Section: Daily News & Analysis (India)
IOC chief Bach to meet PM Modi on Monday evening
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach arrives here tomorrow for his one-day whirlwind visit and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to discus ways to take Indian sports forward amid speculation that the country might bid for 2024 Olympics. Bach, who will be on his first visit to India after taking over as...
EU rescue ships head for Libya, as migrants die in Balkans
British and German warships made ready to sail for waters off Libya as Europe ramped up rescue operations in the Mediterranean after up to 900 desperate migrants drowned last weekend on a boat heading for Italy. Yet hours after European Union leaders agreed in Brussels on Thursday to treble funding for EU maritime missions and pledged more ships...
India ranks 117 out of 158 nations on global happiness index
India has not fared well in a global ranking of the happiest nations, coming in at the 117th spot out of 158 countries on the index that took into account GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of happiness. Switzerland has been named the most happiest country in the world, coming in at the...
‘Russian defence ministry says US troops in east Ukraine’
US troops are in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine and are training Ukrainian forces, Interfax news agency quoted a spokesman for Russia’s Defence Ministry as saying on Thursday. A day earlier, Washington accused Russia of building up air defence systems inside eastern Ukraine and of involvement in training exercises of pro-Russian...
Russia cuts space funding as economic crisis bites
Russia is cutting spending on its space programme by more than a third over the next 10 years because of the country’s economic crisis, forcing it to scrap plans to develop a super-heavy launch rocket. Space exploration is a subject of national pride in Russia, rooted in the Cold War “space race” with the United States that saw...
Russia’s Lavrov says fighting in east Ukraine abating
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday he believed a surge in ceasefire violations in east Ukraine had passed, adding Moscow would work to prevent violence escalating again. Moscow stands accused by the West and Kiev of driving the separatist pro-Russian rebellion in east Ukraine, providing it with troops and arms, training and...
INS Visakhapatnam: 11 things you need to know about India’s latest destroyer warship
Chief of Naval Staff RK Dhowan launched India’s latest destroyer warship at the Mazagon Dock Limited on Monday, which is part of the Project 15B. However, it is only in July 2018 that the ship will be inducted into the Indian Navy. It is during the induction or commissioning of the destroyer that it will be christened as the Indian Naval...
Russian President Putin says ready to work with United States
Russia has key interests in common with the United States and needs to work with it on a common agenda, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday in a television interview. In his comments to the state-run Rossiya channel, Putin appeared to soften his anti-American rhetoric after being highly critical. Relations between Moscow and...
NATO chief concerned at increase in Ukraine violence
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg voiced concern on Thursday over an increase in violence and movements of heavy military equipment in eastern Ukraine, saying they were undermining the Minsk peace agreement. Ukraine’s military has reported that at least eight soldiers have been killed in the east this week despite a two-month-old...
Putin defiant over economy, Ukraine in annual phone-in
President Vladimir Putin tried to reassure Russians over the ailing economy and said Washington wanted “vassals” rather than allies in his annual phone-in on Thursday, but offered no new financial remedies and gave no ground over Ukraine. For nearly four hours, the Russian leader fielded mostly tame questions from across the country...
