Digest for international stories for week Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019

Saturday Manama: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday was honoured with "The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance" as he held talks with King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on various bilateral and regional issues.

Manama: India and Bahrain on Saturday agreed to collaborate in the areas of space technology, solar energy and culture exchange as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held comprehensive talks with his Bahraini counterpart Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa to give a major boost to the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. Biarritz: US President Donald Trump and EU leaders exchanged trade war threats Saturday as they arrived in France for a G7 summit of wealthy democracies overshadowed by trans-Atlantic tensions before it had even begun.

Sunday Biarritz (France): Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a "good" meeting with his British counterpart Boris Johnson here on Sunday and the two leaders discussed ways to further cement bilateral ties in trade, defence and innovation.

Biarritz (France): President Donald Trump's only regret in hiking tariffs on China is that he didn't raise them higher, his press secretary said Sunday after the president had earlier signaled some remorse for an escalating trade war with China. Biarritz (France): US President Donald Trump on Sunday backed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the "right man" for Brexit and sent mixed signals about his trade war with China at a G7 summit dominated by worries about the global economy.

Monday Biarritz/London: With President Donald Trump by his side, Narendra Modi on Monday categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation on Kashmir, saying it was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, and "we don't want to trouble any third country" -- a position that was immediately backed by the American leader who had recently offered to mediate.

Islamabad: With Pakistan failing to get traction for its belligerent stand on Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that he will raise the issue at every international forum, including at the UN General Assembly. Biarritz: G7 leaders meeting in France on Monday backed Hong Kong's autonomy as laid out in a 1984 agreement between Britain and China and called for calm in the protest-hit city.

Tuesday Islamabad: Pakistan and China have signed an MoU for the enhancement of defence cooperation and capacity building of the Pakistani Army, as the top generals of the two armies discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to avoid any sort of escalation in Kashmir during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in the French town of Biarritz, according to his spokesman. Beijing: A livid China on Tuesday cried foul and expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with a joint statement issued by the G7 leaders reminding Beijing of its obligations laid out in a 1984 agreement between Britain and China, amid intensifying pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Wednesday London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday sought a suspension of Parliament until October 14 to present what he described as a new bold and ambitious legislative agenda, just two weeks before the Brexit deadline.

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will "forcefully" raise the Kashmir issue before the international community during his address to the UN General Assembly next month in New York, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday. Kabul: The US and the Taliban are "close" to reaching an agreement for a deal that would see the Pentagon slash its troop numbers in Afghanistan, a spokesman for the insurgents said Wednesday.

Thursday Washington: President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will keep a permanent presence in Afghanistan, with 8,600 troops initially, even after a deal is reached with the Taliban.

Islamabad: Pakistan has successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile 'Ghaznavi' with a range of up to 290 kms, the Army said on Thursday, amid fresh Indo-Pak tensions after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Moscow: Russia and India have settled the issue of India's advance payment for the delivery of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, the Russian defence agency said on Thursday.

Friday Lahore/Gurdaspur: India and Pakistan on Friday made "good progress" on the technical aspects of the proposed Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims, a Pakistani official said following the first such meeting after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status leading to fresh tensions between the two neighbours.

Islamabad: Pakistan observed the "Kashmir Hour" on Friday to express "solidarity" with the Kashmiri people as many rallies were held across the country, weeks after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Hong Kong: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and another core member of a pro-democracy group were granted bail Friday after being charged with inciting people to join a protest in June, while authorities denied permission for a major march as they took what appears to be a harder line on this summer's protests.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)