With new measures and green initiatives, the Maldives is hoping to become the cleanest country in the world, a senior official said. The Indian Ocean archipelago is already phasing out single-use plastic, including water bottles, and projects that could reduce its carbon footprints.

The remark came days after Imran Khan warned of the possibility of the country losing its nuclear deterrence if the current government mismanaged its economy. Since losing power in April, Khan has been questioning the ability of what he calls the “imported government” of protecting the country.

India is in the process of further strengthening its strategic missile arsenal by adopting newer technologies and capabilities. Agni-IV is the fourth in the Agni series of missiles

“We wanted to go for a roadshow in India, it won’t be a flamboyant roadshow, it will be a pleading roadshow to get Indian tourists to start coming back to Sri Lanka,” Harin Fernando, the country’s newly appointed minister for tourism, was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror.

Industrial accidents are common in Bangladesh. Experts blame poor safety standards and lack of enforcement of norms and regulations. Garments factories, which account for the country’s most exports and employ over 4 million workers, often see deadly fire incidents.

In a strong comment on Twitter, Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson Lolwah Alkhater wrote that “Islamophobic discourse has reached dangerous levels in a country long known for its diversity and coexistence”, and told New Delhi that unless the government of India “officially and systemically” confronts hate speech, it would be considered a “deliberate insult” against two billion Muslims worldwide.

The country, she said, is facing adverse and severe effects of climate crisis in the shape of extreme temperatures, severe drought, forest fires, drying rivers, and rapidly melting glaciers.

The statement then went on to say that “India’s Constitution gives the right to every citizen to practice any religion of his/her choice and to honour and respect every religion. As India celebrates 75th year of its Independence, we are committed to making India a great country where all are equal and everyone lives with dignity, where all are committed to India’s unity and integrity, where all enjoy the fruits of growth and development.”

On Saturday morning, Aeroflot announced suspending commercial flights to Sri Lanka for an indefinite period, citing the “unreliability of the situation in terms of ensuring unhindered flights of the airline’s aircraft to Sri Lanka”. The row, if not resolved quickly, could hurt Sri Lanka’s already troubled economy as Russia is its third top source market for its tourism industry.

During his discussions with the UN officials, Wickremesinghe informed that the officials were devising a food security program, expected to be unveiled next month, in the wake of the situation. UN officials expressed their support for the initiative.

Significantly, the country’s IT exports are rising and has already crossed over $2 billion in the first eight months of the current financial year.  In 2021, the Overseas Investor Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) said in its report that the country had the potential of $10 billion in annual IT exports.

Earlier this week, a delegation of the Pakistan tribal leaders, visited the Afghan capital Kabul and held talks with the TTP. The group demanded the rollback of the FATA reforms, “independent status” for northwestern tribal areas, and dismantling of what it says is the “western system and culture” from the region. 

The killings in Kashmir have intensified calls by Kashmiri Pandits - who were sought to be rehabilitated in Kashmir by the government as it claimed that the place was returning to normal after decades of insurgency and bloodshed - to ensure their security. Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits, who are Hindus, protested in Srinagar and other parts of the union territory on Thursday. Many have started to leave the valley amid a lockdown in prefab shelters where they have been staying since a wave of attacks against the community in the nineties made them flee their homes in Kashmir Valley.

From Thursday this week, Nepal started selling electricity, around 37 MW to Indian buyers, Nepal Electricity Corporation spokesperson Suresh Bhattarai confirmed to The Kathmandu Post. More bids are invited to sell 200 MW in India’s power exchange market on a long-term basis.

“We participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement contrary to our nature, due to historical reasons and the needs of the time. We completed that task. We do not want to launch any other movement,” Bhagat declared firmly.