China opens 5G station at world’s highest radar location near Tibet border
BEIJING: China has opened a 5G signal base at the Ganbala radar station in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet which is the world’s highest manually operated radar station at an elevation of 5,374 meters, the Chinese military’s official website reported on Monday. The mountain is located in Nagarze County in Tibet which is in […]
Imposing sanctions on India would be victory for Russia: Republican Senator
WASHINGTON: A top Republican Senator has said that imposing CAATSA sanctions on India for buying the multi-billion-dollar S-400 missile system from Russia would be a geostrategic victory for Moscow. Senator Todd Young, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote in the Foreign Policy magazine that if the Joe Biden administration imposes sanctions on […]
Pakistan’s textile industry upset on move to not import cotton from India
KARACHI: Pakistan’s struggling textile industry has voiced its disappointment after the Imran Khan government rejected a proposal to import cotton from India, the world’s biggest producer, saying it is the need of the hour to avoid a massive slump in the country’s exports. The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Khan on Thursday rejected the proposal […]
Egypt may seek $1 billion in compensation for Suez Canal crisis
Egypt said it may seek around $1 billion in compensation after a giant container vessel blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week and roiled shipping markets. The figure is a rough estimate of losses linked to transit fees, damages incurred during the dredging and salvage efforts, the cost of the equipment, and labor, Suez […]
China’s liquor company starts beer production in Balochistan; to cater to Chinese workers in Pakistan
By Sajjad Hussia ISLAMABAD: A Chinese liquor company which was granted a licence in 2018 for making beer has formally started production at its plant in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, the first such alcohol firm from China to establish its unit in the Islamic nation, according to media reports on Wednesday. Hui Coastal Brewery and Distillery […]
French MP Olivier Dassault, whose family-owned company made Rafale jets, dies in helicopter crash
French billionaire Olivier Dassault, a politician and scion of the Dassault aircraft-making family, was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Dassault, 69 and a father-of-three, died around 6 pm (1700 GMT) when his helicopter crashed near the upmarket coastal resort of Deauville in northwest France, parliamentary and investigation sources told AFP. French President Emmanuel […]
China to connect Tibet with high-speed bullet trains before July: Official
BEIJING: China will operate bullet trains to Tibet, close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh before July this year, marking the opening of high-speed train services to all Chinese mainland provincial-level regions, a senior official has said. A 435-km rail link to the regional capital of Lhasa will run Fuxing high-speed trains powered by […]
US owes India $216 billion as American debt soars to $29 trillion: Lawmaker
WASHINGTON: The US, the world’s largest economy, owes India $216 billion in loan as the country’s debt grows to a record $29 trillion, an American lawmaker has said, cautioning the leadership against galloping foreign debt, the largest of which comes from China and Japan. In 2020, the US national debt was $23.4 trillion, that was $72,309 […]
China says China, US and Europe should work together to uphold multilateralism
BEIJING: China, the United States and Europe should work together to uphold multilateralism, after US President Joe Biden called for democracies to coordinate their approach to China, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Monday. Biden on Friday drew a sharp contrast with the foreign policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, and […]
China says 16 Chinese COVID-19 vaccines undergoing clinical trials
By K J M Varma BEIJING: As the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine intensified around the world, China said that it has increased the number of vaccines undergoing clinical trials to 16 from 11 to step up supplies at home and abroad. China is conducting clinical trials of 16 COVID-19 vaccines, seven of which have […]
UAE plans to offer citizenship to select group of foreigners in a rare move
NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday announced plans to grant some foreigners citizenship to this oil-rich nation home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, part of efforts to stimulate its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The UAE previously gave citizenship to Palestinians and others who helped form the country’s government after its formation […]
Google threatens to block Australians over media law
By Andrew LEESON Google threatened Friday to block Australians from using its search service unless the government changed landmark legislation to make the internet giant pay news outlets for their content. Google Australia managing director Mel Silva warned a Senate committee in Canberra that the world-first media law was “unworkable” and would undermine the functioning […]
Vice President Kamala Harris : A new chapter opens in US politics
By KATHLEEN RONAYNE AND ALEXANDRA JAFFE WASHINGTON: Vice President Kamala Harris broke the barrier Wednesday that has kept men at the top ranks of American power for more than two centuries when she took the oath to hold the nation’s second-highest office. Harris was sworn in as the first female U.S. vice president — and […]
Joe Biden takes the helm as president: ‘Democracy has prevailed’
By JONATHAN LEMIRE, ZEKE MILLER and ALEXANDRA JAFFE WASHINGTON:Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, summoning American resilience to confront a historic confluence of crises and urging people to come together to end an “uncivil war” in a nation deeply divided after four tumultuous years Declaring that […]
Joe Biden to propose 8-year citizenship path for immigrants
By Lisa Mascaro and Bill Barrow WASHINGTON: US President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on Day One of his administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the country without legal status, a massive reversal from the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies. […]
Joe Biden ropes in 20 Indian-Americans in his administration, 17 at key White House positions
By Lalit K Jha WASHINGTON: Less than 100 hours ahead of his historic inauguration, US President-elect Joe Biden has either nominated or named at least 20 Indian Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his administration, a new record in itself for this small ethnic community that constitutes one per cent of the country’s […]