Zelensky blasts Russia over beheading video
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced Russian “beasts” after a video appeared to show the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, prompting international outrage. The emergence of the disturbing footage, which was unable to independently verify, sparked fury in Ukraine, with Kyiv saying Russia is “worse than ISIS” — a reference to the militant […]
Syria and Tunisia restore diplomatic ties after a decade
Beirut: Syria will reopen its embassy in Tunisia after the North African country announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Damascus, Syrian state media reported Wednesday. Tunisia has become the latest Arab state to reestablish diplomatic ties with Syria, after cutting off relations a decade ago. The move by Tunisian President Kais Saied to […]
China rehearses ‘sealing off’ Taiwan, US deploys naval destroyer
China simulated “sealing off” Taiwan during a third day of wargames around the self-ruled island on Monday, as the United States deployed a naval destroyer into Beijing-claimed waters in a show of force. China launched the exercises in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen last week meeting US House speaker Kevin McCarthy, an encounter it […]
Iran installs cameras in public places to identify, penalise unveiled women
In a further attempt to rein in increasing numbers of women defying the compulsory dress code, Iranian authorities are installing cameras in public places and thoroughfares to identify and penalise unveiled women, the police announced on Saturday. After they have been identified, violators will receive “warning text messages as to the consequences”, police said in […]
Trump, facing criminal charges, calls for defunding the FBI
Former US president Donald Trump on Wednesday called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the US Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), going on the offensive a day after pleading not guilty in New York to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump, who is seeking to […]
Finland joins Nato in historic shift, Russia threatens ‘counter-measures’
Finland formally joined Nato on Tuesday, its flag unfurling outside the military bloc’s Brussels headquarters, in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of “counter-measures”. Finland’s accession roughly doubles the length of the border that Nato shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the […]
War has killed 262 Ukrainian athletes, sports minister says
Russia’s war against Ukraine has claimed the lives of 262 Ukrainian athletes and destroyed 363 sports facilities, the country’s sports minister, Vadym Huttsait, said on Saturday. Meeting the visiting president of the International Federation of Gymnastics, Morinari Watanabe, Huttsait said no athletes from Russia should be allowed at the Olympics or other sports competitions. “They […]
Russia protests over ‘provocative actions’ by US forces in Syria
Moscow: Russian forces in Syria have protested over what Moscow described as “provocative actions” by United States forces also deployed in the country, Russia’s state news agency TASS has reported. TASS cited a senior Russian military official on Friday saying that “provocative” incidents had occurred in Syria’s northeastern province of Hassakeh where US forces have […]
Fire on Philippine ferry kills 29; 230 rescued
MANILA: At least 31 people died and 230 were rescued after a fire engulfed a ferry in the southern Philippines, authorities said on Thursday. The Lady Mary Joy 3 was travelling from Zamboanga City on Mindanao Island to Jolo Island in Sulu province when the fire broke out late on Wednesday, prompting passengers to jump […]
UAE president names son as crown prince, presumed future leader
The United Arab Emirates’ president named his eldest son as crown prince of Abu Dhabi late on Wednesday, making him the oil-rich Gulf monarchy’s likely next leader and cementing his family’s hold on power. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan tapped Sheikh Khaled, 41, his jiu-jitsu-loving son, as the crown prince of the UAE’s […]
