Author: News Desk

UK’s Labour goes into its party conference this weekend with a leader who wants to remain “neutral” in any second Brexit referendum. Could that be a recipe for disaster for the party and the country?Just a few weeks ago, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn cut the increasingly forlorn figure that seems to have become his trademark ever since he pulled off the unexpected coup of reviving his party’s fortunes in the 2017 general election. Many of his most loyal supporters had to concede that Corbyn had, by all accounts, lost the plot on Brexit, dilly-dallying over which course to take and…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is likely to raise the Kashmir issue and the human rights situation in the Valley during discussions at the high-level UN General Assembly session that begins here next week, his spokesperson has said. The Secretary-General’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during the daily press briefing here on Thursday said the UN chief has underscored the need for dialogue as the only way to resolve the issue and, “as part of the solution for the current crisis in Kashmir, to make sure that human rights aspects are very much dealt with, as well.” On Kashmir, the Secretary-General has said…

Researchers working in the field of climate change communications have, for many years, been confronted with the same puzzle: why, when there is widespread recognition of the importance of climate change, has there not been any sustained demand for action? In opinion polls, people said they cared about climate change, but compared with issues such as immigration, the economy and more recently in the UK, Brexit, they didn’t care that much. In the past year, however, we have witnessed a genuine shift – a growth in momentum which can be traced variously to the power of a unique Swedish schoolgirl,…

Ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City on Monday, students and adults alike have taken to the streets to protest against climate inaction across the world. Influenced by Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg, hoards of protesters can be seen on the streets in major metropolitans, including London and Paris. Other countries where the demonstrations can be seen are Germany, Tasmania, Thailand, India, to name a few. Thunberg is slated to lead protests in New York City, with several other demonstrations being scheduled to take place across the US, which pulled out of the landmark Paris…

President Donald Trump on Friday announced new sanctions on Iran’s central bank, calling the measures the “highest” sanctions ever imposed on a foreign country by the United States. “We have just sanctioned the Iranian national bank,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, later clarifying that he was referring to the Iranian central bank. “These are the highest sanctions ever imposed on a country,” he said. Trump earlier this week announced what he said would be substantial new sanctions against Iran, in response to what US officials say was likely Iranian involvement in an attack on Saudi oil facilities. The…

Austrian lawmakers have voted to provide the path to Austrian citizenship for descendants of people who had been forced out of the country by the Nazis. Great-grandchildren of Nazi victims would also be eligible. Under a new law, Austria will grant citizenship to claimants who can prove that one of their ancestors was forced out of the country by the Nazi regime. A broad majority voted for the law on Friday in parliament, with the local Jewish community also expressing their approval. “With this decision, the Republic of Austria is living up to its historic responsibility,” said Oskar Deutsch, president of…

Moving a step closer towards operating the Rafale combat aircraft, the Indian Air Force on Thursday received the first Rafale combat aircraft at the Dassault Aviation manufacturing facility here. The first aircraft with tail number RB-01 was received by a team of Indian Air Force officers led by Air Marshal VR Chaudhary in France who also flew in the plane for around one hour, Indian Air Force sources told. As per the Rs 60,000 crore contract signed between India and France, the first aircraft was scheduled to be delivered in acceptance mode to the Indian side and it will now…

Ahead of his departure for the United States to attend the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his upcoming visit would further cement bilateral ties between India and the United States and hoped for a stronger partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies. ‘I look forward to my meeting with @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. Shared values, convergent interests, and complementary strengths provide strong foundations for a natural partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies,’ PM Modi said in a tweet. The prime minister is scheduled to visit the United States from…

Following the refusal of Pakistan to allow the VVIP Air India One aircraft — that will carry Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States — to overfly its airspace, Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said that Islamabad ‘should realize the folly of its actions’ and that if Pakistan ‘is in violation of norms of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)’, India could ‘consider’ approaching the ICAO. He, however, said that at the moment, ‘there is no intention to do so’. He indicated that Pakistan’s actions were not those of a ‘normal’ country. In response to a question, foreign secretary Vijay…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized after a photo emerged of him in brownface makeup in 2001. Two images of separate incidents have since been released, coming the week after he launched his election campaign. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a liberal advocate of multiculturalism, wore brownface makeup at a costume party in 2001. Trudeau, who launched a campaign for reelection last week, immediately apologized for wearing the makeup. “I should have known better then, but I didn’t and I did it and I’m deeply sorry,” Trudeau told reporters on his campaign plane, asking for forgiveness. He admitted it was a…