Sri Lanka releases $39 mn for welfare benefits program
Colombo, June 29 - The Sri Lankan government disbursed nearly 12 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($39 million) to the bank accounts of people selected as beneficiaries under Aswesuma welfare benefit payment program, the President's Media Division (PMD) said.
Azerbaijani president dissolves Parliament, schedules early elections
Baku, June 29 - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree dissolving the sixth National Assembly and scheduled early parliamentary elections for September 1.
Anti-polio campaign launched in Pakistan
Islamabad, June 29 - A polio vaccination campaign was launched in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province with a target to vaccinate nearly 1.3 million children, the Provincial Emergency Operation Center said.
Ex-Indonesian minister faces 12-year in prison for alleged corruption
Jakarta, June 29 - Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has called for a 12-year prison sentence and a fine of 500 million rupiah (nearly $30,600) for former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo on charges of extortion and corruption.
Health warnings issued amid sweltering heat in Latvia
Riga, June 29 - The Latvian Meteorological Authority has issued a hot-weather alert as air temperatures are expected to surge above 30 degrees Celsius.
Pakistan counters US resolution with its own, seeks intervention in Kashmir ‘dispute’
Islamabad, June 29 - In a tit-for-tat move against a recent US resolution calling for a probe into the February 8 elections, the Pakistan National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution proposed by a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), condemning
Nikhil Gupta, accused in ‘murder-for-hire’ plot, appears before US trial judge in preliminary procedure
New York, June 29 - Nikhil Gupta, the Indian national accused in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, has appeared for the first time before the trial judge as lawyers laid out the preliminary steps.
5 dead in dormitory fire in Moscow
Moscow, June 29 - At least five persons were killed as a fire raced through a dormitory in a Moscow suburb, Russian media reports quoted emergency services as saying early on Saturday.
Let’s keep going, says Biden as Democrats deal with debate shocker
Washington, June 28 - US President Joe Biden said he did well at the Thursday debate with former President Donald Trump and dismissed the likelihood of him stepping aside, as being demanded by some Democrats disappointed by his performance, telling supporters: "Let's keep
South Korea to lift travel advisory for Japan except for Fukushima regions
Seoul, June 28 - South Korea will lift a travel advisory for Japan, except for the Fukushima regions, and lowered the travel warning level placed on Iran, the foreign ministry said Friday.
Biden struggles and Trump deflects in a heated presidential debate
In a highly contentious debate, President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump clashed vigorously on a wide array of issues ahead of the November election. Biden, displaying a shaky and at times halting performance, faced relentless attacks from Trump, who leveled
North Korea supports Russia’s war with Ukraine as ‘legitimate act of self-defense’
North Korea has criticized the US for its military support of Ukraine and supported Russia’s actions as a “legitimate act of self-defense,” underscoring the growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. “If the rulers of the US persist in recklessly pushing their war
ADB approves $41 mn for Pacific Disaster Resilience Programme
Manila, June 28 - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday said it has approved $41 million in contingent disaster financing to help the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Tuvalu, and Vanuatu respond to disasters triggered by natural
7.2 magnitude quake jolts Peru
Lima, June 28 - A 7.2 magnitude quake rocked Peru on Friday, the US Geological Survey said.
Iranian nationals in Syria cast vote in Presidential election
Damascus, June 28 - Iranian nationals residing in Syria started casting their votes on Friday for Iran's 14th presidential election just weeks after their former president died in a helicopter crash.
China’s Yangtze river sees ‘first flood’ of this year
Beijing, June 28 - China's Yangtze river is experiencing its 2024 "No.1 Flood", according to the Ministry of Water Resources, as the water level at Jiujiang hydrological station, one of the major monitoring spots for the mainstream's water level in the middle and
Singapore police block over 110 suspicious bank accounts for scam
Singapore, June 28 - Officers from Singapore's Anti-Scam Center blocked over 110 suspicious bank accounts and seized more than 400,000 Singapore dollars ($290,000) from June 17 to 24, according to the latest statement from the police.
With latest coup fizzling out, Bolivia indicates clear break from its turbulent past
New Delhi, June 28 - Proudly bearing the name of South America's liberator Simon Bolivar, it will celebrate the bicentenary of its freedom in 2025, but Bolivia's 200 years have been eventful, with at least 190 revolutions or coups, mostly led by the
South Korea, Japan reaffirm close coordination to deter North Korea threats after Kim-Putin talks
Seoul, June 28 - Senior diplomats of South Korea and Japan on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to closely working together to deter North Korean threats amid the growing military cooperation between Russia and the North, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
Russia to respond to US drone operations over Black Sea
Moscow, June 28 - Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has directed the general staff of the Russian armed forces to propose a plan responding to US drone operations over the Black Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Friday in a post