Colombo, Mar 28 (PTI) Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured continuous support to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena for Sri Lanka's efforts for “political and socio-economic progress” and also said Beijing will stand for safeguarding the island nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

27 March 2024; MEMO: The head of a Lebanese Sunni political and militant group that has joined Hezbollah, a Shia resistance movement, in its fight against Israel said yesterday that the conflict has helped strengthen cooperation between the two groups, despite their sectarian differences.

28 March 2024; MEMO: Members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers from the House of Lords have urged the British government to cease arms sales to Israel in response to international pressure against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Over 130 parliamentarians have endorsed a letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Cameron, calling for a ban on arms exports to Israel.

27 March 2024; MEMO: Documented testimonies have been collected regarding the execution of Palestinian children in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces in and around Al-Shifa Hospital, at a time when a UN expert has confirmed her belief that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Islamabad, Mar 28 (PTI) Pakistan on Thursday said that the “enemies” of its friendship with China were responsible for the "heinous" terrorist attack which killed five Chinese nationals and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

27 March 2024; MEMO: Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, warned on Tuesday that Colombia will break diplomatic relations with Israel if it does not comply with the recent resolution of the United Nations Security Council, which demands a ceasefire in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports.

“If Israel does not comply with the United Nations ceasefire resolution, we will break diplomatic relations with Israel,” Petro published on his X account.

26 March 2024; MEMO: A UK High Court ruling on Tuesday granted WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, the right to appeal his extradition to the US and set a new hearing date for the case in May before adjourning it, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a partial victory for Assange, the UK High Court has decided against his immediate extradition to the US, where he is wanted on espionage charges.

27 March 2024; MEMO: Israel’s President Isaac Herzog defied the UN and called on Tuesday for the offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to continue until the Hamas leader in the territory, Yahya Sinwar, is captured “dead or alive” and the Israeli hostages are freed.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward Baltimore on Thursday to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete in an attempt to open a key shipping route blocked by the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore promised that “the best minds in the world” were working on plans to clear the debris, move the cargo ship that rammed into the bridge from the channel, recover the bodies of the four remaining workers presumed dead, and investigate what went wrong.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the possibility of his country launching an attack on a NATO member, calling it “sheer nonsense,” but warned that any Western air base hosting U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets that are slated for deployment in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for the Kremlin’s forces.

“Their statements about our alleged intention to attack Europe after Ukraine is sheer nonsense,” Putin said late Wednesday, referring to warnings in the U.S. and Western Europe that Russia could turn its sights on other countries unless it’s stopped.

28 March 2024; MEMO: The Islamic Group in Lebanon has denounced the Israeli air strike on an ambulance station in southern Lebanon in which seven paramedics were killed and wounded others including civilians, Quds Press reported.

28 March 2024; MEMO: The Israeli Prime Minister faces a challenge within his coalition government as tensions escalate over proposed legislation exempting the ultra-Orthodox, known in Hebrew as Haredim, from military service, threatening the coalition’s rule collapse, Anadolu Agency reports.