WASHINGTON: The Trump administration reached a trade deal with Taiwan on Thursday, with Taiwan agreeing to remove or reduce 99 percent of its tariff barriers, the office of the US Trade Representative said. The agreement comes as the US remains reliant on Taiwan for its production of computer chips, the exporting of which contributed to […]
Read MoreBy Biman Mukherji The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is poised to recalibrate Dhaka’s ties with India, Pakistan and China, while also addressing US concerns over Beijing’s growing influence in South Asia, following its decisive victory in Thursday’s general election. Analysts said this foreign policy agenda aligned with the party’s focus on economic development, even as […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall North Korea’s claim that Japan has crossed a diplomatic “red line” by deepening its security partnerships is less about Tokyo’s defence policies than Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory, analysts say, as a weaker mandate may have pushed her towards negotiations with Pyongyang. With a commanding majority secured in Sunday’s poll, […]
Read MoreKyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev has said that the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will significantly enhance Kyrgyzstan’s transit potential and create new economic opportunities for Tajikistan. He made the remarks during the first meeting of the Kyrgyz-Tajik Intergovernmental Council in Bishkek, which was also attended by Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda, The Caspian Post […]
Read MoreGENEVA: Nearly 150,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran this year, with the speed and scale of migration pushing Afghanistan deeper into crisis, the UN refugee agency said Friday. “So far this year, nearly 150,000 Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan. These arrivals come on top of already unprecedented returns — 2.9 million […]
Read MoreIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman today (13 February) and extended support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. “Delighted to speak with Mr Tarique Rahman. I congratulated him on the remarkable victory in the Bangladesh elections,” Modi said. He conveyed his best wishes and […]
Read MoreBy Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisations appear to be recalibrating their stance on Palestine by softening earlier criticisms of President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, in what analysts describe as a shift from prioritising Palestinian independence to broader security issues. The adjustment, which followed a closed-door […]
Read MoreBy Liu Zhen The Central Military Commission, the top decision-making body overseeing the People’s Liberation Army, is set for a leadership reshuffle after the downfall of most of its members. President Xi Jinping is now in his third term as chairman of the commission. But now five of the other six members of the commission […]
Read MoreGENEVA: A UN human rights spokesperson said on Friday she was very worried about attacks on independent UN experts after European governments criticized Francesca Albanese who is mandated to report on human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. “We are very worried. We are concerned that UN officials, independent experts and judicial officials, are […]
Read MoreWASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump threatened Iran Thursday with “very traumatic” consequences if it fails to make a nuclear deal — but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was skeptical about the quality of any such agreement. Speaking a day after he hosted Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said he hoped for a […]
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