Category: WORLD NEWS

UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve the nation’s Parliament, underlining the “utmost importance” of respecting democratic processes and resolving differences in accordance with the rule of law.Sri Lanka’s political crisis deepened Friday as President Sirisena dissolved the Parliament and announced snap polls on January 5 after it became evident that he did not have enough support in the House for Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was appointed by him under controversial circumstances.The Secretary-General “learned with concern” Sirisena’s decision to dissolve…

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US Vice President Mike Pence and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would discuss India-US defence cooperation and bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore next week, the White House said Saturday, asserting that “sky is the limit” for New Delhi’s role in the Indo-Pacific region.  “They would be talking about the bilateral relationship and a defence cooperation in the kind of larger context. I can’t really say if they’ll get into trade (ties) specifically at this time,” a senior administration official told foreign journalists during a conference call Saturday.Modi and Pence…

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Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has used his first state-of-the-nation address to openly attack his predecessor Ian Khama in an unprecedented clash in a nation that prides itself on stability.Masisi, who was hand-picked by Khama, took power in April when Khama stepped aside after serving the maximum 10 years in office.But the two men have since fallen out in a public spat that threatens to undermine Botswana’s carefully-crafted reputation for stable government.”Batswana are all aware that the transition from the previous administration has not been as smooth as expected,” Masisi said…

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has asked the Zimbabwean companies to take advantage of the current high growth trajectory of the Indian economy, saying the business environment in the country is changing for the better.Addressing the India-Zimbabwe Business Forum meeting Saturday, Naidu said India and Zimbabwe have shared very cordial and warm relationship that dates back to the 17th century when they were trading in metals, minerals and textiles. However, the economic ties between the two nations have not fully reflected their immense potential. The bilateral trade between the two…

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China and America are “competitors but not adversaries,” US Sen Lamar Alexander told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, despite a spiralling trade war and other tensions that have pushed relations to their lowest point in years.The upbeat message at their meeting in Beijing came amid concerns that the US-China trade dispute will drag on, hurting company profits and the overall US economy. Tensions have also arisen over China’s claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea, allegations of Chinese theft of commercial secrets and accusations of meddling in American…

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Sri Lanka’s Petroleum Minister and cricket legend Arjuna Ranatunga was arrested on Monday for the first violent incident that killed one person during the on going political crisis in the country, police said.The political crises in Sri Lanka took an ugly turn on Sunday when bodyguards of 54-year-old Ranatunga, a loyalist of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, fired live rounds at the supporters of the new premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, leaving one person dead. One person succumbed to his injuries and two others were hospitalised in the shooting incident and a security…

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday said that Ranil Wickremesinghe was sacked due to his “arrogant” behaviour, and asserted that former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa has been made the new premier in strict accordance with the Constitution.In his first address to the nation after the dramatic move to sack Wickremesinghe on Friday night, Sirisena said Wickremsinghe’s political conduct since the victory in 2015 was unbecoming. “He appeared to treat Sri Lanka’s future as a joy ride for a coterie of people around him who had no sense of the common man’s…

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 US President Donald Trump said Thursday all American sanctions against Iran will be in full force on November 5, as he signed into law another legislation imposing hard-hitting sanctions on Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. “On November 5th, all US sanctions against Iran lifted by the nuclear deal will be back in full force, every sanction that we had on their originally, which would have — if they would have just left it a little bit longer, would have been so much easier than what we’ve been through over the last…

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China’s defence minister warned Thursday that the military would do “whatever it takes” to stop any attempt to “split” Taiwan from the mainland, days after a pro-independence protest on the island and a US naval operation.Beijing considers the self-ruled, democratic island to be part of its territory awaiting reunification, even though the two sides have been governed separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949.”It is extremely dangerous to repeatedly challenge China’s limits on this issue,” Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe said at the Xiangshan…

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