World News

PTI London Prince Harry has said he and his wife Meghan Markle had “really no other option” but to step back as senior royals after “many years of challenges”, even as he expressed “great sadness” after being stripped of their royal titles. In his first personal statement on Sunday night after a formal split from the royal family was finalised …

AFP Beijing A mysterious SARS-like virus has killed a third person, spread around China and reached a third Asian country, authorities said on Monday, fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for the Lunar New Year in humanity’s biggest migration.  The new coronavirus strain, first discovered in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has caused alarm because …

PTI   Dhaka Ten members of the Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji), a banned Islamist militant group in Bangladesh, were on Monday sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a Communist Party rally in 2001 that killed eight people here.  Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court’s Judge Mohammed Rabiul Islam delivered the verdict. The court acquitted two others in the case and fined …

PTI Washington Indian-Americans, wearing “phirans” and the tricolour headgears, held several events in different parts of the US, including in front of the White House, to mark the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, recognising the resilience and noble spirit of the community. In over three dozen cities and towns across the country, Indian-Americans held …

Abuja: Nineteen Indians, kidnapped by pirates from a commercial vessel from the high seas off the western coast of Africa last month, have been released while one died in their captivity, according to the Indian mission here. Goa NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar on Sunday said the person who died in captivity after being abducted by the pirates was from Ambelim …

Beijing: A 45-year-old Indian school teacher is undergoing treatment for a new strain of pneumonia outbreak spreading in the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Shenzhen, becoming the first foreigner to have contracted the mysterious SARS-like coronavirus. Preeti Maheshwari, a teacher at an international school in Shenzhen, has been admitted to a local hospital after she fell seriously ill last Friday. …

Melbourne: Australian forecasters warned on Sunday of severe storms to hit the bushfire-hit state of Victoria, which could lead to flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology in Victoria issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the state on Sunday, saying damaging winds and heavy rainfall were expected, the BBC reported. It said storms and widespread rainfall were forecast in the state …

London: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have signed up to a formal exit deal from the royal family, which will see them forsake their His and Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles and will no longer receive UK taxpayers’ funding for their duties. The deal, which comes into effect by spring in a …

Hong Kong: Two police officers were beaten bloody by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong Sunday as violence erupted at a rally calling for greater democratic freedoms in the heart of the city. Trouble flared when police ordered the authorised gathering to disperse after officers conducting stop and searches on nearby streets had water bottles and paint thrown at them by …

Colombo: India pledged a USD 50 million assistance to Sri Lanka on Saturday as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and discussed a range of bilateral issues, including strengthening cooperation in defence, intelligence sharing and maritime security. Doval arrived in Colombo on Saturday on an official visit during which he will also meet several foreign diplomats …