PARIS: A Frenchwoman on Friday accused Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, whose new film on the persecution of French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus premieres next week, of raping her in a Swiss ski resort when she was a teenager. It is the latest accusation against the Polish-born director who fled to France in 1978 from the US after admitting the …

Bollywood actor turned politician (he’s a member of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s BJP) Sunny Deol will be visiting Pakistan today as part of a historic pilgrimage. Sikhs from across the border will arrive in Pakistan today to visit the shrine of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, which is located in Kartarpur, a small town beside the River Ravi in …

Model and actor Amna Ilyas revealed that she struggled with ostracism in the industry for darker skin tone — and how deep the rot goes. In an interview with BBC Urdu, the Baaji actor said, “When I did lawn campaigns, for instance, the makeup artists would make me two tones lighter because the client would tell them to make me fairer. Then, they …

Prime Minister Imran Khan formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor at a colourful ceremony on Saturday, paving the way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their religion’s holiest sites in Pakistan without needing a visa. “First of all, I congratulate the Sikh community on the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak and welcome you all,” the premier said …

BERLIN: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a stark warning against China and Russia on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, urging Western allies to defend hard-won freedoms. Stressing that “we can never take … things for granted”, he said the 70-year-old Nato alliance too “runs the risk that it will become …

Hong Kong police said on Saturday they have arrested three pro-democracy lawmakers over a brawl in parliament, deepening the city’s crisis a day after the death of a student sent tensions soaring. The international finance hub has been upended by five months of huge and increasingly violent pro-democracy protests but Beijing has refused to give in to most of the movement’s demands. …

Wildfires razing Australia’s drought-stricken east coast have left three people dead and several missing, more than 30 injured and over 150 homes destroyed, officials said on Saturday. Around 1,500 firefighters were battling more than 70 fires across Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, with the most intense in the northeast, where flames were fanned by strong winds, Rural Fire …

BENGALURU: Moo­dy’s Inves­t­ors Service cut India’s ratings outlook to “negative” from “stable”, citing increasing risks that Asia’s third largest economy will grow at a slower pace than in the past, sending stock markets nearly 1 per cent lower at Friday’s close. However, Moody’s retained the country’s foreign and local currency ratings at ‘Baa2’. The cut in outlook partly reflected government …

NEW DELHI: Expressing disassociation  over Indian Supreme Court’s judgement in   Ayodhya case, Sunni Central Waqf Board, one of the respondents, has called the ruling “unjust”. The board said it will hold a meeting to decide whether to challenge the  apex court’s decision. “We respect the top court… we have a right to disagree,” the board said. Supreme Court while ruling …

TOKYO: Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday at a national festival to celebrate the enthronement of Japan´s Emperor Naruhito with dancers and pop stars offering jubilant performances. Some 10,000 citizens who won hard-to-get tickets and 20,000 invited guests attended the evening festival at Tokyo´s Imperial Palace Plaza, which was broadcast live across the nation. The festival came after …