Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

FGN23 LANKA-3RDLD RAJAPAKSA Rajapaksa clan stages comeback in Lanka, President Gotabhaya swears in his brother Mahinda as PM

Colombo: Sri Lanka's powerful and controversial Rajapaksa clan on Thursday tightened its grip on political power with President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa administering oath to his elder sibling Mahinda as the new prime minister, amidst apprehensions among the minority Tamils and Muslims in the island nation.

FGN18 CANADA-CABINET-INDIANS 4 Indian-origin lawmakers inducted in Canadian PM Trudeau's new Cabinet

Ottawa: For the first time, a Hindu woman lawmaker has been inducted into a Canadian Cabinet as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled his "strong and skilled" team of 37 ministers which also includes three Sikh MPs.

FGN19 LANKA-RAJAPAKSA-LD PROFILE Rajapaksa: The charismatic leader both loved and hated for role in ending bloody civil war in Lanka

Colombo: Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a lawyer-turned-politician, is hailed by the Sinhala Buddhist majority for ruthlessly vanquishing Tamil insurgency, but is also criticised by the international community for his human rights record and for pushing the country into the "Chinese debt trap".

FGN15 UN-PAK-KASHMIR India rejects unwarranted reference by Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir at UNSC

United Nations: India has strongly rejected references to Kashmir by Pakistan in the UN Security Council and asserted that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country. By Yoshita Singh

FGN22 PAK-SIACHEN-TOURISM Pakistan rejects Indian tourism plans in Siachen

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday said the Siachen area, the world's highest battlefield, was a disputed territory and could not be opened for tourism by India. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN14 LANKA-GOTABHAYA-CORRUPTION Sri Lankan court drops corruption charges against Prez Gotabhaya, orders lifting of his travel ban

Colombo: Sri Lanka's newly-elected President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was on Thursday absolved of all corruption charges linked to the embezzlement of nearly USD 185,000 by a high court which also lifted the overseas travel ban on him and released his impounded passport. IND