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U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designated South Korea as a 'sensitive' country. The U.S. department has not explained why South Korea was added to the list, which can cause curbs on cooperation, though a DOE spokesperson said Seoul faced no new limits on bilateral cooperation in science and technology from the designation. In a statement relayed by the finance ministry after a ministerial meeting, Choi called on South Korean agencies to actively foster understanding with Washington, and for the industry minister to meet with the U.S. Secretary of Energy this week. Despite the DOE assurances over bilateral cooperation not being impacted, politicians in Seoul have traded blame over the sensitive country designation. The main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday criticised the current South Korean government, calling the U.S. move a «perfect diplomatic failure» which is feared could limit cooperation between the countries in the high-tech field.

free trade agreement, after it was stalled in 2015 following their failure to narrow differences in sensitive areas including dairy and agriculture. India and New Zealand began negotiating the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010 to boost trade in goods, services, and investment but the talks stalled after nine rounds of discussions. The ninth round of negotiation was held in 2013. The two nations announced the launch of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the eve of the bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand. Luxon is here on a four-day visit from March 16.

India and New Zealand on Sunday announced resumption of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement to boost economic ties. India and New Zealand began negotiating the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010 to boost trade in goods, services, and investment. However, after nine rounds of discussions, the talks stalled in 2015. «The two nations are pleased to announce the launch of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations,» the commerce ministry said. The announcement was made after the meeting of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Todd McClay, New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment. Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon is here on a four-day visit from March 16. «The India-New Zealand FTA negotiations aim to achieve balanced outcomes that enhance supply chain integration and improve market access,» it said.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president, has unexpectedly caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite initial skepticism, Trump recently called her “tough” and praised her leadership, particularly on migration and fentanyl trafficking. But what exactly did Sheinbaum do to earn this recognition?

AIMIM chief Assadudin Owaisi on Friday criticized calls for Muslims to stay indoors or cover themselves during Holi, asserting the community's strength by saying, «We will not run, we are not cowards.» «Some say if you're so scared, you should not offer namaz and stay indoors. They say just like we have covered our mosques, we must cover ourselves also, or else stay indoors,» Owaisi said while addressing a gathering at Chowk-e-Masjid in Telangana's Hyderabad. His remarks were in response to statements by some officials advising Muslims to remain indoors if they did not want to be colored during Holi. In Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary had on March 6 suggested that those uncomfortable with colours should stay inside, a comment later backed by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Several mosques in Uttar Pradesh were covered with tarpaulin on orders from the local administration to prevent any untoward incidents during Holi celebrations. «Those who migrated to Pakistan were cowards. We will not run, we are not cowards. A Chief Minister said Jumma namaz can be offered at home as well… Who is he to tell us what we can and cannot do?» Owaisi added.

federal agencies. The order, issued by Judge Tanya Chutkan, follows a lawsuit from 14 Democratic state attorneys general challenging DOGE’s expansive authority under Musk, which they argue bypasses constitutional checks.

U.S. President Donald Trump threw a curve ball at China by linking the fentanyl issue to his tariffs on imports

IQAir states that air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 99% of people live in areas with unsafe air quality levels. Air pollution is the second leading cause of death globally. It also poses serious health risks to children under five, second only to malnutrition. Also Read: Duke Vs Georgia Tech: Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown get injured in ACC tournament game. Here’s what happened

money laundering, corruption, fraud, asset recovery and the financing of illicit activities, the ED said Thursday. The collaboration between Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) of Mauritius will «bolster» financial enforcement capabilities and will also contribute to broader economic and security cooperation between the two nations, the federal probe agency said in a statement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged in the presence of Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam. During the discussions leading to the MoU, the ED and the FCC explored the possibilities of «joint operations» to detect, investigate and prosecute cross-border money laundering offences, according to the ED. They also underlined the significance of exchange programmes, experience sharing, training and skill building of the officers of both the organisations, it said. «Discussions were held on how ED can assist FCC by providing technological assistance and sharing of their digital forensic tools and best practices, towards ensuring better data seizing and extraction, and more productive data analysis,» the statement said.

Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan. They assured their cooperation in fostering peace and expressed confidence in the State’s return to normalcy under the Governor’s leadership. Six MLAs—Awangbow Newmai, Khashim Vashum, Losii Dikho, Leishiyo Keishing, J. Kumo Sha, and Janghemlung Panmei discussed issues faced by the people, they assured their cooperation in fostering peace and expressed confidence in the State’s return to normalcy under the Governor’s leadership. Senior Border Security Force (BSF) and police officials on Thursday paid their homage to three BSF jawans, who were killed and 11 others injured after the bus in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in Manipur's Kangpokpi district. A BSF spokesman said that senior BSF, Police and Civil Administration officials paid homage to the three slain paramilitary personnel at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal. The three BSF personnel include, Head Constable Surendra Kumar, Constable Bachhu Mondal and Constable Ankul Singh of the 37 Battalion of BSF.

Sticky issues haven't changed since 2007 in the FTA's Take 1. What has changed, drastically, is context. Take 2 will be forged with the US having triggered a global tariff war and supply chains disrupted.

Finland has announced a new arms package for Ukraine amounting to around 200 million euros ($217 million) and pledged more defense cooperation with Kyiv

Price Support Scheme (PSS), benefitting 89,219 farmers, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday. Under the PSS for the 2024-25 Kharif season, the ministry has approved the procurement of a total of 13.22 lakh tonnes of tur from nine states — Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. According to the ministry, tur procurement has already started in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana. «A total quantity of 1.31 lakh tonne of tur (arhar) has been procured in these states till March 11,» the ministry said in a statement. The procurement of tur in other states will also commence soon.

200 million euros (USD 217 million) and pledged more defense cooperation with Kyiv. The aid package for Ukraine involves artillery ammunition, «which is in great need right now,» said Finland's Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen as he signed a memorandum of understanding alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov. Finland's Defence Ministry said other contents of the aid package would not be divulged at this time. Hakkanen said that Finland remains committed to supporting Ukraine and shares Kyiv's «view of the Russian threat in light of our historical experiences.» The areas of closer cooperation include information exchange, research and innovation, ammunition production, and defense industry projects in Finland and Ukraine, the ministry said. The minister said that the relationship was not a one-way street.

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US arms deliveries to Ukraine resumed Wednesday, officials said, a day after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyiv in its fight against Russia's invasion, and Ukrainian officials signalled that they were open to a 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that it's important not to «get ahead» of the question of responding to the ceasefire proposal. He told reporters that Moscow is awaiting «detailed information» about it from the US and suggested that Russia must get that first before it can take a position. Arms deliveries to Ukraine have already resumed through a Polish logistics centre, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland announced Wednesday. The deliveries go through a NATO and US hub in the eastern Polish city of Rzeszow that's has been used to ferry Western weapons into neighboring Ukraine about 70 km away. The American military help is vital for Ukraine's shorthanded and weary army, which is having a tough time keeping Russia's bigger military force at bay. But for Moscow, more American aid spells potentially more difficulty in achieving its war aims and likely will be a tough sell in Moscow for Washington's peace efforts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington will pursue «multiple points of contacts» with Russia to see if President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate an end to the war. He declined to give details. «The ball is truly in their court,» Rubio said at a refueling stopover in Shannon, Ireland on his way to talks in Canada with other Group of Seven leading industrialised nations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that it's important not to «get ahead» of the question of responding to the 30-day ceasefire proposal. He told reporters that Moscow is awaiting «detailed information» about it from the US and suggested Russia must get that before it can take a position. The Russian missiles killed four Syrian men between the ages of 18 and 24 on a ship docked at the southern port of Odesa late Tuesday, where it was loading Ukrainian wheat for Algeria, Infrastructure Minister Oleksii Kuleba said. Another missile killed a woman in Kryvih Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown in central Ukraine, authorities said. The American help is vital for Ukraine's shorthanded and weary army, which is having a tough time keeping Russia's bigger military force at bay. But for Moscow, more American aid spells potentially more difficulty in achieving its war aims and likely will be a tough sell in Moscow for Washington's peace efforts.

strategic partnership, including defence engagement and connectivity via Iran through INSTC and Chabahar Port. Visiting Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan and external affairs minister S Jaishankar engaged in detailed conversation on expanding defence trade and connectivity initiatives, it is learnt. There was also focus on launching direct flights and enhancing business and people-to-people ties. Mirzoyan delivered a speech at the Indian Council on World Affairs, MEA's think tank.

Indo-Pacific could offer an alternative trading framework, but many countries—especially India—will be uneasy about China’s dominant role within it, commented Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times. He set the tone for CUTS International’s webinar on geopolitics last week. The two-session brought together global experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to assess the implications of President Donald Trump’s second term on the Indo-Pacific region’s geopolitics, trade, and security frameworks. Ambassador Meera Shankar, former Indian Ambassador to the U.S., emphasised that “Collective security, collective prosperity, and a rules-based order drive the Indo-Pacific region.” However, she noted that while economic cooperation has progressed, collective security remains a work in progress.

Trump has appointed Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as “border czar” to oversee the nation's immigration enforcement, maritime, and aviation security. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, saying, “I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (‘The Border Czar’), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security.” Trump added, “There’s nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders” and that Homan “will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.” Homan, a key figure during Trump’s first term, led “zero tolerance” immigration enforcement, including policies that separated children from families at the border, leading to widespread criticism. He also contributed to Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint, though Trump distanced himself from that project during his campaign. Homan served as acting ICE director from 2017 to 2018 and frequently defended his agency’s aggressive tactics, including saying undocumented immigrants “should be afraid” and vowing to place parents and guardians of undocumented minors in immigration proceedings. Homan’s Plans on Immigration Enforcement and Sanctuary Cities

Greenland in 2019, the world dismissed it as another outlandish remark. But as his administration returned to power in 2025, the joke had turned into a serious policy objective. Greenland is no longer just a remote Arctic island – it is a strategic, economic, and military prize that Washington is determined to secure.