World news
United States: Former President George H W Bush passes away at 94
Former United States President George Herbert Walker Bush died at his home in Houston, Texas, late Friday, his spokesperson said in a statement. He was 94 and had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease in recent years. Bush was president from 1989 to 1993. His death came months after that of his
H1B visa process set to change; most skilled and highest paid foreign workers to get preference
Washington: The Trump administration on Friday proposed major changes to the H-1B application process with the aim of awarding the visa to the most skilled and highest paid foreign workers. Under a new proposed merit-based rule, a notice for which was issued on Friday, companies employing foreign
For better ties with India, Pakistan needs to be a secular state: Army chief Bipin Rawat
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said in Pune on Friday that Pakistan needs to be a secular state to have better ties with India, reports ANI. “Pakistan has made its state an Islamic State. If they have to stay together with India, then they have to develop as a secular state. If they’re willing to
US slams harmful China trade policies, threatens auto tariffs
WASHINGTON: US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday slammed Beijing for failing to offer "meaningful reform" on aggressive trade policies that harm US workers and industry, and threatened tariffs on Chinese autos. The latest trade threat against China comes days before President Do
Sri Lanka's top military official detained over mass murder cover-up

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's military chief was remanded by court Wednesday after weeks evading arrest over the alleged cover-up of the abduction and murder of 11 young men during the island's civil war. Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne is the highest-ranking military officer ever held by a court over alle
Blast in China’s Hebei province kills 22, injures at least 22
A blast near a chemical plant in Zhangjiakou city in China’s northern Hebei province early on Wednesday killed 22 people and injured at least 22 others, the local government said. A video of the blast scene shared by state media showed billowing black smoke and flames, while photographs showed ro
Sydney streets turn into rivers as Australia storm causes chaos

SYDNEY: Torrential rain triggered flash flooding that turned streets into rivers in Sydney, Australia's biggest city, on Wednesday, causing major disruptions to the morning commute. A spokesman for Ausgrid, the nation's biggest electricity network, said the storm had so far left 8,100 homes without
Myanmar seizes boat with 93 Rohingya fleeing to Malaysia

Authorities in Myanmar seized a boat carrying 93 Rohingya fleeing displacement camps in western Rakhine state in hopes to reach Malaysia, an official said on Tuesday. The vessel was the third bound for Malaysia stopped in Myanmar's waters since monsoon rains began to subside last month, bringing
"US stands with people of India": Trump tweets as country remembers 26/11
US President Donald Trump has expressed strong support for India in its fight against terrorism as the country remembers the terror attacks in Mumbai 10 years ago that left over 160 dead and hundreds injured. "On the ten-year anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the U.S. stands with the peopl
‘Thank you President T’: Trump congratulates himself for falling oil prices
West Palm Beach (Florida): President Donald Trump congratulated himself for falling oil prices . He chided the Federal Reserve over interest rates . He claimed Central American countries are trying to dump "certain people" into the United States. Trump's Florida holiday stay was ending Sunday wit
US proposes changes to H-1B visa lottery process, IT companies likely to benefit
New Delhi: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed changes in the popular H-1B visa lottery system, through which they select 85,000 applications every year out of a larger pool of H-1B applications, the Times of India reported. From this April, which is the fil
Bali ship capsize: Search on for 7 missing crew

A cargo ship carrying 14 crew members sunk in waters off Bali coast in Indonesia, rescuers said they were searching for seven crew members on Sunday. KM Multi Prima One cargo ship heading to Waingapu town of East Nusa Tenggara province capsized in Bali Gulf after leaving waters off Surabaya, head
French NGO seeks probe into Rafale deal
Pressure continues to mount over allegations of corruption in the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France from both within and outside the country. According to French news portal Mediapart, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) has approached the National Financial Prosecutor’s offi
Huge earthquake brings New Zealand islands closer together, leaves one city sinking

Wellington: A destructive earthquake that struck New Zealand two years ago has left its two main islands edging towards each other, and one city sinking, according to scientists. But the margins are minimal with the gap between the North and South islands narrowing a mere 35 centimetres (13 and a
Cricket match in Pakistan turns deadly after scuffle between two groups kills seven

Peshawar: At least seven persons were killed in an exchange of fire between two groups of people following a dispute over a cricket match among children in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities said on Saturday. The incident happened at a police post in Abbottabad district w
Sikhs among 31 killed, 40 hurt in powerful blast in Pakistan's northwest
PESHAWAR: At least 31 people including three Sikhs were killed and more than 40 others injured when a powerful bomb blast ripped through a busy market outside a religious seminary in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, officials said. The explosive material was planted in a
India strongly protests after diplomats harassed, barred from Pakistan gurdwaras

India on Friday lodged a “strong protest” with Pakistan after two officials of the Indian high commission in Islamabad were reportedly humiliated and barred from entering gurdwaras in the neighbouring country. “India lodges strong protest with Pakistan government that despite being granted prior
India, Australia ink 5 pacts as President Ram Nath Kovind meets Australian PM Scott Morrison

Melbourne: President Ram Nath Kovind, the first Indian head of state to visit Australia, held talks with Prime minister Scott Morrison to step-up bilateral strategic ties as the two countries signed five agreements Thursday to boost investments and enhance cooperation. Kovind arrived in Sydney on We