US court keeps Covid border policy to block migrants
WASHINGTON: The US government’s two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place for now, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 delayed a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as […]
Taiwan extends mandatory army service over China threat
TAIPEI: Taiwan on Tuesday announced an extension in mandatory military service from four months to one year, citing the threat from an increasingly hostile China. Beijing considers self-ruled, democratic Taiwan a part of its territory, to be taken one day, by force if necessary, and the island lives under the constant fear of a Chinese […]
Russia says it shot down Ukrainian drone near air base
Kyiv:The Russian military reported Monday that it shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching an air base deep inside Russia, the second time the facility has been targeted this month again revealing weaknesses in Russia’s air defenses. Russia’s Defense Ministry said debris killed three servicemen at the Engels air base, which houses Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable […]
President Xi urges steps to ‘protect’ lives as China battles Covid wave
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials on Monday to take steps to protect lives in his first public remarks on Covid-19 since Beijing dramatically loosened hardline containment measures this month. Having mostly cut itself off from the rest of the world during the pandemic, China is now experiencing the planet’s biggest surge in infections after […]
US to provide Patriot missile system to Ukraine
WASHINGTON: The United States said on Wednesday it would provide Ukraine with the advanced Patriot air defence system to help counter Moscow’s relentless aerial attacks. The system is part of $1.85 billion in security assistance unveiled in parallel with a visit to Washington by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his first trip outside the country since […]
Putin admits situation extremely difficult in Russia-annexed Ukraine
KYIV: Russian President Vladimir Putin said the situation in four areas of Ukraine that Moscow has unilaterally declared part of Russia was proving “extremely difficult”, one of his clearest public admissions yet that his invasion is not going to plan. He also called for an increase in surveillance in his comments to mark Security Services […]
North Korea fires two medium-range ballistic missiles
SEOUL: North Korea fired two medium-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, Seoul’s military said, days after Pyongyang announced a successful test of a solid-fuel motor for a new weapons system. Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen sharply this year as Pyongyang has carried out an unprecedented blitz of weapons tests, including the launch of […]
Biden says US is ‘all in for Africa’, vows to promote democracy
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden threw his support behind a larger African role in the world as he also vowed to champion democracy in a continent where China and Russia have enjoyed rising clout. “The United States is all in on Africa and all in with Africa,” Biden told nearly 50 African leaders who spent […]
Nine including eight police officers hurt in bomb blast in Turkey’s southeast
A bomb hit an armoured police van in southeastern Turkey on Friday, injuring nine people and reviving fears of new unrest in the mainly Kurdish region. Eight police officers and another person were hurt in the attack near the city of Diyarbakir, the local governor’s office said. The nine were rushed to the hospital as […]
Billionaire picks K-pop star TOP, DJ Steve Aoki for moon trip
TOKYO: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa revealed on Friday that South Korean K-pop star Choi Seung Hyun, better known as TOP, and American DJ Steve Aoki will be among the eight crew members he plans to take on a trip around the moon as soon as next year, hitching a ride on one of Elon Musk’s […]
