BEIJING: China on Friday said it will talk only with the representatives of the Dalai Lama and not the officials of the Tibetan government in exile based in India but ruled out dialogue on the highest Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader’s long-pending demand for autonomy for his remote Himalayan homeland.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin was reacting to reports of the back-channel talks between the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Chinese government when he said China regards the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala as a “separatist” bloc.

26 April 2024; MEMO: The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said, Thursday, it targeted an Israeli surveillance site with mortar shells in the central Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports.

It said it targeted a newly established Israeli site for surveillance and espionage east of the Juhur Al-Deek area with mortar shells.

There has been no comment by the Israeli army.

BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing, saying that China demands that the United States strictly abide by the one-China principle.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the Taiwan question is the "first red line" that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations.

25 April 2024; MEMO: The UK has asked Israel to allow foreign observers to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, according to Israeli media on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The British request was about to be approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but strong opposition from far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir prevented this from happening, Maariv newspaper said.

26 April 2024; AP: The students at Columbia University who inspired pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country dug in at their encampment for the 10th day Friday as administrators and police at campuses from California to Massachusetts wrestled with how to address protests that have seen scuffles with police and hundreds of arrests.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday dismissed an application filed by former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh seeking further investigation into a sexual harassment case lodged by six female wrestlers against him.

While dismissing the application, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot fixed May 7 for an order on whether to frame charges against Singh in the case.

NEW DELHI: A voter turnout of over 50 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections which was underway in 88 seats across 13 states amid complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting in some booths in Kerala and West Bengal.

Voters in some villages of Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, Rajasthan's Banswara and Maharashtra's Parbhani boycotted polls over various issues.

CAIRO 26 April 2024; AP: Egypt sent a high-level delegation to Israel on Friday with the hope of brokering a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in Gaza, two officials said. At the same time, it warned that a possible Israeli offensive focused on Gaza’s city of Rafah — on the border with Egypt — could have catastrophic consequences for regional stability.

Moscow, IRNA – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri has underscored the need for BRICS member states to make efforts to help put an end to the Zionist brutalities in the Gaza Strip.

Bagheri made the remarks during a meeting of BRICS deputy foreign ministers in Moscow on Thursday where they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and North Africa.

WASHINGTON 26 April 2024; AP: — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, April 25. /TASS/. Citizens of several countries were involved in organizing the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall outside Moscow, using cryptocurrency to bankroll it, Yury Chikhanchin, head of Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service, said.

PUTRAJAYA, April 24 (Bernama) – Malaysia has urged countries that suspended their contributions to resume their support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The agency serves as a vital lifeline for the besieged Palestinians, according to the Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry widely known as Wisma Putra said Malaysia welcomed the decision by several countries to resume their contribution to UNRWA.