India, Nepal seek new direction to bilateral ties as Modi, Oli meet
India and Nepal on Saturday sought to turn the page on an acrimonious phase in bilateral ties over the Himalayan nation’s 2015 constitution with new “game-changing” initiatives in connectivity, trade and agriculture between the two neighbours.
But evidence of past irritants casting a shadow on ties was clear with the Nepalese Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli stressing on the need for building mutual trust and seeking a relationship based on friendship, in a speech he gave on Saturday, hours after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
China bans exports to North Korea with potential dual use in weapons of mass destruction
China's Ministry of Commerce gave details of 32 materials, technologies and forms of equipment with potential use related to weapons of mass destruction, and outlined bans on items with potentialdual usein conventional weapons.
The announcement of the export bans comes amid a tightening of exports from China to North Korea. China's exports of fuel to North Korea slowed to a trickle in February.
Commonwealth Games 2018: India Beat Nigeria, Claim Table Tennis Men's Team Gold After 12 Years
India defeated Nigeria 3-0 to claim the men's table tennis team gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast on Monday, to add to the women's gold that the country had snared on Sunday.
India's campaign was led by the veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, who had to fight hard to overcome Bode Abiodun 4-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 to give India a 1-0 lead.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran had an equally challenging contest with Segun Toriola, as he had to battle hard for a 10-12, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 win to give India a 2-0 margin.
CWG 2018, Mixed-team Badminton Final: India win first-ever gold
CWG 2018, India vs Malaysia Mixed-team badminton: Indian mixed badminton team claimed its maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal, thrashing three-time defending champions Malaysia in the final in Gold Coast on Monday.
The pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed the mixed doubles match against Peng Soon Chan and Liu Yong Goh 21-14 15-21 21-15, before Kidambi Srikanth stunned three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee 21-17 21-14 in straight games. Men’s doubles pair of Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost to Goh and Wee Kiong Tan 15-21 20-22.
This led to Saina Nehwal helping India to the historic gold with a 21-11 19-21 21-9 win over Soniia Cheah in the women’s singles match.
Bahrain GP: Sebastian Vettel wins, Lewis Hamilton third after fine overtake
Vettel hung on ahead of the charging Mercedes on the final lap to take his second win in two races this season and one of the best of his illustrious career.
In a dramatic, strategic and unpredictable race, a Ferrari mechanic was injured when he was run over by Vettel's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen at a pit stop.
Lewis Hamilton recovered to third place after starting ninth, including one stunning moment when he passed three cars in effectively one move early in the race.
UAE, Malaysia conclude joint military exercise
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia concluded "Desert Tiger 5" joint military exercise aimed at sharing expertise and enhancing joint military actions.
Deputy Commander of the UAE land forces Brigadier Saeed Rashid Al Shehi and Malaysian Army Chief General Dato' Sri Zulkiple bin Hj Kassim attended the conclusion ceremony of the joint military drill, the report said on Saturday.
‘Path-Breaking Producer’ Anushka Sharma to get Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence award
Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma will soon be awarded with the Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award for her successful movies as a producer.
The award will be given by an organisation called Dadasaheb Phalke Foundation, a Mumbai-based organisation, which is different from the Government of India instituted Dadasaheb Phalke Award, awarded during National Awards ceremony held annually in New Delhi. The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest cinematic honour.
RBI switches back to GDP scale to measure economy
The Reserve Bank on Thursday switched back to the gross domestic product (GDP)-based measure to offer its growth estimates from the gross value added (GVA) methodology, citing global best practices.
The government had started analysing growth estimates using GVA methodology from January 2015 and had also changed the base year to 2018 from January.
Hungarian populist prime minister Viktor Orban wins new term
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said his “decisive” re-election victory and the super majority in parliament his right-wing populist party appeared to have won on Sunday were “an opportunity to defend Hungary.”
Critics said they feared Mr Orban will use his third consecutive term and the Fidesz party’s two-thirds control of Hungary’s national legislature to intensify his attacks on migration and to strengthen his command of the country’s centralised power structure.
U.N. Security Council to meet on Monday after Syria attack
Russia called for a meeting of the 15-member council on “international threats to peace and security,” though the precise topic of discussion was not immediately clear, diplomats said on Sunday.
A minute later the United States, France, Britain, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, Kuwait, Peru and Ivory Coast called for a meeting to discuss the chemical weapons attack in Syria, said diplomats who saw the email requests.
An agreement was reached late Sunday to hold one meeting on Monday instead of two, diplomats said.