Taliban say latest talks end on US’s Afghanistan withdrawal
Published: The Washington Post
12 Aug 2019
The latest round of talks between the Taliban and the United States on a deal to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has ended and now both sides will consult with their leadership on the next steps, a Taliban spokesman said Monday. The eighth round of talks in the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar concluded after midnight and was “long and useful,” Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.Click here to read...
India, China foreign ministers to meet today
Published: The Indian Express
12 Aug 2019
DAYS AFTER China objected to India’s decision to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and set up a separate Union Territory of Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday.
Jaishankar arrived in Beijing on Sunday, days after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi travelled to Beijing, on August 9, to garner China’s support for Islamabad’s bid to take New Delhi’s decision to revoke J&K’s special status to the UN Security Council.Click here to read...
India cancels Samjhauta Express service after Pakistan suspends operations
Published: The Indian Express
11 Aug 2019
Days after Pakistan suspended the Samjhauta Express train service that runs between New Delhi and Lahore, India on Sunday followed suit by cancelling its operation as well, PTI reported. The decision was taken after Pakistan suspended operations on its side, the government said.
“In consequent to Pakistan’s decision to cancel Samjhauta Express 14607/14608 running between Lahore and Atari, the link express train number 14001/14002 running between Delhi and Atari also stands cancelled (sic),” PTI quoted Deepak Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, as saying.Click here to read...
US-Sri Lanka military negotiations hit a roadblock
Published: Nikkei Asian Review
11 Aug 2019
The U.S. government's new military blueprint in the Indian Ocean is facing headwinds in Sri Lanka, a strategically located South Asian island also being courted by India, China and Japan in a scramble for geopolitical influence.
In the crosshairs is a Status of Forces Agreement initially signed by the countries in 1995, paving the way for the U.S. military to access Sri Lanka for logistics. But Washington's push to negotiate a new military cooperation deal under the SOFA, which lays out a raft of protections and privileges for visiting U.S. troops, has come under intense scrutiny.Click here to read...
India exporting defence equipment to friendly countries: Defence ministry official
Published: The Economic Times
10 Aug 2019
India is stressing on increasing export of defence equipment to friendly nations and has received queries from some central Asian countries, a defence ministry official said here on Saturday.
The country is already exporting defence equipment to various friendly nations, including the US and those in the Middle-East, South Asia and Africa, Secretary of the Department of Defence Production under the ministry Ajay Kumar said.Click here to read...
