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 […]
Two stabbed to death at Lisbon’s Islamic centre
LISBON: An attacker armed with a knife killed two women on Tuesday at an Islamic centre in the Portuguese capital before being shot and wounded by police, authorities said. The head of the Ismaili community centre in Lisbon, Nazim Ahmad, told the private TV channel SIC that both women were employees of the centre. According […]
China spent $240bn bailing out ‘Belt & Road’ countries: study
China spent $240 billion bailing out 22 developing countries between 2008 and 2021, with the amount soaring in recent years as more have struggled to repay loans spent building “Belt & Road” infrastructure, according to a study published Tuesday. Almost 80 per cent of the rescue lending was made between 2016 and 2021, mainly to […]
34 migrants missing after shipwreck off Tunisia
TUNIS: Thirty-four migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were missing off Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast on Friday after their boat capsized, a court official said, the latest in a string of tragedies this month. The boat carrying 38 people had set off on Thursday from near Sfax and was attempting to reach Italy, said Fawzi El Masmoudi, a […]
China’s diplomatic offensive lays down new challenge for US
WASHINGTON: Few expect Chinese President Xi Jinping’s diplomacy to yield breakthroughs in the Ukraine war. But in Washington, there are fears Beijing may succeed elsewhere — in winning credibility on the world stage. Xi pushed forward positions on Ukraine during two days of talks in Moscow, a week after China announced the restoration of ties […]
Data from Wuhan animal market yields clues about origins
LONDON: Data from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, briefly uploaded to a global database by Chinese scientists, gives crucial information on the outbreak’s origins, including on an animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, researchers said. The virus was first identified in Wuhan in December 2019, with many suspecting the Huanan live […]
