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9 June 2019; MEMO: Iran said on Sunday Europe was in no position to criticise Tehran for its military capabilities and it called on European leaders to normalise trade ties with the Islamic Republic despite US sanctions, or face consequences.

9 June 2019; AFP: EU members Hungary, Poland, Portugal and soon Austria are strengthening ties with China by issuing attractive "panda bonds" that help Beijing raise its profile on international financial markets.

Italy might join the trend as well, despite EU concerns that China may be seeking a way to increase its influence on the continent.

9 June 2019; DW: Finance leaders from the Group of 20 (G20) ended a two-day meeting in the western Japanese city of Fukuoka on Sunday.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said trade tension was the "major" headwind facing the global economy, telling Japan's Nikkei daily it was a "significant risk on the horizon."

9 June 2019; DW: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was received Sunday by his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as he arrived in Colombo after completing his Maldives trip.

Modi's Maldives and Sri Lanka visits are his first since he was re-elected as prime minister in May.

The Indian prime minister was scheduled to hold talks with President Maithripala Sirisena and opposition leaders as well.

9 June 2019; DW: Boris Johnson, the current favorite to become the next British prime minister, has said he would withhold divorce payments to the European Union unless the bloc offered a better Brexit deal.

Johnson also implied he would scrap the accepted border arrangement with Ireland.

The former foreign secretary's comments came in an interview with The Sunday Times, his first newspaper interview since announcing his bid for premiership.

Washington, Jun 8; PTI/GANASHAKTI:  The Trump administration has approved the sale of armed drones to India and has offered integrated air and missile defence systems aimed at helping the country boost its military capabilities and protect shared security interests in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.

The approval-cum-offer from the US came in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack in which 40 Indian soldiers were killed and the increasing militarisation and assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific ocean.

CARACAS, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's rich natural sources, specifically mineral reserves, allow investors to recoup their investment, a Venezuelan minister said.

"If you make an investment, it is surely going to be recovered because we have minerals, gold, coltan, diamonds and with enough reserves to recover any investment," said Venezuelan Minister of Ecological Mining Development Victor Cano in an interview with Xinhua.

BAGHDAD, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi Saturday said Iraq supports any efforts aimed at stabilizing the Middle East amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States.

Abdul Mahdi's remarks came during his meeting with the visiting German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his delegation in Baghdad, where the two sides discussed bilateral ties and tensions in the Middle East region, Abdul Mahdi's media office said in a statement.

New Delhi, Jun 9 (PTI) The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), India's leading civil services training institution, has entered into an agreement with the Maldives Civil Services Commission for capacity building of 1,000 civil servants from the Maldives over the next five years, an official statement issued on Sunday said.

The agreement was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Male, the capital of the Maldives, on Saturday.

Beijing, Jun 9 (PTI) Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit this week at Bishkek where he would also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first meeting between the two leaders after the BJP's massive victory in the general elections.

Xi will pay state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan from June 12 to 16, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang announced here on Sunday.