PTI, Kolkata
Israel is expecting 90,000 Indian tourists in 2018-19, up from 60,000 who visited it in 2017-18, a top Israel tourism ministry official said today.
The Israel tourism ministry is hopeful that the number could reach 2-3 lakh in next two-three years, Director of Tourism (India and Philippines) Israel Ministry of Tourism Hassan Madah said.
US soldier pleads guilty of trying to help IS
AP, Honolulu
A soldier based in Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to help the Islamic State group- admitting he provided secret military information, a drone meant to track U.S. troops and other support to undercover agents he believed were members of the terrorist organization.
Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 35, handcuffed and wearing a beige prison jumpsuit, spoke in a clear voice when he told a U.S. magistrate judge he’s guilty of all four counts against him.
China Navy chief to visit US
Reuters, Beijing
China’s defense ministry said on Thursday that navy chief Shen Jinlong will visit the United States in September, amid an escalating trade row that threatens to spill into other areas of tension between the two countries.
The announcement the ministry’s spokesman Wu Qian comes two months after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Beijing. China said that visit yielded positive results, and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe has accepted an invitation to visit the United States before the end of the year.
Russia to hold naval drills in Mediterranean
Reuters, Moscow
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Thursday it would hold naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8 and that 25 vessels and 30 planes would take part, the TASS news agency reported.
The ministry said the drills would involve carrying out anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-mining exercises.
The drills come amid tensions between Russia and the West over Syria’s northern rebel-held region of Idlib. A source said on Wednesday that Russia’s ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was preparing a phased offensive there.
