Seoul, Aug 8 (IANS) The unification ministry of South Korea said on Friday that it is discussing joint cooperation measures between Seoul and Washington aimed at ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula, which will be presented during a scheduled summit between the South Korean and the US presidents. “In preparation for the South Korea-US summit, the ministry is closely consulting with relevant bodies (on bilateral cooperation) for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of inter-Korean t…

Washington, Aug 8 (IANS) Former US Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and senior foreign policy expert, Christopher Padilla, has warned that the ongoing trade tensions could pose a risk of long-term damage to the India-US relationship.”I’m concerned that for the sake of short-term issues, we’re putting this relationship at risk,” Padilla told IANS.He also feared that “there will be a long memory” of US actions in India, potentially leading to “a questioning of whether the United …

Seoul, Aug 8 (IANS) A South Korean special counsel team has accused former first lady Kim Keon Hee of colluding with a shaman over bribery allegations in connection to the Unification Church, according to a warrant for her arrest Friday. Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team made the accusation in the warrant filed Thursday, detailing that Kim worked with the shaman, named Jeon Seong-bae, to receive luxury gifts, including a diamond necklace, from the church in 2022.The former first lady has denie…

Los Angeles, Aug 8 (IANS) Evacuations were ordered for communities near a fast-moving wildfire in a canyon area in Southern California amid a major heat wave.The wildfire, dubbed the Canyon fire, broke out around 1:25 p.m. local time (2025 GMT) near Piru, a small historic town located in eastern Ventura County and around 77 km northwest of Los Angeles. The blaze grew rapidly to over 1,000 acres (around 4.05 square km) in hours with no containment, the California Department of Forestry and Fire P…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Singapore’s High Commissioner in India, Simon Wong on Friday celebrated the ‘ASEAN Day’ with the ASEAN New Delhi Committee (ANDC). An ASEAN flag raising ceremony was also held following which a video message from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was played. In a post on X, Simon Wong stated, “Happy to celebrate ASEAN Day with our ANDC Family in New Delhi with the ASEAN Flag Raising Ceremony and a video message from Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim. Many thanks to our frie…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) As US President Donald Trump imposes 25 per cent tariffs on India, with an additional 25 per cent slated to come into effect from August 27, ace American investor Jim Rogers said on Friday that Trump doesn’t understand much of the world, and he certainly doesn’t understand what’s happening in Asia and particularly, India.Speaking to IANS, Rogers who is one of the top financial commentators in the world, said that India remains the fastest growing economy in the world and …

Jerusalem, Aug 8 (IANS) Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Friday. Israel intended to take control of all of Gaza to “assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza,” Netanyahu said on Thursday, in an interview with Fox News ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting, Xinhua News Agency reported.”We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We want…

Tokyo, Aug 8 (IANS) Japan’s weather agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning on Friday morning for the city of Kirishima in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, calling for the highest level of caution against landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and overflowing rivers. The highest-level warning on the country’s five-tier disaster alert system, the first of the year, came after Kirishima logged record rainfall, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).A part of Kirishima…

Quetta, Aug 8 (IANS) Leading Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch writes to US President Donald Trump, urging the recognition and support for Balochistan, and calling on Washington to fundamentally reevaluate its relationship with the “radical state” of Pakistan.“We bring to your attention the upcoming visit of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, who leads an institution widely involved in gross human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan. The Pakistan…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to visit China after six years and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval engaging with Russia on key defence deals, there are early signs that India may recalibrate its strategic posture and the shift in geopolitical alignment is something investors should watch out for very closely, a report said on Friday. Recent moves by the Trump administration mark a sharp shift in US-India trade and geopolitical dynamics, potentially unrave…