China

Biden to meet pope’s Ukraine envoy, in wake of cluster bombs decision

19 Jul 2023 10:16 AM IST

President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis’ peace envoy on Tuesday as part of the Holy See’s peace and humanitarian initiatives for Ukraine, the White House and Vatican said Monday. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi’s visit to Washington, which lasts through Wednesday, follows his recent mission to Moscow and an earlier

Israelis protest against judicial overhaul plan by blocking highways

19 Jul 2023 10:15 AM IST

Israeli protesters blocked highways and gathered outside Tel Aviv’s stock exchange and military headquarters on Tuesday in the latest countrywide demonstration against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul. The latest day of disruption came as longtime allies of the prime minister pushed a contentious piece of legislation through a

Hijab rules relaxed in Tehran, but reformists still barred from elections

19 Jul 2023 10:12 AM IST

Hard-line clerics ruling Iran have recently decided to reactivate the so-called “morality police” enforcing the strict hijab rules. The morality police had suspended its activities for about 10 months following the widespread protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died while in police custody for wearing

Putin vows strong reaction to ‘Terrorist Attack’ on Crimean bridge

19 Jul 2023 10:10 AM IST

Reacting over the fresh attack on the Crimean bridge for which Kyiv has taken responsibility, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed ‘response’ against what he called a “terrorist attack”, CNN reported on Monday. He also ordered to increase the security at the 19-kilometre (12-mile) Kerch Bridge. “Tonight another terrorist

TikTok on wheels: US terms it ‘National Security Threat’

19 Jul 2023 10:08 AM IST

America’s national security experts made a compelling case against the popular social media application TikTok owned in part by the Chinese government, stating that it constitutes a national security threat, according to The Hill.Jianli Yang writing for the US-based newspaper mentions that The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned that

Iowa Judge blocks Abortion restrictions, restoring access

19 Jul 2023 10:06 AM IST

An Iowa judge on Monday temporarily blocked the state’s new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, just days after Governor Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law. That means abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy while the courts assess

Pak gets another USD 600 mn loan from China: PM Shehbaz

19 Jul 2023 10:05 AM IST

Cash-strapped Pakistan has received a rollover of an additional USD 600 million loan from its all-weather ally China to help shore up the country’s foreign exchange reserves on the back of an IMF deal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday. It is in addition to the over USD 5

US sends Jets, Warship to gulf to protect against Iranian seizures

19 Jul 2023 10:04 AM IST

The U.S. is sending additional fighter jets and a warship to the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman to increase security in the wake of Iranian attempts to seize commercial ships there. The Pentagon said Monday that the USS Thomas Hudner, a destroyer, and a number of F-35 fighter

Russian fighter dangerously approaches US warplane in Syria

19 Jul 2023 10:00 AM IST

A Russian fighter jet flew very close to a US surveillance aircraft over Syria, forcing it to go through the turbulent wake and putting the lives of the four American crew members in danger, US officials said Monday. The officials said the incident, which happened just before noon EDT on

Pakistan government urges top court to dismiss pleas challenging military trial of May 9 rioters

18 Jul 2023 13:58 PM IST

Pakistan’s federal government has urged the Supreme Court of the country to dismiss petitions contesting the military trial of suspects involved in the May 9 riots dubbing the attacks against military and defence institutions as a “direct attack against the national security,” Geo News reported. The administration declared that anyone

Pakistan: 43 illegal loan apps blocked, says country’s IT minister

18 Jul 2023 13:56 PM IST

Pakistan federal minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication Amin-ul-Haque said that over 43 loan apps have been blocked in the country and authorities have taken action against the illegal loan apps following a series of scams, reported ARY News. To combat fraudulent loan applications, Haque confirmed that the country’s

China’s economy grew at lower than expected at 6.3% in the second quarter

18 Jul 2023 10:02 AM IST

China’s economy grew at a 6.3 per cent annual pace in the April-June quarter, much lower than analysts had forecasted, given the slow pace of growth the year before. The world’s second-largest economy is expected to slow further in coming months given slack consumer demand in China and weaker demand