World

VICTORIA, March 3: A plan for India to build a military base on an outlying Seychelles island has won favour among the archipelago nation`s politicians, but some hostility from its people. The base on Assumption Island is to be funded by India and shared by the two countries` militaries. The deal was struck in principle in 2015 during a visit to Seychelles by India`s prime minister Narendra Modi, but progress since has been slow. The government of the Seychelles, based in Victoria on Mahe Island 1,135 kilometres (705 miles) northeast...

Dhaka, MArch 2: Myanmar defended on Friday deploying fresh troops to a border zone with Bangladesh where thousands of Rohingya refugees are camped, blaming a militant threat as Dhaka called for an immediate retreat to lower tensions along the troubled frontier. The increased security presence this week has centred around a strip of “no man’s land” between the two countries where some 6,000 Rohingya sought shelter after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army crackdown last August. The military campaign drove some 700,000 Rohingya across the border in total, with most travelling...

Washington, March 2: The United States government is aware of media reports that diamond jeweller Nirav Modi is in the country but is unable to confirm them, a State Department official said today. "We are aware of recent media reports that Nirav Modi is in the United States but cannot confirm them," the spokesperson told PTI when asked about reports that the Indian businessman is in New York. Asked if the department is providing any assistance to the Indian government in tracing Modi, the spokesperson said, "We refer you to...

Washington, March 2: The US on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing a new generation of "invincible" weapons and said American military was fully prepared to defend the country. "President Putin has confirmed what the US government has known for a long time but that Russia has denied prior to this," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. She said Russia has been developing destabilising weapons systems for over a decade in direct violations of its treaty obligations. Her comments came hours after...

Jerusalem, March 2: Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday for the first time in a corruption case that involves the country's largest telecommunications company Bezeq, Israel Radio said. Along with two other corruption cases, in which Netanyahu is suspected of bribery, the probes pose a serious threat to the four-term prime minister's political survival. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing in all the cases. In the newest investigation, known as Case 4000, police allege that the owners of Bezeq Israel Telecom provided favourable coverage of Netanyahu and his wife...

Balikpapan (Indonesia), March 2: A human leg and arm have been found inside the belly of a huge crocodile suspected of mauling a man to death in Borneo, Indonesian police said Friday. Authorities shot and killed the six-metre (20-foot) long crocodile close to a riverbank where a local palm oil plantation worker had gone missing two days earlier, with only his motorbike and sandals found at the site, they said. The search ended Thursday when 36-year-old Andi Aso Erang’s lifeless body -- missing two limbs -- was discovered floating in...

WASHINGTON, March 1: Describing India as an "incredibly valuable and close counterterrorism partner" of the US, the Trump administration today said the future is "very bright" for bilateral co-operation in this arena. US Counterterrorism Coordinator, Nathan Sales credited the meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump early in the latter's tenure as the reason behind a "powerful" partnership between the two nations. "India is an incredibly important, incredibly valuable and incredibly close counterterrorism partner of the US," Sales told reporters during a teleconference at the conclusion of the conference...

KATHMANDU, March 1: The pavilion of the Basantapur Durbar Square, a World Heritage site in Kathmandu on Thursday, was smeared with vermillion powders, marking the day of the festival of colour Holi.Basantapur or the Kathmandu Durbar Square, which has been an eyewitness to major political turmoil and changes in the country, is also known as the "Holi Junction of Kathmandu". People celebrate Holi at this historical site. "Basically, we celebrate Holi as the symbol of victory of good over evil so that we can influence other people that we should...

Washington, March 1: Hope Hicks, one of Donald Trump's longest-serving and trusted aides, today announced her resignation as the powerful communications director, in a major blow to the US President and the embattled White House amidst the intensifying inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The 29-year-old former model, though considered a political novice, was known as one of the few aides of Trump who understood his style and could influence his views. Her surprise resignation came a day after she testified before the House Intelligence Committee she...