UN chief seeks access to Ukraine N-plant after attack
TOKYO: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of Europe’s largest atomic plant at the weekend. “Any attack to a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” Guterres told a news conference in Japan, […]
Thousands trapped in China’s tourism hotspot
BEIJING: Over 80,000 tourists are stranded in a resort city popularly known as “China’s Hawaii” after a Covid flare-up led authorities to impose strict travel restrictions. Tourism hotspot Sanya is a city of more than a million people on the southern island of Hainan, where 483 Covid cases were reported on Sunday. All flights out […]
Chinese, Russian FMs boycott Japanese minister’s speech
PHONM PENH: Tensions over developments around Taiwan spilled into an Asian meeting of foreign ministers on Friday, diverting attention at a gathering that had been expected to focus on efforts to end the crisis in Myanmar. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov walked out of a plenary session just as Japan’s […]
Anger, anguish as Lebanon marks two years since Beirut mega-blast
BEIRUT: Lebanon marked two years on Thursday since a massive explosion ripped through Beirut — a grim anniversary marked by angry protests and the dramatic collapse of blast-damaged grain silos in a cloud of dust. The 2020 disaster, one of history’s biggest non-nuclear explosions, killed more than 200 people and decimated vast areas of the […]
Taliban say investigating US claim of killing Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri
The Taliban are investigating a US “claim” that Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul, a Taliban official said on Thursday, indicating the group’s leadership were not aware of his presence there. The US killed Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone while he stood on […]
Amid Pelosi’s visit, China imposes fresh ban on Taiwanese imports
China on Wednesday halted trade with Taiwan and imposed fresh ban on Taiwanese imports and said it is suspending imports of citrus fruits and fish products from Taipei. The move comes amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Taking to Twitter, Li Bijian, China’s Consul General in Karachi tweeted, “Chinese mainland suspends imports […]
Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan: Biden
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, American President Joe Biden said on Monday. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. US officials, speaking on the condition of […]
Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos dies
MANILA: Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos, who oversaw a rare period of steady growth and peace that won him the reputation as one of the country’s most effective leaders ever, has died aged 94, his family said on Sunday. Known as “Steady Eddie” for his unflappable demeanour during the country’s regular moments of upheaval, he […]
Kyiv forces accused of killing 40 in rebel-controlled jail
KYIV: Russia has accused Kyiv forces of striking a jail in Olenivka in the separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, where Russian defence ministry said 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed and 75 wounded. Russia said the jail in Donetsk had been targeted overnight with US-made HIMARS rocket systems. The Russian army on Friday accused Kyiv forces […]
Xi warns Biden not to ‘play with fire’ on Taiwan
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held “candid” phone talks on Thursday, with Xi warning the US leader not to “play with fire” on Taiwan, according to Chinese state media. The virtual summit lasting over two hours took place as Beijing and Washington increasingly risk open conflict over the self-ruling island, which […]
