US urges India, Pak to maintain direct communications

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Washington, May 14 (IANS) The United States urged India and Pakistan to maintain direct lines of communication in the interest of preserving regional stability and reiterated that the Donald Trump administration stands ready to help keep peace in the region.“We urge both sides to maintain direct communication to preserve regional stability,” Tommy Pigott, a statement department spokesperson, said at the daily briefing.He welcomed the “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan and commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “choosing the path of peace” and showing “strength, wisdom, and fortitude”.Pigott repeatedly stressed that the US is focused on two things regarding the India-Pakistan situation: the ceasefire and direct communications between the two countries.Earlier, US President Donald Trump spoke on the issue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he is the first of this three-leg tour of West Asia. He repeated once again how he had used the lure of trade with the US to persuade the two countries to end hostilities.Asked if Secretary of State Marco Rubio had received any commitments from Pakistan in his calls with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Asim Munir on rooting out terrorism, Pigott said, “I’m not going to talk about private diplomatic conversations. What I can say is to reiterate what we’ve been saying for a couple of days now is that we welcome the ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan this weekend, and we commend both prime ministers for choosing the path of peace. The President was very clear in terms of that. We also want to encourage direct communication between the parties. That is something we’ve also been clear about as well.”On India’s refusal of the American offer of mediation, Pigott said, “Well, I’m not going to speculate on that. What I can say is that we encourage direct communication. We have been clear on that. We continue to encourage direct communication. The President has been clear on that. And the President, as I said, has also been clear in praising both prime ministers for choosing the path towards peace and the wisdom and fortitude that shows.”He also offered no comments on reports of radiation leakage at Pakistani nuclear sites.–IANSyrj/rs

Anita Anand appointed Canada’s Foreign Minister; will pilot reset with India 

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Ottawa, May 14 (IANS) Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Anita Ananda to the powerful post of Foreign Minister in his new cabinet charged with fulfilling the “mandate for change”. He also appointed Maninder Sidhu as the international trade minister, and two others of Indian descent as secretaries of state – the equivalent of ministers of state.One of Anand’s missions will be to pilot the reset of the almost ruptured ties with India that Carney signalled, while managing the delicate relations with President Donald Trump’s America.Announcing the new cabinet of 28 ministers, he instructed them to “bring new ideas, a clear focus and decisive actions to their work”.Ruby Sahota, who was the minister of democratic institutions, has been downgraded to a secretary of state and put in charge of combating crime.Randeep Sarai is another of the ten secretaries of state and will deal with international development.Anand, who was the transport minister and had earlier held the defence portfolio, said in January that she was leaving politics and returning to academia.But Carney persuaded her to return to the cabinet and take the foreign affairs portfolio after she was re-elected in last month’s election.Carney, who inherited former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, now has a chance to put his mark after having led the Liberal Party to victory, beating the odds in last month’s election.He cut the number of ministers from 39 in Trudeau’s cabinet to 28, and three politicians of Indian origin in the last cabinet do not find a place now.What is probably the most important portfolio during the tariff war with the US has been assigned to Dominic LeBlanc, who will be the minister responsible for Canada-US trade.Chrystia Freeland, who had earlier been the deputy prime minister with the finance portfolio and had challenged Carney for the party leadership, industry portfolio.Anand replaces Melanie Joly, who has been shunted to the transport and internal trade ministry that she had held.Joly ratcheted up the tensions with India, expelling six Indian diplomats last year, alleging that they were “persons of interest” in the assassination of Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.India has denied any involvement in the murky case where there were signs of gang warfare and expelled Canadian diplomats in retaliation.Carney, who has called relations with India “incredibly important”, said of the ties with India on the eve of the elections that “there is a path forward to address those with mutual respect and to build out.”The relations spiralled under former Trudeau, who depended on the New Democratic Party led by Jagmeet Singh, an alleged Khalistan sympathiser, to stay in power.David McGuinty, who was the public safety minister, takes over defence.The new cabinet has fewer Canadians of Indian descent.Harjit Singh Sajjan, who was a former defence minister and held the Emergency preparedness portfolio in the last cabinet, did not seek re-election to the House of Commons and left.From the last cabinet, Arif Virani, who was the justice minister and attorney-general, and Kamal Khera, who held the diversity and inclusion of persons with disabilities portfolio, have been dropped by Carney.–IANSal/rs

Chinese Premier meets Brazilian President

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Beijing, May 13 (IANS) Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Beijing on Tuesday.Li said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Brazil relations have entered into a golden period of growth. China is willing to work with Brazil to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, constantly enrich the strategic connotation of bilateral relations, comprehensively expand mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, and walk side by side and achieve mutual success on the road of modernization, he added.Noting the current international situation is complex and volatile, Li said that as major developing countries and important emerging economies in the world, China and Brazil should unite, cooperate more closely and join hands in the face of risks and challenges.China is willing to enhance the alignment of development strategies with Brazil, give full play to the complementary advantages of industrial structures, explore more points of convergence of interests, deepen cooperation in areas such as finance, trade and investment, infrastructure, industrial chains, and the green transformation, and create more flagship projects, Li said, Xinhua news agency reported.He called on both sides to enhance cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, advanced manufacturing and biomedicine, to continuously expand the innovative impetus for practical cooperation between the two countries.China is willing to maintain close multilateral communication and coordination with Brazil, continue to firmly safeguard the central role of the United Nations, practice true multilateralism, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and contribute important strength to maintaining world peace and stability, Li said.Lula said Brazil attaches great importance to developing relations with China and is willing to further enhance high-level exchanges with China, strengthen the alignment of Brazil’s development strategy with the Belt and Road Initiative, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.Brazil is willing to maintain close multilateral communication and cooperation with China, support multilateralism, jointly resist unilateralism and protectionism, safeguard national sovereignty, and promote the common development of the Global South, Lula said.–IANSint/as

UK labour market cools as wage growth slows, unemployment rises

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London, May 13 (IANS) Britain’s labour market showed further signs of cooling in early 2025, as wage growth slowed, unemployment edged higher, and job vacancies continued to decline, according to official data released Tuesday.Although the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the employment rate stood at 75.0 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, which was slightly higher than a year earlier, the unemployment rate was also higher than a year ago.The number of employees on British company payrolls dropped by 47,000 between February and March, with early estimates indicating a further decline of 33,000 in April. Last month, the total number of payrolled employees stood at 30.3 million.Meanwhile, wage growth in Britain has continued to moderate. Average weekly earnings excluding bonuses increased by 5.6 per cent in the three months to March compared with the same period last year, down from 5.9 per cent in the previous quarter, Xinhua news agency reported. Including bonuses, total pay rose by 5.5 per cent year-on-year. After adjusting for inflation, real regular pay grew by 1.8 per cent.The number of job vacancies fell by 42,000 in the three months to April, marking the 34th consecutive quarterly decline. The total number of vacancies now stands at 761,000, slightly below pre-pandemic levels.Economists attributed the labor market slowdown to multiple factors, including higher payroll taxes and a recent increase in the minimum wage. The retail and hospitality sectors, in particular, saw increased job cuts in March and April.Despite signs of weakening demand for labour, analysts noted that wage growth remains elevated, posing challenges for the Bank of England’s efforts to control inflation.The Bank of England lowered its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.25 per cent earlier this month. However, policymakers have stressed the need for more evidence of easing inflation before further rate cuts.The ONS also acknowledged improvements in its Labour Force Survey data collection, though response rates remain below pre-pandemic levels, limiting the granularity of some estimates.Analysts believe that the cooling job market in the country reflects pressures from both domestic policy adjustments, and global trade uncertainties weighing on business confidence.–IANSint/as

Bhutan lauds contribution of Indian teachers

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Thimphu, May 13 (IANS) Honouring the contribution of Indian teachers in Bhutan, a book titled ‘Lopons from India: Glimpses of their Life and Work in Bhutan’ authored by Thakur S Powdyel, Former Bhutanese Minister of Education, was launched on Tuesday at the Nehru-Wangchuck Cultural Centre in Thimphu.Powdyel, while introducing the book to the audience, highlighted the contribution of Indian teachers in laying a strong foundation of formal education in Bhutan.With more than 20 heartwarming memoirs, the book vividly captures the experiences of several Indian teachers who started arriving in Bhutan in the 1960s and contributed significantly to the growth of the education system in Bhutan.The book launch was followed by a sharing of experience by Indian teachers currently working in Bhutan, enduring the Bhutan India Education Partnership.The launch ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of India to Bhutan Sudhakar Dalela; Lyonpo Yeezang de Thapa, Bhutan’s Minister for Education and Skills Development; Justice Sonam Tobgye, Former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Bhutan; and Dasho Arun Kapur, Director, Royal Academy, Bhutan.Celebrating India-Bhutan partnership in Education, on April 30 Indian Embassy in Bhutan organised an outreach programme to celebrate the partnership in the area of education and skill development.Recalling the longstanding partnership between India and Bhutan, Ambassador Sudhakar Dalela highlighted new bilateral initiatives for faculty and student exchanges, upgradation of infrastructure, teachers’ training, and STEM education being undertaken through the 13th FYP.Over 10,000 Bhutanese students have availed of Indian Government scholarships in the last 10 years to study in academic institutions in India in the areas of science, technology, engineering, medicine, law, agriculture, humanities, music and commerce.Several alumni from Bhutan shared their experiences relating to their academic and professional exposure, as well as lifelong friendships and rich cultural immersive experience of their stay in India.India and Bhutan share unique and exemplary bilateral relations, which are based on mutual trust, goodwill, and understanding. India’s development support to Bhutan is an important pillar of close and enduring ties between both nations.–IANSint/scor/as

Sinister designs of Muhammad Yunus will ruin Bangladesh

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New Delhi: The interim government of Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus on Monday issued a gazette notification banning all activities of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, Awami League and its affiliate organisations. The ban is imposed under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the party and its leaders in the Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is completed.The ban included all activities, including any kind of publication, campaign in media, online and social media, procession, meeting, gathering, conference, etc.Sources say that Yunus is targetting the Awami League (AL) to be in the good books of Pakistan and use India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ to fan anti-India sentiments domestically. In other words, Yunus continues to distance Bangladesh away from India.In the sit-in demonstrations organised by Hasnat Abdullah of National Citizen Party (NCP) to put pressure on the interim government to ban the Awami League (AL) two radical Islamic leaders marked their presence — Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani of Ansarullah Bangla Team, also known as Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh or Ansar Bangla (ABT) and Mufti Harun Izhar, LeT’s Bangladesh module chief.Jasim Uddin Rahmani, chief of the globally banned ABT and longtime Al-Qaeda ally, was seen publicly leading an anti-Awami League rally in Dhaka’s Shahbagh on May 11. His reappearance, after spending years in prison for inciting murder, has sparked national outrage and international concern. Alongside him, other radical outfits like Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) are openly calling for the creation of a caliphate and urging action against India. Yet, not a single word of condemnation has come from the Yunus regime.Instead, the regime has turned its fire on the country’s largest secular force. Using the Anti-Terrorism Act, it has banned the Awami League, while globally designated terrorists now occupy centre stage.Since the Awami League’s activities have been banned, there are no more legal complications in arresting the party’s leaders and activists. As the ban was not announced for so long, officials often struggled with arrests at the field level. Now that obstacle is no longer there. Since the government order came into effect, the police can immediately arrest Awami League leaders and activists who participate in rallies, processions or secret meetings.After the Anti-Terrorism Act banned all activities of the Awami League, various questions have arisen. Can the law ban activities without banning the party? What will happen to the registration of the Awami League as a political party if activities are banned? If the law is amended to open the way for the Awami League to be tried as a party for crimes against humanity, what will be the interim government’s position on JeI’s alleged crimes against humanity in 1971?Now that they are done with banning and de-registering the Awami League by the Bangladesh Election Commission, suspension of the party, which has ruled in Dhaka for over two decades, is now officially disqualified and ineligible to contest any future elections in the country, until the ban is revoked and the party registration is restored by the Election Commission.The next target of Yunus will be to remove President Shahabuddin and possibly either elevate himself or appoint someone from the hard-line Islamist camp. This would then ensure that even if Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) comes to power they will have a President who can do the bidding for Yunus and his coterie. The Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman is opposing it, whether he would succeed time will only tell. Bangladesh is at crossroads trying to take a democratic turnaround.Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the Yunus-led interim administration is planning to declare the ‘July Declaration’ by June 10 which would see the closure/demise/end of the Constitution of Bangladesh. After this, the country’s President has to resign. The inauguration of a new President as per the ‘July Declaration’ is likely to see the dismissal of the Chief of Army Staff and he could also be put on trial. Sources confirmed that General Waker-uz-Zaman and his coterie met in Bangabhavan secretly on Monday, to brief the President to make an announcement on the interim administration.There is a strong rumour that the Army Chief wants to remove Yunus. This act of Zaman could bring him severe punishment and he may even be declared as a traitor. Also, in a sudden development, General Zaman was told by Yunus not to proceed on a five-day visit to the United States that was scheduled to begin on May 11 for participation in the Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium and Exposition-25 in Honolulu.Surprisingly, Bangladesh’s interim government’s Legal Advisor, Asif Nazrul had also held a meeting with Harun Izhar. The meeting allegedly took place on April 23 within the Ministry of Law office in Dhaka.Sources within Bangladesh’s military intelligence confirm that Nazrul met with Izhar, a high-profile jihadist with a long track record of plotting terror attacks from Bangladeshi soil.Alarmingly, this rendezvous occurred less than 24 hours after the massacre of 26 Indian tourists in Pahalgam by Pakistan-based terrorist outfits backed by the Pakistani army.Adding fuel to the fire, Nazrul published a verified Facebook post shortly before the meeting, making baseless claims which were devoid of any proof and widely condemned as provocative and deeply insensitive to the victims’ families.His statements, riddled with speculation and politically charged assertions, drew strong criticism for being not only baseless but also insensitive to the victims and their grieving families.A senior officer from Bangladesh’s Army intelligence confirmed the meeting was recorded, though the content remains classified. “The presence of a wanted terrorist inside a government ministry is a grave concern,” the officer stated. “It reveals a potentially dangerous alignment between radicals and figures within the interim administration.”Izhar, accompanied by several known LeT operatives, has been a recurring figure in regional jihadist activity. His involvement in an aborted 2009 plot to bomb the Indian High Commission in Dhaka remains a dark blot in Bangladesh’s counter-terror records.Izhar is no stranger to law enforcement. With ties to Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI), a hardline Islamist organization, he’s been central to the radicalisation of many under the guise of groups like Manhaz. On March 30, 2024, a video surfaced online depicting him leading students in a pledge of allegiance to Hefazat’s cause, calling for jihad against India and Myanmar.He also spearheaded operations under various banners—Towhidi Janata, Anti-Satime Rasul Andolon, and Kara Mukti Andolon — allegedly aimed at orchestrating jailbreaks for convicted extremists after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. Izhar’s role escalated during Prime Minister Modi’s 2021 visit to Bangladesh on the occasion of the nation’s 50th independence year, where he orchestrated mass protests and demonstrations against PM Modi’s presence.Meanwhile the Indian security forces and agencies have been told to be extra-vigilant along the India-Bangladesh border in view of the increasing presence of Pakistan’s ISI and Pakistani military officials in Bangladesh. Yunus-led interim government is directly patronizing the jihadi/extremist/terrorist outfits. The Islamic radical elements have infiltrated in key sectors of governance, judiciary, and law enforcement posing a serious security threat to the region and the world.(The writer is an expert on South Asia and Eurasia. He was formerly with Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Views expressed are personal)–IANS/as

Vietnam: Holy relics of Lord Buddha sent from India arrive in Hanoi

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Hanoi, May 13 (IANS) The sacred relics of Lord Buddha from India were enshrined in the Buddhist temple Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi on Tuesday with ceremonial ritual and prayers conducted by monks from India and Vietnam. The relics will be displayed in the Buddhist temple till May 16.“Holy Buddha Relics from Sarnath, India arrived in Hanoi today and enshrined at Quan Su Pagoda till 16th May 2025 with due ceremonies and prayers by monks from India and Vietnam,” Embassy of India in Hanoi posted on X.External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Monday extended wishes on the Vesak Day, also known as Buddha Purnima, highlighting shared cultural ties with Vietnam, where over one million people prayed at the sacred Buddha relics sent from India.”On this Vesak Day, also deeply moved to see over one million people in Vietnam pay respects to and pray at the Buddhist Holy Relics which travelled from India. Indeed a clear reflection of our age old connect, shared culture and special ties,” said EAM Jaishankar.India’s sending of the holy relics to Vietnam has been appreciated by Vietnamese President Luong Cuong as a gesture that has further strengthened the strong spiritual and cultural ties between both countries.The holy relics were brought from India on May 2 by a Union Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju-led Indian delegation, which also included Andhra Pradesh Minister Kandula Durgesh and senior monks and officials.The holy relics will remain in Vietnam until May 21 as part of the UN Day of Vesak celebrations. The relics were earlier displayed at Thanh Tam Pagoda in Tay Ninh and are currently in Hanoi.Recently, the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City attended the enshrining ceremony of the Holy Relic of Lord Buddha held at Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh province on May 8. The ceremony was witnessed by most venerable monks from India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and from several other countries as well. Provincial leadership of Tay Ninh also graced the occasion.“A large number of devotees thronged the venue to welcome the Holy Relic. It is the national heritage of India. Bringing it from India for exposition during UN Vesak Day celebrations in Vietnam is a glaring example of India’s deep-rooted friendship and robust bilateral relations with Vietnam,” the Consulate General posted on X.–IANSint/scor/as