Syrian state media: Israeli airstrikes kill 5 in Damascus
Beirut: Israeli airstrikes targeted a residential neighbourhood in the Syrian capital of Damascus early Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding 15, Syrian state news reported. Loud explosions were heard over a central area of the capital around 12:30 a.m. local time, and SANA reported that Syrian air defences were “confronting hostile targets in […]
China representative met with protests on visit to Taiwan
Taipei: A visit by a Chinese official at the invitation of the Taiwanese capital’s newly elected China-friendly mayor has drawn protests on the self-ruled island. The head of Shanghai city’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Li Xiaodong, arrived Saturday morning for a three-day visit that marks a rare point of contact between the sides. China deems Taiwan […]
Chinese defend Hong Kong, Xinjiang record at UN hearing
Geneva: Chinese envoys have defended Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong and Muslim minorities in an unusual public confrontation with human rights advocates at a UN meeting. During the meeting of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the officials also rejected complaints that China’s ruling Communist Party hampered the global response to COVID-19 […]
Bipartisan resolution introduced in US Senate recognising Arunachal Pradesh as integral part of India
Washington: A bipartisan resolution was introduced in the US Senate on Thursday to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India, pushing back against Beijing’s military aggression to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control. The resolution condemns additional Chinese provocations, including China’s use of military force to change the status […]
Biden stresses need for open communication with China
Washington: Amidst growing tension with China in the wake of the downing of a suspected spy balloon, US President Joe Biden on Thursday underscored the need for an open line of communication with Beijing. “I’ve said, since the beginning of my administration, we seek competition not conflict with China. We’re not looking for a new […]
Russia fires another missile barrage at Ukraine
Kyiv: Russia again pummelled Ukraine with a barrage of cruise and other missiles on Thursday, hitting targets from east to west as the war ‘s one-year anniversary nears. One of the strikes killed a 79-year-old woman and injured at least seven other people, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian forces used a variety of missile types, firing […]
EU seeks new Russia sanctions package, targets Iran’s drones
Brussels: The European Union is considering a new set of sanctions totaling 11 billion euros against Russia and some third countries providing vital goods that Moscow uses to boost its troops on the battlegrounds in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the package under consideration by the EU’s 27 member […]
UN says 73 migrants presumed dead in shipwreck off Libya
Geneva: At least 73 Europe-bound migrants are missing and presumed dead in a shipwreck off Libya, the United Nations migration agency said on Wednesday. The UN International Organisation for Migration said in a statement that the wreck took place Tuesday, and that Libya authorities have retrieved at least 11 bodies. Seven migrants survived the shipwreck […]
Sorrow turns to tension over Turkiye earthquake response
Antakya: Six days after a massive earthquake killed more than 28,000 in Syria and Turkiye, sorrow and disbelief are turning to anger and tension over a sense that there has been an ineffective, unfair and disproportionate response to the historic disaster. Many in Turkiye express frustration that rescue operations have proceeded painfully slowly, and that […]
Earthquake compounds Turkish leader’s woes as election nears
Ankara (Turkiye): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power 20 years ago riding a wave of public outrage toward the previous government’s handling of a deadly earthquake. Now, three months away from an election, Erdogan’s political future could hinge on how the public perceives his government’s response to a similarly devastating natural disaster. “It […]
