Singapore leaders send congrats
President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have written congratulatory messages to Sri Lanka's new president, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after his election victory over the weekend.
In her letter, Madam Halimah said Mr Rajapaksa's electoral victory demonstrates the trust and confidence that Sri Lankans have in him to steer the country forward, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press statement issued yesterday.
Madam Halimah noted that Singapore and Sri Lanka enjoy warm and longstanding ties, underpinned by ever-growing economic and people-to-people cooperation.
PM Lee noted that Singapore-Sri Lanka relations are warm and longstanding and that apart from frequent high-level exchanges, the countries also share robust economic ties.
"I look forward to working with you to strengthen our bilateral relationship in the coming years," he wrote.
Sweden drops Assange rape case
STOCKHOLM • Swedish prosecutors said yesterday they have dropped their investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a 2010 rape allegation, even though they found the plaintiff's claim "credible".
"My assessment is that all investigative measures that can be taken have been taken. But... the evidence is not strong enough to file an indictment," deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson told reporters.
The investigation was launched after a Swedish woman who met Assange at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in August 2010 accused the Australian of having unprotected sex with her while she was sleeping.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Filipinos flee Typhoon Kalmaegi
MANILA • At least 5,000 people have fled their homes as Typhoon Kalmaegi was poised to blast into the northern Philippines late yesterday, with a second tropical storm forecast to hit just days later.
Kalmaegi is expected to batter the nation's lightly populated far north with 120kmh winds, the national weather service said. Heavy rain is forecast to swell rivers, cut off roads and threaten low-lying communities in Cagayan province, where officials guided residents towards shelter.
The Philippines' deadliest cyclone on record was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
