Diplomacy Archives - Page 109 of 120

22 Mar

‘Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years and we’re driving it’: Xi’s parting message to Putin

London, March 22 (IANS) China's President Xi Jinping told a grinning Vladimir Putin 'change is coming' in an ominous parting message as he departed Moscow following talks with his Russian counterpart, the media reported. "Change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years. And we are driving this change together," Xi told Putin via his interpreter - words sure to set alarm bells ringing in the West, Daily Mail reported. "Please, take care, dear friend," he added, gripping Putin's hand warmly before being waved off by the Russian President who bid Xi a "safe journey". After the two leaders hailed a…

22 Mar

Iraq, Turkey to build transportation corridor linking Basra to Turkish border

Ankara, March 22 (IANS) Turkey and Iraq will build a land and railroad transportation corridor stretching from the Iraqi province of Basra to the Turkish border, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. "We have tasked our minister friends, who will carry out the works for materialising the Development Road Project, extending from Basra to Turkey," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday. "I believe that we will transform the Development Road Project into the new Silk Road of our region," the Turkish President added. Moreover, Turkey will increase the amount of…

21 Mar

Guterres asking G20 for pact to hold down global warming; UN experts warn of food crisis for India

United Nations, March 21 (IANS) As a panel of UN experts warned that India's food production could see a massive fall if global warming went unchecked, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he was asking the G20 for a pact to keep warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade. "In India, rice production can decrease from 10 per cent to 30 per cent, whereas maize production can decrease from 25 per cent to 70 per cent assuming a range of temperature increase from 1 degree centigrade to 4 degrees centigrade," a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday.…

21 Mar

Russia open for negotiation: Putin tells Xi on Ukraine peace plan

Moscow, March 21 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Kremlin, has said his country is "always open for a negotiation process". Putin made the remarks on Monday in response to China's "plan settle ongoing Ukraine crisis". The plan aimed to "end the Russia-Ukraine war" was released by China in February. However, the US has warned it could be a "stalling tactic", the BBC reported. "The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms,"…

21 Mar

S.Korea informs Japan of decision to fully restore bilateral military info-sharing deal

Seoul, March 21 (IANS) South Korea on Tuesday informed Japan of its decision to fully restore a military intelligence-sharing deal, as part of efforts to thaw long-frozen bilateral ties, the Foreign Ministry said. South Korea sent an official letter to Japan earlier in the day via diplomatic channels informing of its decision to rescind its suspension of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), Yonhap News Agency reported citing the Ministry as saying Signed in 2016, GSOMIA was seen as a rare symbol of security cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo before the former administration of President Moon Jae-in decided to…

21 Mar

US Consulate in Hyderabad moves to own facility created at price of $340 million

Hyderabad, March 20. The US Consulate General in Hyderabad on Monday opened operations at its new facility at Nanakramguda. Fifteen years after commencing the operations from historic Paigah Palace in Begumpet, the Consulate has moved to its own building in the Financial District, Nanakramguda, an information technology cluster in western part of the city. "Today marks a milestone in the US-India Strategic Partnership," US Consul General, Hyderabad, Jennifer Larson, said. "At a cost of $340 million, our new consulate facility in Hyderabad is an investment in the US relationship with India. We look forward to increasing our staff - including visa…

20 Mar

Israeli Prime Minister calls on military chiefs to prevent refusals to service

Jerusalem, March 20 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on security chiefs to prevent refusal to service, as hundreds of reservists said they would not show up for duty in protest against the government's contentious judiciary overhaul. Speaking in a televised address during his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said that he expected Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and other security chiefs to "vigorously fight against refusal to serve", Xinhua news agency reported. "There is no place for refusal to serve in the public discourse," he said. On Thursday, 650 reservists, including those from the…

20 Mar

PM Modi holds bilateral talks with Japanese counterpart Kishida

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida on Monday held wide-ranging bilateral discussions. The talks between the two leaders were held here after Kishida arrived in India this morning on a two-day official visit. He also extended an invitation to Modi to attend the G7 leaders' summit, which is to be held in May this year in Hiroshima. The invitation has been accepted by the prime minister. During the talks, both leaders vowed to expand the India-Japan global strategic partnership, stressing that it is important for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Addressing…

20 Mar

European Commission proposes act to secure supply chains

Brussels, March 17 (IANS) The European Commission has proposed an act aiming at securing sustainable supply chains of critical raw materials for the European Union (EU) member states. The European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act) will ensure the EU's access to a secure, diversified, affordable and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, as critical raw materials are indispensable for a wide range of strategic sectors, including the net zero industry, the digital industry, the aerospace and the defence sectors, the Commission said in a statement. The CRM Act lists critical raw materials, as well as strategic raw materials, aiming to…

19 Mar

Japan’s Kishida doing final fine-tuning to invite Yoon to G-7 summit: Report

Seoul/Tokyo, March 19 (IANS) Japanese Prime MInister Fumio Kishida is doing final fine-tuning to invite South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to a Group of Seven summit set for Hiroshima in May, a news report said on Sunday. Yoon is expected to be one of the leaders to be invited to the gathering, together with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is also considering inviting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the paper said. Japan's Kyodo News agency also reported on Friday that…