03-06-2024 BEIJING: Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun says his military is ready to “forcefully” stop Taiwan’s independence but called for greater exchanges with the United States over the issue. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Sunday, Dong said Taiwan was the “core of core issues” for China …
Read More »Modi retains power in Arunachal Pradesh on Chinese border
03-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ GUWAHATI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has won the regional vote in Arunachal Pradesh, a state bordering China, while a local party swept to power in Sikkim, a Himalayan state, officials and politicians said on Sunday. Provincial elections in Arunachal …
Read More »“Biden’s Gaza plan ‘not a good deal’ but Israel accepts it”
03-06-2024 JERUSALEM: An aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Israel had accepted a framework deal for winding down the Gaza war now being advanced by US President Joe Biden, though he described it as flawed and in need of much more work. In an interview with …
Read More »Australia seeks military talks with China
03-06-2024 CANBERRA/ BEIJING/ SINGAPORE: Australia has asked for military talks with China and is comfortable growing closer to the Philippines, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit. China and the Philippines are locked in confrontation in the disputed South China Sea and their …
Read More »Israeli ministers threaten to quit over ceasefire plan
02-06-2024 JERUSALEM: Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to quit and collapse the governing coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden on Friday. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said they were opposed to striking …
Read More »China’s spacecraft lands on Moon’s far side
02-06-2024 BEIJING: China says its uncrewed craft has successfully landed on the far side of the Moon – an unexplored place almost no-one tries to go. The Chang’e 6 touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 06:23 Beijing time on Sunday morning (22:23 GMT Saturday), the China National Space …
Read More »Iran fuels 2023 global executions rise: Amnesty
02-06-2024 LONDON/ TEHRAN: The number of executions recorded globally in 2023 was the highest for eight years, as some Middle Eastern states sharply increased their use of the death penalty, Amnesty International says. A total of 1,153 people are known to have been put to death across 16 countries, more …
Read More »“India’s Modi likely to win 3rd term as PM”
02-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to win a third consecutive term in office, exit polls suggest. Analysts warn the polls, released by various news agencies, have often been wrong in the past and are not impartial, however, they have placed Modi’s …
Read More »Israel pounds Gaza after Biden outlines ceasefire plan
02-06-2024 RAFAH: Israeli forces hammered Rafah in southern Gaza with tanks and artillery Saturday, hours after US President Joe Biden said Israel was offering a new roadmap toward a full ceasefire. Shortly after Biden’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his country would still pursue the war until it …
Read More »Heatwave kills dozens in India including election officials
02-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ BHUBANESWAR: Dozens of people, including election officials on duty, died of heatstroke in India’s states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha on Friday, and the heatwave in the region is expected to continue until Sunday, authorities said. India has been experiencing a blisteringly …
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