WASHINGTON: Kashmiris have a right to self-determination. The Kashmir dispute is an international issue. The UN has a role in Kashmir. UN observers and international journalists should be allowed into the Indian occupied valley. All those detained by the Indian authorities should be released. The communication ban should be removed immediately. Sounds familiar? Yes, these are the demands that are …

Sri Lanka’s new president and scourge of the Tamil Tigers Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday urged minorities unnerved by his election victory to work with him, as he was sworn in at a ceremony steeped in symbolism for his core supporters. Having spearheaded the brutal end of the Tamil separatist war a decade ago, Rajapaksa is a divisive figure but popular among his …

Officials said back-to-back explosions targeting a military training center in the Afghan capital have wounded at least four Afghan national army soldiers. Kabul police spokesman Firdous Faramarz said the explosions early on Monday happened on the western edge of Kabul. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi tweeted that the target of the attacks was the Kabul Military Training Center. He said the explosions …

Chinas foreign ministry lashed out at The New York Times on Monday over its release of leaked documents portraying the inner workings of Beijings campaign to detain more than a million Muslims in reeducation camps. Spokesman Geng Shuang accused the newspaper of ignoring the true reasons behind and success of what China terms a campaign to end poverty, separatism and religious extremism. He said …

Four people were killed and six more wounded when unknown suspects sneaked into a backyard filled with people at a party in central California and fired into the crowd, police said. The shooting took place at about 6pm (local time) on the Fresnos southeast side, where people were gathered to watch a football game, Fresno Police Lt. Bill Dooley said. …

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde was sworn in as India’s 47th Chief Justice by President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday, November 18. In accordance with convention, the incumbent CJI Ranjan Gogoi, who retires on November 17, had recommended Justice Bobde — who is next in seniority — as his successor, in a letter to Ministry of Law and Justice. The president …

Hong Kong police using tear gas and rubber bullets fought off protesters on Monday as they tried to break through a police cordon that is trapping hundreds of them on a university campus. Protesters advanced on the police from outside the cordon, while others emerged from the campus, their trademark umbrellas at the fore. Police in some places swooped in …

BEIJING: Former Consul General of China in Karachi, Wang Yu has been appointed as new Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Afghanistan. Wang presented the copy of Letter of Credence to the General Directorate of Protocol Department, Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, according to China Economic Net. Wang Yu, born in October 1966, has been …

\ TEHRAN: Iran condemned the United States´ support for “rioters” in a statement issued late Sunday, after two days of violent protests in the Islamic republic against a petrol price hike. The foreign ministry said that it was reacting to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo´s “expression of support… for a group of rioters in some cities of Iran and …

LONDON: Stefanos Tsitsipas battled back from a set down against Dominic Thiem to win the ATP Finals title on Sunday, emphatically staking his claim as the leader of the next generation of aspiring global superstars. The Greek 21-year-old, who won, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) is the youngest champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001 and the fourth first-time champion at …