Trump says reports of US-Iran stopping talks ‘false and erroneous’

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the reports of US and Iran halting exchange of messages a few days ago are “false and erroneous.” “The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, “It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!”” Trump said in a post on Truth Social....more

India rejects ‘unwarranted’ references to Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan-EU statement

NEW DELHI: India strongly rejected references made to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint press communique issued after the 8th round of the European Union-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, saying those who have no "locus standi" (or legal standing) in the matter should avoid commenting on the country's internal affairs....more

UN tells world to brace for extreme weather as El Nino looms

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations’ climate agency has warned of an increased risk of extreme weather in the coming weeks and months due to the emerging El Nino weather pattern. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the alert in a news release on Tuesday, saying that there was an 80 percent chance of an El Nino event – marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean- between June and August and a roughly 90 percent chance of it forming by November....more

India Needs a National Maritime Commission to Safeguard Strategic and Economic Interests: Experts

By Rear Admiral Dhiren Vig (Retd)

NEW DELHI: The growing instability in West Asia and the increasing weaponisation of maritime choke points have renewed calls for India to establish a National Maritime Commission (NMC) to strengthen maritime security, streamline governance and accelerate the country’s blue economy ambitions. Strategic analysts and maritime experts argue that recent geopolitical developments, including disruptions to oil and gas supply routes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), have exposed vulnerabilities in India’s maritime preparedness and highlighted the urgent need for an apex-level maritime body....more

Vihaan Jain Clinches Maiden IGU Category A Title

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vihaan Jain clinched his maiden IGU Category ‘A’ (15–17 years) title with an impressive three-shot victory at the IGU Andhra Pradesh Junior Boys Golf Championship held at East Point Golf Club, Visakhapatnam. The 16-year-old displayed remarkable composure in the final round, carding a two-under 70 to finish the 72-hole championship at four-under 284....more

'Raped By 600-700 Men': UK MP Shares 'Pak Grooming Gang' Testimonies

LONDON: British MP Rupert Lowe's recent speech has reignited discussion around the horrific "grooming gangs" in the United Kingdom that have indulged in "gang-based child sexual exploitation" across several states in the country. The UK government's investigation into these gangs has found that perpetrators of organised child sex abuse are mostly "taxi drivers and market traders of Pakistani heritage"....more

Modi, Rob Jetten Launch New Roadmap For Strategic Partnership

By Deepak Arora

THE HAGUE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Rob Jetten have agreed to elevate the India-Netherlands bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by following focused, time bound initiatives and joint plans of action. The two leaders held wide-ranging talks on strengthening the India-Netherlands relationship at the Dutch Prime Minister's official residence (Catshuis) in The Hague....more

@ Netherlands Returns 1,000-Year-Old Chola-Era Copper Plates To India

@ Modi invites Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India

@ Modi visits Afsluitdijk Dam, a symbol of engineering excellence and innovation

'No role for third party in India-Nepal border issue': MEA

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday rejected any involvement of third parties in resolving its boundary dispute with Nepal, days after reports said that Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah had sought the participation of China and the United Kingdom to address the long-standing issue....more

Rahul meets Gen-Z blogger Sarthak as govt finally acts on CBSE amid paper-checking scandal

NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday evening met Sarthak Sidhant, the 17-year-old whose blog exposed alleged irregularities in the procurement of the CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. He is the second teenaged whistleblower — of the three overall — whom Gandhi has publicly backed in three days....more

Quad Foreign Ministers meet: Jaishankar, Rubio sign India-U.S. Critical Minerals Framework

NEW DELHI: The Quad grouping on Tuesday expanded cooperation in critical minerals and energy while unveiling new measures to boost maritime surveillance and port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific against the backdrop of China’s growing military posturing in the region. The new measures were announced following a meeting of the grouping’s foreign ministers in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi....more

Nato, EU condemn Russia after drone hits Romanian residential block

BUCHAREST: A Russian drone hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, Romanian officials say. Friday's incident in the eastern town of Galați, near the border with Ukraine, was condemned by Romania's fellow members of Nato and the EU. Ukraine said it proved again that Russia posed "a real threat" to Europe....more

Lebanon announces ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel

LEBANON: Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of people and inflamed the broader US-Israeli war with Iran. According to Lebanon's embassy in Washington, the agreement would not end the conflict in the country, but it calls for Israel to refrain from strikes on Beirut and its suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iran-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel....more

America at 250: Advancing Freedom Worldwide Still Matters

By Daniel Twining

WASHINGTON: America was built on a radical premise: that individual liberty is an unalienable, inherent right worth fighting for in the face of tyranny. Revolutionary at the time of our founding, this idea remains the bedrock of American democracy and strength. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, we should acknowledge the endurance of these ideals and their relevance today....more

From Fuel Shock to Supply Chain Strain: How the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Rippling Across Indian Industry

By Avica Kumar

NEW DELHI: India's energy security and industrial stability are coming under increasing strain as tensions around Iran continue to disrupt critical oil and gas supply routes. The fallout is no longer confined to global markets. Indian industries are now confronting escalating operational and financial risks, with cascading midstream and downstream impacts....more