World

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka set for uneasy ‘economic war Cabinet’

Sri Lanka was set to form a new Cabinet on Monday (May 16) as bitter political rivals make common cause to tackle a worsening economic crisis after last week's deadly violence, party leaders said.Protesters remained camped outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence demanding that he re...

World

Lacking vaccines, NK battles Covid with antibiotics, home remedies

Standing tall in bright red hazmat suits, five North Korean health workers stride towards an ambulance to do battle with a Covid-19 outbreak that - in the presumed absence of vaccines - the country is using antibiotics and home remedies to treat.The isolated state is one of only two countries yet to...

Business

Afghanistan announces first annual budget for current FY

Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year, the country's Taliban authorities said on Saturday without clarifying how the gap between expected revenues and planned spending will be met.Announcing the first annual national budget since the Taliban...

Sports,Cricket

Former Australia cricketer Symonds killed in car crash

Former Australia all-rounder and two-time World Cup winner Andrew Symonds has died following a car accident in Queensland, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Sunday.Symonds was aged 46. He had played 238 matches, including 26 tests, for Australia between 1998-2009.Police said the accident occurred in He...

World

Malaysia minister meets counterpart from Myanmar shadow govt in Washington

Malaysia Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah met his counterpart from Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration outlawed by the ruling military junta, in the group's first open engagement with a Southeast Asian country.The meeting, disclosed by Datuk Seri Saifuddin i...

World

Ireland calls on Britain to cool Brexit tensions over Northern Ireland

Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday (May 15) not to introduce new post-Brexit trade laws in the coming days that he said could undermine the peace process in Northern Ireland.Top officials from Johnson's government have warned they mi...

Sports,Football

Ronaldo backs Ten Hag to deliver at United

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo expressed confidence that incoming manager Erik ten Hag will be a good fit at Old Trafford but warned that the Dutchman must be afforded time if United are to return to winning ways.Speculation has been rife about Ronaldo's future at United following a...

World

Sri Lanka eases curfew as new PM seeks to form Cabinet

Sri Lanka lifted a nationwide curfew for 12 hours on Saturday (May 14), further easing tight curbs as new Prime Minister Ranil Wickreme­singhe sought to form a government after clashes with anti-government groups killed nine people.More than a month of predominantly peaceful protests against th...

Sports,Football

Haaland close to sealing Man City transfer

Borussia Dortmund top striker Erling Haaland is close to sealing a transfer deal with Manchester City and a move to the lucrative Premier League, several German media reported on Monday.Haaland is among the hottest transfer prospects this summer with the Norwegian 21-year-old having scored 61 goals ...

Sports,Football

‘It’s not a funeral’

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp told his side to stop behaving as if they had attended a funeral after a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday dealt a serious blow to their title challenge and handed the advantage to Manchester City.Luis Diaz rescued a point for Liverpool as they went top o...

World

Japan to take time phasing out Russian oil imports: PM Kishida

Japan will take time to phase out Russian oil imports after agreeing on a ban with other Group of Seven (G7) nations to counter Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday (May 9).The G-7 nations committed to the move "in a timely and orderly fashion" at a...

World

Covid vaccine makers shift focus to boosters

Covid-19 vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they could over the last 18 months.Executives at the biggest Covid-19 vaccine makers including Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc said they believe most peopl...

Entertainment

Ncuti becomes first black actor to be new 'Doctor Who'

Ncuti Gatwa will take the mantle from Jodie Whittaker on “Doctor Who,” the BBC announced Sunday, ending speculation over the iconic Time Lord’s next regeneration.“Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe...

Sports,Football

Barca secure Champions League spot

A stoppage-time goal from defender Jordi Alba earned Barcelona a 2-1 LaLiga win at Real Betis on Saturday, securing Xavi Hernandez's side Champions League qualification and edging them closer to a spot at the lucrative Spanish Super Cup finals.Alba received a precise pass from Dani Alves in the ...

Sports,Football

Liverpool suffer title blow

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his Liverpool side would still chase an unprecedented quadruple despite seeing their Premier League title hopes suffer a huge blow on Saturday.Klopp's side have already won the League Cup and are in the FA Cup and Champions League finals and victory over Tott...

Business

India to launch open e-commerce network to take on Amazon, Walmart

India will on Friday launch an open network for digital commerce (ONDC) as the government tries to end the dominance of US companies Amazon.com and Walmart in the fast-growing e-commerce market, a government document showed.The launch of the platform comes after India's antitrust body on Th...

Business

Food security remains a concern despite slight drop in prices: FAO

World food prices eased slightly in April after hitting a record high in March, but global food security remained a concern because of the difficult market conditions, UN food agency said on Friday.The Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) food price index, which tracks the most globally tra...

World

Thailand targets 5m to 15m foreign tourists this year

Thailand is aiming for 5 million to 15 million foreign tourist arrivals this year as the country further eases travel restrictions to support the key tourism sector, a government spokesperson said on Friday (May 6).The South-east Asian country removed on-arrival Covid-19 tests from May 1, the latest...

World

Anti-government protest strike in Sri Lanka shuts schools, businesses

Thousands of shops, schools and businesses closed on Friday (May 6) as public and private sector workers in Sri Lanka went on strike, demanding the president and the government step down for their mishandling of the island's worst financial crisis in decades.Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil ...

World

Heavy rain, floods in Afghanistan kill 22, destroy hundreds of homes

Heavy rain and flooding have killed 22 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged crops in Afghanistan, which is already facing a humanitarian crisis, a disaster management official said on Thursday (May 5).The Taliban government, struggling to cope with the disaster that has affected more than...