Beijing, Aug 5 (IANS) China, which has for long claimed of having a “noninterference” foreign policy and not providing direct military assistance to nations engaged in conflict, reportedly supplied batteries for surface-to-air missiles to Iran in exchange for oil during the recent conflict with Israel, a new report has cited. This comes after Beijing is already facing heat for its alleged involvement in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and backing Pakistan in its conflict with India in May f…

Moscow, Aug 5 (IANS) Russia on Tuesday backed India and while criticising US President Donald Trump over his threats to increase tariffs on New Delhi for buying oil from Moscow, saying that “sovereign nations must have the right to choose their trading partners.”Speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia has noted the US threats against India and does not consider them to be legitimate. He emphasised that nations should h…

Islamabad, Aug 5 (IANS) Marking the second anniversary of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Tuesday launched a protest movement with workers and activists taking to the streets across the country, demanding the release of their leader. PTI workers claimed that at least 300 PTI activists have been arrested in Lahore in raids conducted overnight. .In a message posted on PTI’s X account, Imran Khan urged his supporters to “come out and hold …

Washington, Aug 5 (IANS) US President Donald Trump’s public outreach to Pakistan is straining India-US ties, prompting New Delhi to question the value of its strategic engagement with Washington, a report has cited. “Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross-border terrorism is a direct national security threat to India. Any United States administration that ignores this point is guilty of diplomatic negligence. India does not ask for unconditional alignment, only consistency and respect for its core in…

Beijing, Aug 5 (IANS) Two to three typhoons are expected to make landfall in or affect China in August, the office of the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management said at a briefing on Tuesday.One of the typhoons is expected to affect areas north of the Yangtze River, according to the briefing.In August, all seven major river basins across China fully entered the main flood season of the year, the authorities said, adding that som…

Jakarta, Aug 5 (IANS) Indonesia and Belarus have officially agreed to elevate their bilateral cooperation in several sectors, including food security, agricultural modernization, technology development, and investment. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono met with visiting Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov at the ministry’s building in Jakarta on Tuesday, where they discussed various fields, Xinhua News Agency reported.Sugiono mentioned that the meeting marks Ryzhenkov’s first official…

Washington, Aug 4 (IANS) With his actions in the recent weeks, US President Donald Trump is now in the process of tanking the India-US relationship built over 25 years. His actions will affect the bilateral ties after more than 20 years of bipartisan effort to transform the relationship between India and the US, including during his own first term, US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace detailed in a report on Tuesday. Trump has threatened to substantially raise tariffs on India and…

Sanaa, Aug 5 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi military group said it launched a new missile attack on the Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel on Tuesday, which was reportedly intercepted by Israeli defence systems.The Houthis fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” targeting the Israeli airport in support of the Palestinian people, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.Sarea said that the Houthi group would continue launching attacks against Isr…

Kabul, Aug 5 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed significant transformation in recent years, with the region now presenting a picture of infrastructure development, institutional reform, and greater democratic participation, Afghanistan’s leading news outlet Khaama Press reported on Tuesday. The transformation in Jammu and Kashmir is not only visible on the ground but also showcased through data and policy direction. If Jammu and Kashmir is compared with Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (P…

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that upcoming tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals could eventually rise as high as 250 per cent, as part of his push to bring drug manufacturing back to the United States.In an interview with CNBC, Trump said the tariffs would start at a lower rate — without specifying the exact figure — and then increase over the next year to 18 months.“We’ll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-an…