WORLD

India’s front-channel economic diplomacy has paid dividends.

The Adani group on Thursday signed a $700-million agreement with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and conglomerate John Keells Holdings, to develop and manage the Colombo West International Container Terminal. The three parties have signed a build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement spanning 35 years.

With this deal, the Adani group becomes the largest foreign investor in the island nation’s ports sector.

The move comes after intense lobbying by India, which began in January this year, when Foreign Minister S Jaishankar impressed upon the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government to expedite finalising the deal.

Russia has stepped up its diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, recognising that Islamabad holds some of the key levers to reign in the extremism in the AfPak region.

Deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the region, the Vladimir Putin administration had flown to Islamabad a top-level Russian defence delegation, which held talks with its Pakistani counterpart on Wednesday.

Even though Pakistan is busy projecting to the world the move as a sign of deepening ties, Moscow said that it was the Afghanistan issue which dominated the discussions between the two countries.

A bill introduced in US Senate seeking sanctions on the Afghan Taliban and the foreign governments that support the outfit appeared to have given investors in Pakistan cold feet as the stocks fell nearly 3% and the rupee dropped to a record low on Wednesday. More than 20 Senate Republicans introduced legislation titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’ aimed at tackling the situation in the wake of chaotic US withdrawal from the war-torn country.

The bill sets out provisions for establishing a state department task force, counterterrorism strategy for Afghanistan, review of foreign assistance to countries supporting the Taliban and imposition of sanctions on the Islamist fundamentalists and their supporters.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the suspension on scheduled international commercial flight services has further been extended by a month till October 31 this year, said the office of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday (September 28).

However, the restriction does not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA, the circular stated further.

"In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 23:59 hours IST of 31st October 2021. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA," read the circular.

A joint India and the United States collaboration will advance scientific discovery and management of global health threats, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said here on Monday.

Addressing an inaugural session of the 4th Indo-US Health Dialogue, being hosted by India, at the Ministry of Health, she said “Collaboration between our countries will advance scientific discovery and management of global health threats.”

Marking the beginning of the two-day dialogue, Pawar said the platform will provide an opportunity to all the participants for detailed deliberations, which may be used to broaden the scope of partnership on the health agenda with multiple agencies both in India and the US.