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UNITED NATIONS: China is urging the United States and Russia to pursue new arms control agreements following the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, but is not willing to join the effort, China’s envoy to the United Nations Zhang Jun told the UN Security Council.

Italy’s anti-immigrant interior minister Matteo Salvini has effectively forced Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to resign from office in a scheme aimed at elevating his extremist right-wing Northern League party to power and installing himself in the premier’s office.

On August 20, all industrial, nonindustrial (Clerical, office staff), Junior Officers, Charge Hands have walked out of all the 41 Ordnance Factories (OF) against government’s plans to corporatize and then to privatise them.

The Chinese government is aware that any harsh action without showing the liberal face to the world fraternity would prove to be tragic. It would seriously damage the international image of Hong Kong, and seriously hurt the feelings of a vast number of mainland China compatriots which China would certainly abhor. In this backdrop the statement of Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam is significant "extremely abominable violent crime must be severely punished according to the law".

The slowdown in the Indian economy is not limited to the automobile sector now. Every sector of the economy now has its own sob story. The slowdown would linger on for some time because the new investment projects announced in terms of value declined by 79.5 per cent. The GDP growth in Q1 was 5.8 per cent and industrial growth was a mere 2 per cent. India Inc's net sales growth for the Q2 (April-June quarter) slid to 4.6 per cent as against 13.5 per cent for the same period last year, while the net profit growth moderated to 6.6 per cent as compared to last year's 24.6 per cent.

The Prime Minister Modi’s two-day visit to Bhutan (August 17-18) gave this tiny Himalayan kingdom the rare privilege of getting some space in India’s mainstream media which practically forgot Bhutan after the Doklam stand-off between the Indian and Chinese armies for full 72 days in June, 2017. Situated eight thousand feet above sea level, Bhutan’s area is just 38,394 sq,kms., less than half the size of West Bengal. But its strategic location as a buffer State between India and China gives it great importance to India. It is a neighbour which India can hardly ignore.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed that high-level talks have been held with the US for months, and said they would continue despite Washington’s near total economic blockade. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced the “criminal blockade” at the UN Security Council on Tuesday. He also warned against Mr Trump’s “threats of establishing a naval blockade and use of force against the people of Venezuela.”

LUCKNOW: BJP appears to have made up its mind to promote its own Kurmi backward leaders rather than depending on ally partner Apna Dal (S) of Anupriya Patel.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The escalating tensions between the CPI and the CPI(M) have been defused with the suspension of the sub-inspector who was responsible for the lathi-charge on CPI workers and leaders in Ernakulam sometime back.

The ailing Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s greatest achievement at the North Block was to act as a cushion in times of crisis which was not his making— he had absorbed the entire shock of demonetisation and GST and sought to maintain as far as possible an even keel. No other finance minister had to head the finance ministry in times of two fundamentally disruptive episodes. He could emerge from them by and large unscathed.