India PM Modi to visit Ukraine, weeks after rebuking Putin in Moscow

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine, the foreign ministry said on Monday (Aug 19), his first trip to the war-torn country since its conflict with Russia and about a month after he met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Details of the trip will be shared later in the day, the foreign ministry...

Japan to begin trial removal of nuclear debris from Fukushima reactor

TOKYO: The operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Monday (Aug 19) it will send a probe inside a battered reactor this week for a trial removal of radioactive debris. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) aims to retrieve a tiny sample of the estimated 880 tonnes of radioactive debris that is believed to...

India’s soccer rivals unite to protest over Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder

(Reuters) - Supporters of Indian soccer clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan put their bitter rivalry aside and united in protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital. The Durand Cup match between the century-old clubs from the eastern city of Kolkata was cancelled on Sunday amid security concerns but...

Man killed in mass fight between Myanmar and Nepali workers in Kerian

IPOH: A Nepali has been killed in a fight between two groups of foreign workers in Kuala Kurau, Kerian. Kerian OCPD Superintendent Juna Yusoff said the victim, 28, died after he was stabbed during the fight at 12.35am on Sunday (Aug 18). "Police received a call about a fight involving foreigners at a workers' hostel in Kuala...

Senior aide denies Jokowi used law enforcers to intimidate opposition

JAKARTA: A senior aide to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has denied an allegation that the outgoing president had resorted to using law enforcement agencies to intimidate politicians within and outside of his government into supporting his agendas. Coordinator of President Jokowi's special aides Ari Dwipayana said in a press statement published on Saturday (Aug 17) that...

Pakistan searching for three missing Russian climbers

ISLAMABAD: (Bernama-dpa) Pakistani authorities are continuing their search operation on Sunday (Aug 18) to rescue three Russian climbers who went missing on Gasherbrum IV - the 17th highest mountain on earth, reported German news agency (dpa). A five-member team of Russian climbers led by Sergei Nilov, who survived a tragic accident last summer, was on a...

Two people killed as Thai actor’s jet ski crashes into long-tail boat

BANGKOK: Two people were killed and two injured when a jet ski collided with a long-tail boat on Saturday (Aug 17) night in the Chao Phraya River. The accident occurred between Rama III and the Phra Pradaeng shore, near the Bang Kra Jao Pier. Rescuers found a damaged jet ski, and two injured women, identified as a...

Thai king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Paetongtarn Shinawatra was endorsed as prime minister by Thailand's king on Sunday, two days after parliament elected her, paving the way for her to form a cabinet in the coming weeks. Paetongtarn, 37, becomes Thailand's youngest prime minister just days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by the Constitutional Court, a judiciary...

Hayashi, Kono and Ishiba to seek LDP Presidency; More than 10 lawmakers announce intention to run

TOKYO: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Digital Minister Taro Kono and former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba have decided to announce their candidacies for the LDP presidential election scheduled for September, according to multiple sources close to the ruling party. The situation surrounding the presidential election is quite extraordinary as more than 10 lawmakers,...

Indian hospitals hit as doctors strike to protest rape, murder of medic

KOLKATA: Hospitals and clinics across India turned away patients except for emergency cases on Saturday (Aug 17) as medical professionals started a 24-hour shutdown in protest against the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata. More than one million doctors were expected to join the strike, paralysing medical services across...