News in Brief(2024-04-25)

Blinken visits Beijing 'to manage tensions'

SHANGHAI, Apr 24: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned Wednesday to China on his second visit in a year, as the United States ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat will meet China's top brass on Friday in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates a new leader, and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices-a vital issue for President Joe Biden in an election year. — AFP

Raisi in Sri Lanka to inaugurate project

COLOMBO, Apr 24: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to inaugurate a power and irrigation project, unaccompanied by his interior minister who is being sought for arrest over a deadly 1994 bombing. Raisi travelled to the island nation after concluding a state visit to Pakistan alongside Ahmad Vahidi, accused by Argentina of orchestrating the 1994 attack on a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. — AFP

Extreme heat: Danger warning issued in Bangkok

BANGKOK, Apr 24: Thai authorities issued an extreme heat warning for Bangkok on Wednesday, urging people to stay indoors for their own safety as temperatures soared. The mercury was forecast to hit 39C in the sprawling Thai capital, while the heat index rose above 52C, classed as "extremely dangerous" by city authorities. — AFP