.S. wary of dual-use technology export to China


Washington: The United States is constantly assessing the need to expand export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and manufacturing equipment that could be used to boost its military, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Monday. The U.S. export controls were first launched in 2022 to counter the use of chips for...

India successfully tests ICBM with multiple warheads


New Delhi: India has successfully conducted its first test flight of a domestically developed missile that can carry multiple warheads. “Proud of our DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said...

Gaza: Despair all around as Ramadan deadline passes


Families of hostages held in Gaza losing patience Israel says it plans to direct Palestinians out of Rafah Senate majority leader Schumer calls for new elections in Israel Jerusalem: A brother contemplated suicide. A sister stopped going to school. A father barely speaks. With each passing day, the relatives of hostages held in Gaza...

IMF to hold talks with Pakistan over release of final $1.1B tranche of $3B bailout


Islamabad: The International Monetary Fund is holding a crucial round of talks with Pakistan’s newly elected government to determine whether the country has met conditions for receiving the much needed final $1.1 billion tranche of a $3 billion bailout, officials said Wednesday. The five-day talks began Thursday in Islamabad with the government of Prime Minister...

Taliban’s decrees on Afghan women cost country over $1 bn annually


Kabul: US special envoy for Afghan women, Rina Amiri, emphasized that the Taliban's restrictive decrees on women and girls in Afghanistan are costing the nation more than USD 1 billion annually, reported Khaama Press. She further said that the detrimental impact of the Taliban's edicts is not only curtailing women's access to education and...

‘Perform or perish’: Pak PM Shehbaz tells Cabinet members


Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a “deep surgery” is required to pull the cash-strapped country out of the economic crisis and urged his Cabinet members to either “perform or perish”. The prime minister inducted 19 members into his Cabinet earlier in the day, ending the tenuous wait for the completion of government...

Intel flags India-China tensions as Chinese military villages mushroom near borders


Washington: US intelligence agencies say it's facing an “increasingly fragile world order”, strained by great power competition, transnational challenges, and regional conflicts, in a report released by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). According to the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment, Beijing is described as “expanding its global covert influence posture” in alignment with the objectives...

UK’s ban on foreign care workers bringing family comes in force


London: The UK Home Office has implemented new visa rules that restrict overseas care workers, including Indians, from bringing dependant family members to the UK. This decision, effective this week, aims to address what the Home Office has described as a "disproportionate" situation where 120,000 dependants accompanied 100,000 workers on the care visa route...