Author: Rahul M

With Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi beginning his two-day visit to India on Monday, the leader is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, after meeting National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.Wang’s visit comes days ahead of Modi’s planned trip to China to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The Chinese foreign minister is visiting India primarily to hold the next round of Special Representatives’ (SR) dialogue on the boundary question. The Chinese foreign minister’s visit is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it…

Washington, Aug 19 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia proposed a bilateral meeting with Ukraine, followed by a trilateral meeting. In a news conference following his meetings with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Zelensky said on Monday that he is ready for “any format” of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that he would participate in the following trilateral meeting, depending on how the first meeting goes. Zelensky added that he does not know the details about the proposed bilateral meeting. He said that he does not want to impose conditions…

A day after the BJP announced C P Radhakrishnan as the NDA candidate for vice-president, the opposition INDIA bloc met Monday to finalise its candidate for the contest. Sources said the Opposition has zeroed in on a couple of names and a final call would be taken Tuesday.At the late evening meeting held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, NCP (SP) Sharad Pawar is learnt to have suggested the name of author Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. The DMK, another key constituent of the bloc, has suggested the name of former ISRO scientist and Padma Shri awardee…

AS his ties with the Maharashtra BJP leadership continue to face turbulence, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s frequent flying trips to Delhi have not gone unnoticed. However, the law of diminishing returns may have caught up with Shinde now.The state BJP appears to have dug its heels in, in response to the “pressure tactics” by the Shiv Sena chief, whose visits to Delhi are usually followed by photographs of him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The latest such meeting was of Shinde and his entire family with Modi and Shah on August 6, within…

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegian prosecutors on Monday announced that they have indicted the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess on multiple charges including rape after a lengthy investigation.Oslo state attorney Sturla Henriksbø said Marius Borg Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, broadcaster NRK reported. The indictment filed in Oslo district court includes 32 counts, among them rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner and acts of violence against another. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations.Høiby, the 28-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to…

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of anti-government protesters marched again in Serbia on Monday with baton-wielding riot police chasing them in downtown Belgrade, prompting Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic to reiterate his pledge of a planned major crackdown against the demonstrators.The protest in the country’s capital was peaceful until a group of young people, believed to be soccer hooligans, split from the crowd and hurled rocks at ruling party’s downtown offices, breaking front windows.The riot police soon appeared at the scene on armored trucks, dispersing the crowd and triggering a panicky escape by the crowd.In a show of defiance, Vucic…

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — One candidate is Rodrigo Paz, a conservative centrist senator and son of a neoliberal ex-president who is pitching himself as a moderate reformer. The other is former right-wing president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, galvanizing voters through promises of harsh austerity and a scorched-earth approach to transforming Bolivia’s state-directed economic model after 20 years of leftist dominance.At stake in the outcome of Bolivia’s consequential presidential election is the fate of one of South America’s most resource-rich nations, where inflation has soared to heights unseen in decades and polls show growing distrust in major institutions.“There has been a…

Apple TV+ If you love thrills, chills, and jump scares packaged in a more bingeable format, there are plenty to choose from these days. From the monsters of MGM’s nightmarish fever dream “From” to Looper readers’ top-rated horror series like “The Walking Dead” and “American Horror Story,” TV producers have finally started to crack the formula that falls somewhere between classic horror tropes and prestige TV, and they’re churning out more quality shows by the year.  But sadly, not every horror series gets to stick around as long as fans wish…

Carlos Alcaraz won his first Cincinnati Open title on Monday after fierce rival Jannik Sinner was forced to retire after just 23 minutes into their championship-match clash. This was Alcaraz’s sixth title of the season. Defending champion Sinner, who was looking out of sorts in the sweltering heat, called for the doctor after surrendering a 0-5 lead in the opening set, but he was unable to continue. With his 22nd tour-level trophy, Alcaraz also strengthened push for Year-End No. 1 – an honour he has not held since becoming the youngest in history to do so at 19 years in…

Starbucks will give all salaried employees in North America a 2% raise this year, a shift from previous increases that were decided at managers’ discretion.It’s part of a turnaround effort that includes better service, shorter wait times and more inviting stores. The company has asked executives to keep costs under control to help pay for these upgrades.Customers say they “can see and feel the differences these investments are making,” according to a Starbucks spokesperson. “As we make these significant investments, we need to carefully manage all our other costs.”That involves “taking a consistent approach to merit increases across all teams”…