NEW DELHI: India has no clarity about its military and strategic objectives vis-à-vis its stated adversaries, Pakistan and China, and can defeat neither of them in a war, a new book by N.C. Asthana, former Indian police officer respected for his insights into security affairs, says. The Wire on Tuesday carried a review of the book National Security and Conventional Arms Race: Spectre …

AMMAN: The discovery of the ruins of old Roman baths during the construction of a major drainage system in the heart of Jordan’s capital has posed a dilemma: how to preserve the country’s ancient past while providing for its modern future? A government committee set up two weeks ago is expected to decide soon on whether to expand excavations at …

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump lashed out at congressional Republicans after the House easily voted to override his veto of a defence policy bill. A total of 109 Republicans, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of the party leadership, joined with Democrats to approve the override, which would be the first of Trumps presidency. The Senate is expected to …

LUCKNOW: Lawmakers in a central Indian state controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party approved legislation on Tuesday that would make pressuring a woman to convert to their husband’s religion a crime punishable with imprisonment. Although no religion is specified in the legislation, critics say it is aimed against the country’s Muslim minority. Hardline Hindu groups have accused …

BHASHAN CHAR: Four Bangladesh navy ships on Tuesday took the second and biggest group of Rohingya Muslims yet from crowded refugee camps to an uncertain future on a bleak island three hours from the mainland. The government insisted that the 1,800 refugees, who have been in camps since fleeing a Myanmar military clampdown, want to start new lives on Bhashan …

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Tuesday thanked essential workers and offered encouragement to people who suffered during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in their first podcast released on Spotify. During the 33-minute episode, the couple thanked healthcare and frontline workers and others who made sacrifices during a challenging year. Harry and Meghan, known officially as the Duke and Duchess …

A new variant of the novel coronavirus does not appear to cause more severe illness than other variants, according to a matched study by Public Health England. Scientists say the new variant can spread more rapidly. It was found in England in mid-December and led to other countries imposing travel restrictions to the United Kingdom. Several other countries have reported variants, including Pakistan, …

The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 3,000 precision guided munitions to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at up to $290 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The sale comes in the final days of US President Donald Trump’s term. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the …

rus LAHORE: The ventilator occupancy rate reached a worrying level on Tuesday in the Punjab’s government-run hospitals after as many as 181 critical Covid-19 patients were shifted to these facilities during the last 24 hours. The sudden influx of critical patients of the infection in the state-run hospitals of the province has alarmed their respective managements who apprehend that they …

Talks between India and China have yet to make headway to end a standoff on a disputed section of their Himalayan border, India’s defence minister said on Wednesday, as thousands of troops from both sides faced a freezing winter in the mountains. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said there had been “no meaningful result” from several rounds of diplomatic and military …