Sri Lanka finance minister quits after ruling party candidate defeated in presidential poll
Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera resigned from his post on Sunday saying he had lost the mandate after voters rejected the ruling party’s candidate in a presidential election.
Pope Francis to take anti-nuclear mission to Japan’s ground zeros
Pope Francis takes his mission to ban nuclear weapons this week to the only places where they were used in war, visiting the World War Two ground zeros of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as part of a tour of Japan and Thailand.
Belarus threatens to pull out of Russia integration deal over subsidy row
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday threatened to pull out of signing an integration deal with Russia next month if Moscow failed to resolve their dispute over energy subsidies.
Sri Lanka election body declares Rajapaksa winner of presidential poll
Sri Lanka’s election commission declared former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the winner of the presidential election on Sunday.
Italy battered by rain, Venice braces for another ‘tough day’
Several Italian cities were on high alert on Sunday after heavy rain overnight, including Venice where residents and tourists were braced for another exceptional high tide.
French interior minister blames protest violence on ‘thugs’
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner blamed “thugs” and “bullies” on Sunday for the violence that hit demonstrations the previous day marking marked the first anniversary of the anti-government “yellow vest” protests.
China sails carrier group through Taiwan Strait as election campaign picks up pace
China has sailed a carrier group into the sensitive Taiwan Strait led by its first domestically build aircraft carrier as election campaigning kicked into high gear on the self-ruled island on Sunday.
Russia begins moving captured Ukrainian ships before possible handover
Russia began moving three captured Ukrainian navy ships on Sunday after a Russian newspaper reported Moscow would return them to Ukraine ahead of a four-way summit on eastern Ukraine next month, a Reuters reporter said.
Khamenei backs Iran gasoline price hike, blames enemies for ‘sabotage’
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday backed gasoline price increases that have sparked protests across Iran, blaming opponents of the Islamic Republic and foreign enemies for “sabotage”, state television reported.
Sri Lanka president-elect Rajapaksa a war hero to some, a polarizing figure for others
For Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese Buddhists, president-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa is best-placed to take on the hard challenge of defeating enemies of the state such as those who carried out deadly Easter Sunday attacks early this year.
