Xi warns nations against ‘harm’ to China’s sovereignty
Beijing: President Xi Jinping on Friday warned foreign countries against “harming” China’s sovereignty as Beijing braced for a possible adverse verdict by a UN tribunal arbitrating on the Philippines’ petition over the South China Sea dispute. “No foreign country should expect us to swallow the bitter pill of harm to our national sovereignty, security or development interests,” said Xi.
Russian plane disappears in Siberia
Moscow: Russia’s Emergencies Ministry says one of its firefighting planes with a crew of 10 is missing in Siberia. The ministry said the Il-76 plane disappeared Friday while on a mission to fight forest fires in the Irkutsk region.
lanka’s latest status symbol, a baby elephant
Colombo: Expensive and high-maintenance, baby elephants have become the ultimate status symbol for Sri lanka’s wealthy elite — a trend that has horrified conservationists and prompted a Government crackdown. Elephants are venerated in mainly Buddhist Sri lanka and capturing them is illegal. Yet authorities say more than 40 have been stolen from national parks over the last decade and are being kept as pets.
Giant panda gives birth to twins in China
Beijing: A giant panda on Friday gave birth to twins at a breeding center in China’s Sichuan province, the fifth pair of pandas born at the center this year.
3 Pak brothers held in Spain over extremism
Madrid: Spanish police arrested on Friday three Pakistani brothers who are suspected of spreading Islamic extremist propaganda via social media networks.
Austrian far-right gets poll defeat annulled
Vienna: Austria’s Norbert Hofer won on Friday another shot at being elected the European Union’s first far-right president after a court dramatically annulled May’s closely fought election result because of irregularities.