Attacks on 2 villages in Niger kill at least 100 people
Niamey: Islamic extremists staged attacks on two villages in Niger near its border with Mali, killing at least 100 people, Niger’s prime minister said on Sunday. Prime Minister Brigi Rafini travelled to the two villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye a day after the attack. “We came to provide moral support and present the condolences of […]
Iran says it begins 20% uranium enrichment amid US tensions
Tehran: Iran said on Monday it has begun enriching uranium up to 20 per cent at an underground nuclear facility, a short, technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent amid escalating tensions with the US. Iranian state television quoted spokesman Ali Rabiei as saying that President Hassan Rouhani has given the order for […]
China’s new defence law expands power of its military headed by Xi
Beijing: China has revised its National Defence Law, expanding the power of its armed forces headed by President Xi Jinping to mobilise military and civilian resources to defend its national interests both at home and abroad. The new law, effective from January 1, weakens the role of the State Council, China’s Cabinet headed by Premier […]
Biden flexes Georgia muscle alongside GOP in Senate races
Washington: President-elect Joe Biden is going all-in to help Democrats win two Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine party control in the critical early years of his administration, a widespread effort that not long ago would have been unthinkable in a Republican-dominated state in the Deep South. The push ahead of Tuesday’s election comes […]
Nashville bomber sent material to ‘acquaintances’: FBI
Nashville: Prior to his death, the man who detonated a Christmas Day bomb in downtown Nashville had sent out materials about his views to people he knew, federal investigators said on Saturday. In a statement to The Associated Press, FBI Special Agent Jason Pack said authorities are “aware the suspect sent materials which espoused his […]
Pakistan cancels 200,000 fake citizen ID cards held by Afghan refugees
Islamabad: Pakistan has cancelled about 200,000 computerised national identity cards (CNICs) fraudulently held by Afghanistan refugees. Speaking to reporters in his home town Rawalpindi on Saturday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said: “We have data of 1.5 million Afghan refugees having legal status and about 800,000 Afghans living in the country illegally.” He said corruption […]
Iran plans 20% uranium enrichment ‘as soon as possible
Dubai: Iran said Saturday it plans to enrich uranium up to 20 per cent at its underground Fordo nuclear facility “as soon as possible,” pushing its programme a technical step away from weapons-grade levels as it increases pressure on the West over the tattered atomic deal. The move comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and […]
US Congress overrides President Trump’s veto of defence budget
Washington: The US Congress has overwhelmingly overturned Donald Trump’s veto of the annual USD 740 billion defence policy bill, delivering a resounding bipartisan rebuke to the President in his final days in the White House. The overriding of the Congressional veto – the first of his administration – is seen as a stinging rebuke to […]
Bipartisan Congressional provision condemning China’s military aggression towards India becomes law
Washington: A bipartisan Congressional provision condemning China’s aggression towards India has become a law as the US Congress overrode President Donald Trump’s veto on the USD 740 billion defence policy bill which among other things included calling out the Chinese government for its actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The National Defence Authorisation […]
