COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s ousted president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is expected to arrive in Thailand tomorrow, seeking temporary shelter in a second Southeast Asian country after fleeing his island nation last month amid mass protests, two sources said. Rajapaksa flew to Singapore on July 14, via the Maldives, following unprecedented unrest triggered […]
Politics
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s foreign minister said today that China was using the military drills it launched in protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to prepare for an invasion of the self-ruled island. Joseph Wu told a press conference in Taipei that Taiwan, which is claimed by […]
SEOUL : US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her South Korean counterpart vowed today to support efforts to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea and achieve its denuclearisation. A joint statement was issued after Pelosi met South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo in Seoul, during which […]
LONDON: Liz Truss, the frontrunner to become Britain’s next prime minister, today scrapped a plan to tailor public sector pay to different regions less than a day after announcing it, following a backlash from many within her own party. Truss had vowed to save billions of pounds a year by […]
LONDON: Rishi Sunak yesterday promised to get tough on China if he becomes Britain’s next prime minister, calling the Asian superpower the “number one threat” to domestic and global security. The former finance minister’s pledge comes after his rival in the final two of the race to lead the ruling […]
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro kicked off his candidacy for re-election at a party event in Rio de Janeiro yesterday with a speech focused on God, guns and family, as the right-wing leader attempts to claw back the commanding lead established by his main rival, former President Luiz […]
BOGOTA: Colombian President-elect Gustavo Petro yesterday met with representatives of US President Joe Biden’s administration in Bogota, the Colombian capital, where they discussed topics including drug trafficking, the environment and economic development. Petro, a 62-year-old economist who will become Colombia’s first leftist leader next month, has been roundly critical of […]
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan students and other groups planned to protest today against Ranil Wickremesinghe’s expected bid for president, as lawmakers gathered in parliament to finalise candidates for the role. Six-time prime minister Wickremesinghe took over as acting president after a popular uprising amid a devastating economic crisis forced previous incumbent […]
WASHINGTON: The United States will continue to provide intelligence to Ukraine after recent personnel changes in the inner circle of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the US State Department said yesterday. Zelensky sidelined his childhood friend as head of Ukraine’s security service, and another close ally as top prosecutor, in Kyiv’s […]
LONDON: British foreign minister Liz Truss clashed over tax policy with former finance minister Rishi Sunak , as the five remaining contenders to be Britain’s next prime minister went head-to-head in the first of three televised debates. An initial field of 11 challengers has been whittled down following two days […]