North Korea accused the U.S. and South Korea of escalating tensions to the brink of nuclear war through their joint military drills, vowing to respond with “offensive action,” state media KCNA reported on Thursday. KCNA released a commentary by Choe Ju Hyon, whom it called an international security analyst, criticising the exercises as “a trigger…
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, one day after pleading not guilty in New York to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump, who is seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, took aim at federal law enforcement authorities even…
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) surprised markets by holding its key repo rate steady on Thursday after six consecutive hikes, saying it was closely monitoring the impact of recent global financial turbulence on the economy. The central bank said its policy stance remains focused on “withdrawal of accommodation”, signalling it could consider further rate…
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior U.S. figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on U.S. soil in decades and stressed the need to accelerate arms deliveries to Taiwan in the face of rising threats from China. McCarthy – the third highest ranking official…
Seven-year-old Saad Umer joined a crowd in a poor neighbourhood in the Pakistani city of Karachi rushing to get a handout of flour and a little cash from a charity trying to help the most vulnerable cope with runaway prices. But in the surge, a melee broke out and some people fell. Saad and 10…
Landslides in the Indian Himalayas around hydro power projects were caused mainly by topography, geological conditions and rainfall, the power ministry said on Wednesday, citing a study that ruled out construction as a factor. The government-run Indian Institute of Remote Sensing study of nine sites of state hydropower board NHPC Ltd (NHPC.NS) in Himalayan states showed “landslide…
South Africa’s government on Wednesday revoked a national “state of disaster” declared in February to manage a crippling electricity crisis but said that some emergency measures would remain in place. The state of disaster gave the government additional powers to respond to the crisis, including by permitting emergency procurement procedures with fewer bureaucratic delays and…
Record high imports of crude oil from Russia in fiscal 2022-23 helped India’s refiners boost exports of diesel and jet fuel to Europe as the continent shunned Russian products, preliminary ship-tracking data from Kpler and Vortexa showed. Access to cheap Russian crude has boosted output and profits at Indian refineries, enabling them to export…
Five children drowned on Wednesday in a water tank inside a temple in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state in southern India, broadcaster NDTV reported, in the second deadly incident in a temple this week in the South Asian country. An investigation is being conducted into the Chennai incident, which took place during…
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is set to open its first official retail store in India’s financial hub of Mumbai, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday. The Cupertino, California-based company launched an online retail store in India in 2020. Its 2021 plans for the launch of an offline retail store in the country were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple products have…
