Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, but a delay in freeing another hostage prompted Israel to block hundreds of thousands of Gazans from returning to the enclave’s bombed-out north. The four Israelis freed in the second swap of the week-old Gaza truce were led onto a podium […]
Read MoreNorth Korea conducted a strategic cruise missile test on Saturday, state media KCNA reported on Sunday. The country’s leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test, according to the report, which described it as a test-fire of an “important weapon system.” The underwater-to-surface strategic cruise missiles travelled 1,500 kilometres and flew between 7,507 and 7,511 seconds […]
Read MoreThe U.S. may place a “very big bounty” on the top leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, adding he was hearing that the Taliban held more American hostages than previously reported. “Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported,” Rubio said in a post […]
Read MoreIndonesia and India signed a wide range of agreements on Saturday covering culture, health, maritime, security and digital sectors. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of India’s Republic Day celebrations on Sunday. President Prabowo said his government will accelerate its economic partnership with India […]
Read MoreArgent LNG, which is developing a 25 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) LNG facility in Louisiana, has signed a non-binding agreement with the government of Bangladesh to purchase up to 5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually, the company said in a statement on Friday. This is the first major U.S. […]
Read MoreFrom 30,000 feet, a recently released International Monetary Fund report suggests that Tajikistan’s economy is flying high. The on-the-ground picture of most citizens’ daily lives looks a lot bleaker. In its Tajikistan: First Review Under the Policy Coordination Instrument, published on January 6, the IMF gives the Central Asian nation a favorable outlook. “Tajikistan is […]
Read MoreUnited Nations Resident Coordinator in Mongolia Jaap van Hierden presented his Letter of Credence to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh on January 23, 2025. Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh congratulated Mr. Jaap van Hierden on being appointed as Resident Coordinator in Mongolia and expressed confidence in his contribution to strengthening and expanding cooperation between Mongolia […]
Read MoreWith two high-profile visits in two weeks, the new year seems to augur well for bilateral relations between India and the Maldives. Considering that this time, last year, bilateral ties were at their worst, rendering the visits by Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel and Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon even more significant. Minister Khaleel, in an […]
Read MoreAmidst several contradictory statements coming from the NPP government ministers over the ongoing rice shortage in the country, it has come to light that the government finds itself in a quandary since it has no accurate data on last year’s paddy production. As conflicting reports are put forward by the agricultural authorities, the government is […]
Read MoreSamdrupjongkhar—Authorities in Samdrupjongkhar are cracking down on illegal mandarin exports to prevent market disruptions and loss of government revenue. Middlemen have been taking advantage of loopholes in export rules, causing farmers to earn less for their oranges during the peak season. The issue is: the intermediaries pretend to be farmers and export products without following […]
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