COLOMBO: McDo­nald’s outlets across Sri Lanka shut on Sunday after the US fast-food giant launched a legal battle with its local franchise holder over allegations of poor hygiene, court officials said. The Commercial High Court of Colombo ordered the closures until April 4, after the parent company accused the local franchise holder of failing to meet international hygiene standards. “The …

CAIRO: Israeli forces besieged two more Gaza hospitals on Sunday, pinning down medical teams under heavy gunfire, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, and Israel said it had captured 480 fighters in continued clashes at Gaza’s main Al Shifa hospital. The Palestinian Red Crescent said one of its staff was killed when Israeli tanks suddenly pushed back into areas around Al-Amal and Nasser …

ROME: Pope Francis, at the last minute, skipped reading his homily during a Palm Sunday Mass for tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square. It is very unusual for a pope to totally skip a homily at a major event such as Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Holy Week, a busy period leading to Easter. In …

MANILA: Three Philippine troops were injured in the latest China Coast Guard water cannon attack on a Filipino supply vessel near a South China Sea reef, Manila’s national security adviser said on Sunday. The Philippine government said Saturday’s confrontation caused severe damage to the Unaizah May 4 vessel while it was on its way to deliver troops and provisions to …

WASHINGTON: Experiments in the weightless environment of space have led to “crazy progress” in the fight against cancer, Nasa officials said at a recent event highlighting an important and personal initiative of US President Joe Biden. Space is “a unique place for research,” astronaut Frank Rubio said at the event in Washington. The 48-year-old, a physician and former military helicopter …

BELGRADE: A bombed-out building in Belgrade, which has stood as a national symbol of the 1999 Nato strikes on Serbia, might soon become a luxury hotel financed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law — much to the anger of locals. Jared Kushner, who also served as an adviser to his father-in-law during his US presidency, confirmed in mid-March his plans to invest …

WASHINGTON: Discussions at the Pakistan Day reception at the embassy underscored the importance of political unity in Pakistan, while the PTI’s protests dominated conversations among the guests. Ambassador Masood Khan also acknowledged the necessity of political stability in Pakistan when he addressed his guests: “We continue to work for political cohesion in our country and economic development.” The other speaker, …

ATHLONE: Simon Harris is set to become Ireland’s next prime minister after the governing Fine Gael party appointed him as its leader on Sunday, following an uncontested election. The 37-year-old said it was the “absolute honour of my life” to be appointed party leader, and his rise to the country’s top job is expected to be confirmed when the Irish …

BEIJING: China needs to “reinvent itself” with economic policies to speed resolution of its property market crisis and boost domestic consumption and productivity, the International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Sunday. “China faces a fork in the road rely on the policies that have worked in the past, or reinvent itself for a new era of high-quality …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister said on Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding a meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo. Relations between the two countries are historically strained, including by a long-running kidnapping dispute and North Korea’s banned weapons programmes, but Kishida has recently expressed a desire to …