World News

AP Jerusalem Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment is expected to sharpen the battle lines in Israel’s already deadlocked political system and could test the loyalty of his right-wing allies, Israeli commentators said Friday. The serious corruption charges announced Thursday appear to have dashed already slim hopes for a unity government following September’s elections, paving the way for an unprecedented repeat …

PTI Washington Bollywood and cricket are the two “real stars” of Afghanistan’s close relationship with India and the cultures of the two countries are deeply entwined, according to Kabul’s top diplomat here. India and Afghanistan share centuries old cultural heritage with deep rooted linkages in the field of music, arts, architecture, language and cuisine. “Let’s face it, no government initiative …

PTI Colombo The Tamil minority in Sri Lanka will prefer losing presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa to be the main Opposition leader in place of former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the main Tamil party TNA said on Friday.  The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is a political alliance in Sri Lanka that represents the country’s Tamil community. Formed in October 2001, the …

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s powerful and controversial Rajapaksa clan on Thursday tightened its grip on political power with President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa administering oath to his elder sibling Mahinda as the new Prime Minister, amidst apprehensions among the minority Tamils and Muslims in the island nation. Mahinda assumed duties in his new capacity on Thursday itself. The 74-year-old leader will function as …

The Hague: Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg was awarded an international children’s peace prize on Wednesday, for her work in the struggle against climate change which has resonated with schoolchildren across the world. Cameroonian peace activist Divina Maloum, aged 15, also received the International Children’s Peace Prize, awarded by the Dutch KidsRight organisation, which has been handing out the prize …

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajpaksa on Thursday said that he would work with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for peace and prosperity for both the countries and the region.  Thanking Prime Minister Modi for his congratulatory message, Rajpaksa, who was sworn in on Thursday as Sri Lankan premier by his younger brother and President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, said …

Bangkok: Pope Francis met with Thailand’s supreme Buddhist patriarch on Thursday in a gilded Bangkok temple on the first full day of his Asia tour aimed at promoting religious harmony. This is the pontiff’s first visit to Buddhist-majority Thailand — where just over 0.5 per cent of the population are Catholics — before he jets off to Japan on Saturday. …

Beijing: A 12-year-old boy became the youngest protester to be convicted in the six-month-long pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong as a court in the former British colony reserved orders to place him under counselling and supervision for up to three years.  The probation order, if clamped, would also leave the minor with a criminal record, Hong Kong-based South China Morning …

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday said the Siachen area, the world’s highest battlefield, was a disputed territory and could not be opened for tourism by India. Responding to media reports that India was starting tourism in the Siachen area, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal said, “India forcibly occupied Siachen Glacier and it is a disputed area. How can India open …

Singapore: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held wide-ranging talks with his Singapore counterpart Ng Eng Hen here on Wednesday during which the two sides agreed to conduct the trilateral maritime exercise involving Singapore, India and Thailand annually from next year. The first Singapore-India-Thailand maritime exercise (SITMEX) was held in the Andaman Sea in September as part of the security and safety …