A Pentagon watchdog has said that US troops made "minimal progress" in Afghanistan during the first quarter of 2018 as challenges facing US and Afghan forces mount.


'Minimal progress for US troops in Afghan in Q1 2018'


IANS Automatic

Over a month after a blast at an Indian field office at Biratnagar in Nepal, India has said that its has closed down the office


India closes down camp office in Nepal


The first consignment of 2 million barrels of crude oil from the UAE for India's strategic petroleum reserve at Karnataka's Mangaluru landed on the west coast, an official statement said on Monday.


UAE lands first crude oil cargo for Mangaluru strategic reserve


Pointing out that trade exchanges between India and Egypt have picked up pace in the last one year, outgoing Indian Ambassador to the Arab nation Sanjay Bhattacharya on Monday said the growth in agro-exports from India to Egypt and its acceptance of India's line of credit facility can further boost bilateral economic ties.


Agro exports, line of credit to strengthen India-Egypt economic ties: Envoy


Chinese censors have erased online debate over US-China trade negotiations as the two countries appeared to back away from a trade war.


Chinese censors erase online comments as US puts tariffs 'on hold'


The US will aim to "crush" Iran with economic and military pressure by imposing the "strongest sanctions in history" unless it changes its behaviour in the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday.


US will crush Iran through sanctions: Pompeo


India takes seriously any comment that calls for peace with it, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday, days after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa favoured talks to resolve all disputes, including Kashmir, between the two countries.


Any peace overture from Pakistan is taken seriously: India


Moscow and New Delhi will strongly oppose attempts to politicize the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday following talks between President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Russia, India oppose bid to politicize OPCW's work: Lavrov


India and China on Monday discussed security and law enforcement cooperation as Deputy National Security Adviser Rajinder Khanna met Chinese Public Minister Zhao Kheji here.


India, China discuss security, law enforcement cooperation


Stating that Russia has always been a true and fast friend of India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that his informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin will take bilateral ties to a new level.


Informal summit takes India-Russia ties to new level: Modi


South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed to Washington on Monday on an apparent mission to help broker a nuclear deal between the US and North Korea ahead of their first-ever summit in June.


Moon heads to US to discuss Trump-Kim summit


A group of militants killed five workers of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) oil pipeline and kidnapped another in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Monday.


5 TAPI workers killed, 1 abducted in Afghan attack


Russia and India maintain a high strategic level of partnership with close cooperation between the two countries Defence Ministries, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Putin hails strategic partnership with India


The US continues testing its missile defence systems and producing missiles which are prohibited by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty aimed at limiting strategic weapons, a Russian military official said on Monday.


Russia accuses US of violating n-disarmament treaty


China on Monday dismissed as "groundless" a report that it was mining gold on its side of the disputed border in Arunachal Pradesh.


China calls mining report near Arunachal border 'groundless'


The US has put on hold its plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Chinese products as it presses forward with negotiations to reduce its trade deficit with Beijing, a top priority of President Donald Trump.


US temporarily suspends tariffs on Chinese products


US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said the US and China have reached a deal on a "very important" framework concerning their economic and trade ties, and the two sides have agreed to put a possible trade war on hold.


'US, China reach important framework deal on trade'


Three Indian naval ships will make a port call in Vietnam under the ongoing operational deployment of the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet to SouthEast Asia and NorthWest Pacific region, officials said on Sunday.


Indian Navy ships to visit Vietnam


Tourism to security-related sights near the border between North and South Korea has boomed since the leaders of the two countries met last month, media reports said on Sunday.


Border tourism booms since meeting of two Korean leaders


China and the US have issued a joint statement on economic and trade consultations, vowing not to launch a trade war against each other.


China, US issue joint statement on economic, trade consultations


China has landed bombers, for the first time, on disputed territory in the South China Sea prompting fresh US warnings that it is destabilising the region, said China's air force.

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