Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

FGN12 TIME-MODI

TIME magazine portrays PM Modi on its international edition New York: The TIME magazine has featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the cover of its international edition with a controversial headline and a secondary one that reads "Modi the Reformer" as the country enters the final phase of the mammoth general election. By Yoshita Singh

FGN9 NAIDU-VIETNAM

India, Vietnam for peaceful Indo-Pacific region on basis of respect for national sovereignty: Naidu Hanoi: India and Vietnam on Friday reiterated the importance of building a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region on the basis of respect for national sovereignty and international law as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart on a range of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

FGN13 US-CHINA-TARIFFS

Trump raises tariffs on USD 200bn of Chinese goods as trade war escalates Washington/Beijing: A trade war between the world's two largest economies escalated on Friday after the US more than doubled tariffs on USD 200 billion worth of Chinese products and Beijing vowed to retaliate.

FGN16 US-INDIA-NAVY

US Navy chief to travel to India on 3-day visit from Sunday Washington: US Navy chief Admiral John Richardson will be in India for a three-day visit beginning Sunday to meet his Indian counterpart and other senior officials to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two navies, amidst China flexing its muscle in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

FGN3 US-LD-TRUMP-SHANAHAN

Trump intends to nominate Patrick M Shanahan as Secretary of Defense: WH Washington: President Donald Trump intends to nominate Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M Shanahan as his next Defense Secretary, the post which has been vacant for the past several months, the White House said Thursday. By Lalit K Jha

FGN19 PAK-ECONOMY

Pak economy grows by mere 3.3 pc in 2018-19 against target of 6.2 pc: Reports Islamabad: Pakistan's economy registered a dismal 3.3 per cent growth in 2018-19, achieving just over 50 per cent of its projected target, as all key sectors failed to perform in the first year of Prime Minister Imran Khan's government, according to media reports on Friday. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN17 LANKA-BOMBERS-DNA

Lankan court orders DNA test to verify death of Easter bombings mastermind Colombo: A Sri Lankan court has ordered a DNA test before May 15 to verify the death of Mohamed Cassim Zahran, the ring leader of the local Islamist extremist group NTJ which the government blamed carried out the devastating Easter Sunday bombings killing over 250 people.

FGN18 UN-NIGERIA-LD CHILDREN

Anti-Boko Haram militia frees 900 children in Nigeria: UN Maiduguri (Nigeria): Nearly 900 children held by a pro-government militia force fighting Boko Haram insurgents in northeastern Nigeria were freed on Friday, the UN said. (AFP)

FGN15 THYSSENKRUPP-TATA-EU

Thyssenkrupp says expects EU to 'block' Tata merger plan Frankfurt am Main: German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp said Friday it expected the European Commission to "block" its plan to merge its European steel business with Indian steel giant Tata. (AFP)

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