India has moved one notch higher, to the 44th place in terms of competitiveness, in the annual rankings compiled by International Institute for Management Development (IMD) which placed the US in the top slot. 

The US became the most competitive economy globally driven by its strength in economic performance and infrastructure, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore in the second and third place, respectively. 

NEW DELHI:  Armies of India and Nepal will carry out a two-week long military exercise from May 30 in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh region with an aim to deepen counter-terror cooperation. The Indian Army said the 'Surya Kiran' exercise is expected to enhance the level of defence cooperation between the two sides. 

It said the focus of the exercise will be to enhance cooperation in conducting counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain. Around 300 soldiers from Nepal and equal numbers from India are expected to participate in the exercise.

• President Trump cancels his historic summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month.

• Trump accuses North Korea of "tremendous anger and open hostility."

• The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12.

• "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump writes.

India has dragged the U.S. to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over the imposition of import duties on steel and aluminium, an official said.

India has stated that the decision will impact exports of these products to the U.S. and it is not in compliance with global trade norms.

“India has filed a dispute under the aegis of the WTO on the issue of imposing import duties by the U.S. on certain steel and aluminium products,” the official said.

The country has sought consultations with the U.S. under the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism.

ROME (AP) Elina Svitolina faced little resistance from Simona Halep in a 6-0, 6-4 win Sunday to defend her Italian Open title.

Just like in last year's final, Halep appeared bothered by an injury.

The top-ranked Romanian called a trainer onto the court for an apparent back problem while trailing 2-3 in the second set then exited the court for treatment under a medical timeout.

''I was a little bit too stiff with my body and I couldn't stay in the rallies,'' Halep said. ''The muscles were stiff. I couldn't run.''

Last year, Halep rolled her ankle in the final and lost a set lead to Svitolina.

This time, Svitolina didn't face a single break point in a match that lasted just 67 minutes.

Olga Tokarczuk has become the first Polish writer to win the Man Booker International Prize.

Ms Tokarczuk took the £50,000 prize for her novel Flights. She will split the cash with translator Jennifer Croft.

The annual award goes to the best work of translated fiction from around the world. Previous winners include David Grossman and Chinua Achebe.

Five judges picked Flights out of 108 submissions, and announced the winner in a ceremony in London.

State-run power equipment maker BHEL today said Pravin L Agrawal has been appointed as part-time official director on its board. An Indian Forest Service officer, Agrawal is presently joint secretary in the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, BHEL said in a statement.

Agrawal, 49, is a Commonwealth scholar and holds post-graduate degrees in sustainable development, public policy and management from different global universities. He has varied experience in public policy and governance issues, it added.

Former South African captain and one of modern day cricket's best batsman AB de Villiers has retired from all forms of international cricket with immediate effect. The middle order batsman announced his retirement on Twitte

"I have made a big decision today," de Villiers posted on Twitter along with the video where he talks about his decision.

PANAJI: An all-woman crew commanding the INSV Tarini today returned to Goa after successfully circumnavigating the globe in a 55-foot sailboat in more than eight months, the first-ever Indian expedition steered by women sailors.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba welcomed the crew at INS Mandovi boat pool in Panaji.

The 'Navika Sagar Parikrama' expedition was flagged off on September 10.

Terming the expedition historic, Sitharaman said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would meet the six crew members in Delhi on Wednesday.

Led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, the crew comprising lt commanders Pratibha Jamwal and Swati P, lieutenants Aishwarya Boddapati, S Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta covered a total of 21,980 nautical miles in INSV Tarini, inducted into the Indian Navy on February 18 last year.

Internet search giant Google on Tuesday dedicated its doodle to Raja Ram Mohan Roy on his 246th birth anniversary.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born into a Bengali Brahmin family in West Bengal on May 22, 1772 to Ramakanto Roy and Tarini Devi.

Roy was a founder of the Brahma Sabha in 1828, an influential social-religious reform movement. The Brahma Samaj played a major role in reforming and modernizing the Indian society.

The Google doodle celebrating Roy has been designed and created by Beena Mistry, a UX Designer, and Illustrator based out of Toronto, Canada.