WORLD

A motley alliance of Israeli parties on Sunday ousted Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, and formed a new government in a seismic shift in the country's turbulent politics.

Naftali Bennett, a right-wing Jewish nationalist and former tech millionaire, was to take over at the helm of the eight-party bloc, united only by their shared disdain for the hawkish right-wing leader known as Bibi.

Netanyahu, 71, in typically combative style, vowed shortly before his defeat that "if it's our destiny to be in the opposition, we'll do so with our heads high until we take down this bad government and return to lead the country our way".

The new government in Israel which is set to end current PM Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year rule signed its final coalition agreement on Friday.

The coalition is expected to focus on economic and social issues. It is not expected to address major diplomatic issues like Israel-Palestinian conflict just yet 

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, will be succeeded on Sunday by a coalition that includes for the first time a party from Israel's Arab minority.

Under a power-sharing agreement, Naftali Bennett, of the ultra-nationalist Yamina (Rightwards) party, will serve as prime minister for two years. He will then hand over the post to Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un appears thinner in his latest pictures that surfaced on social media recently, triggering speculations about his health.

The images showing a slimmer Kim Jong Un sparked rumours that his weight loss might be a sign of worsening health.

In the photographs published by KCNA last weekend, the North Korean supreme leader was seen addressing a ruling party politburo meeting, his first public appearance after a gap of over a month.

Seoul-based NK news conducted a detailed analysis of Kim Jong-un's latest pictures. It compared the images of the North Korean dictator from November-December 2020 to April 2021, and June 2021.

Amid the Twitter war between Bharat Biotech's Raches Ella and Kolkata researcher Dr Aswadhesh Kumar Singh over Covaxin versus Covishield, Bharat Biotech on Wednesday informed that the company will conduct a phase 4 trial of its vaccine to check the real-world effectiveness of Covaxin. Its phase 3 trial data will be published in July, the company said, after which it will apply for full licensure.

(With input from agencies)

Amid reports circulating that India may be looking into bringing about more bifurcation and demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has warned New Delhi against any attempt to further make demographic changes in what it calls Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to "perpetuate its illegal occupation".

"No new instrument of occupation shall have any legal effect. India cannot change the disputed status of IIOJK, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, nor can it force Kashmiris and Pakistan to accept illegal outcomes," the Pakistan foreign office said.