Author: Starvision News Desk

Singapore, Sep 2 (IANS) Two Indian-origin ministers have sued Lee Hsien Yang, brother of Singapore Prime Minister, in the high court for defamation following his comments relating to the rental of two colonial-era bungalows in the city-state.Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan took the step after Yang, currently in self-exile overseas, had written posts on Facebook accusing them of corruption over rental of their 100-year-old bungalows in the Ridout Park area.The case conference will be held on September 5, according to the hearing list published on the Singapore Courts website.The two ministers will be…

Los Angeles, Sep 2 (IANS) At least 385 people have been missing in the wildfires in the Hawaii island of Maui in the US, authorities said on Friday.The figure is down from 388 on the first list of missing people, which was released on August 24, said the Maui Police Department and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in a release, Xinhua news agency reported.As per officials, over 3,000 individuals had been found safe, who were previously reported unaccounted for, with their names provided to the public.The wildfires, which started on August 8, left at least 115 people dead, making…

Seoul, Sep 2 (IANS) An estimated 2,00,000 teachers from around the country gathered in Seoul on Saturday to protest the recent deaths of young teachers and to call for the better protection of their rights.Dressed in black, thousands of teachers gathered near the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, for the rally.The teachers’ push for enhanced rights gained momentum following a 20-something elementary school teacher’s suicide in Seoul in July. It was followed by the deaths of two more teachers, one each in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, in recent days, Yonhap news agency reported.According to teachers,…

Seoul, Sep 2 (IANS) South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) on Saturday held an emergency meeting after North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea, according to a presidential official.The NSC meeting, led by Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk, was convened to discuss the readiness posture, the official said.The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the North’s launch took place at around 4 a.m., days after South Korea and the US wrapped up their major joint military drills, Yonhap news agency reported.South Korea and the US wrapped up the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Thursday. The…

Colombo, Sep 2 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda has reiterated that the island country is fully aware of the security concerns of India and assured that it pays a great deal of attention towards the evolving scenarios in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific.Moragoda said this on August 30 while describing about the regional dynamics and developments in the Indian Ocean at a lecture on topic ‘India-Sri Lanka Relations: Promoting Connectivity, Catalysing Prosperity’ at the Ananta Centre, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry in Colombo said in a statement.During his address, High Commissioner Moragoda elaborated on the…

New York, Sep 2 (IANS) Rates of severe Covid disease may be staying at relatively low levels in the US, but experts agree that there are probably more infections than the current surveillance systems can capture, reports CNN.Virus levels in the US have been on the rise for weeks and federal data suggests that the current increases have stayed far below earlier peaks and notable surges.“But judging by word of mouth among family, friends and coworkers, it can seem like everyone knows someone who’s sick with Covid-19 right now,” the report noted.“There is more transmission out there than what the…

Austin, Sep 2 (IANS) A fast-spreading wildfire near Huntsville, in US state of Texas, triggered evacuation and a highway closure, according to the emergency authorities.Texas A&M Forest Service posted on social media that it was responding to a request for assistance in Walker County on the “Game Preserve Fire,” an estimated 100 acres (0.4 square km), at 4:21 p.m. local time. Around 9:30 p.m., the service updated that the fire had grown to an estimated 1,200 acres (4.85 square km) and was about 10 per cent contained, Xinhua news agency reported.The Walker County Office of Emergency Management asked everyone within…

London, Sep 2 (IANS) Mohamed Al-Fayed, a self-made Egyptian billionaire and father of Princess Diana’s boyfriend Dodi, has passed away, his family said. He died just a day before the 26th anniversary of Dodi and Diana’s death.”Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age ON August 30,” a statement issued by the family said, BBC reported.”He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones,” the statement added.He rose from selling fizzy drinks on the streets of Alexandria…

New Delhi: The unending military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the unevenness of economic growth in the US and Europe, and the rise of President Xi Jinping as the new cult figure of China after a period of impediments created by Covid for that country do indicate that a new Cold War was appearing on the horizon – this time between the US-led West on one side and a resurgent and ambitious China on the other. China’s quest for becoming the second superpower in competition with the US is clearly making headway – the confrontation this time, is not merely…

Bangkok, Sep 2 (IANS) Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has endorsed the cabinet of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a royal gazette said on Saturday.The King appointed the ministers selected by Srettha, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the gazette which was published on Saturday.Srettha, the candidate of Pheu Thai Party, was elected as the Southeast Asian kingdom’s new prime minister in August after winning a simple majority in a parliamentary vote.His government consists of an 11-party coalition led by Pheu Thai Party and includes major parties in the previous administration of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.–IANSint/svn