US tells families of govt employees in Belarus to leave on February 1, 2022Washington: The United States told the families of its government employees in Belarus to leave the country, the State Department said Monday, as fears grow of a Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The order came hours after Washington and Moscow clashed over Ukraine at the UN Security Council, and after Washington threatened to slap sanctions […]
UN agency says gaps in Belarus flight rerouting probe on February 1, 2022Montreal: The UN aviation agency on Monday extended its investigation into a bomb warning aboard a Ryanair flight last May, citing gaps and inconsistencies in Belarus’s account of its rerouting of the aircraft. The flight from Greece to Lithuania on May 23, 2021, was forced to land in Minsk, where Belarusian authorities arrested two passengers, […]
Colombia demands removal from ‘hunger hotspots’ list on February 1, 2022Bogota: Colombia took umbrage Monday at being included in a report by UN agencies on 20 “hunger hotspots,” demanding to be removed from the list of countries considered at risk of “acute food insecurity.” The report published last week by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme said that “7.3 million […]
One year after Myanmar coup, sanctions and new charges on February 1, 2022Yangon: Myanmar’s junta marked one year in power on Tuesday despite fresh foreign sanctions as demonstrators promised to rally against the army and its bloody crackdown. The military takeover ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude has triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent with more than 1,500 civilians killed, according to a […]
European stocks bounce back at open on January 31, 2022London: Europe’s main stock markets recovered at the open Monday following gains in Asia and a pre-weekend rally on Wall Street. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index won 0.5 percent to 7,506.03 points. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX index jumped 1.1 percent to 15,489.41 points and the Paris CAC 40 won 0.8 percent to 7,020.40.
Five killed by roadside bomb in northern Kenya: police on January 31, 2022Nairobi: Five people were killed Monday when a minibus in northeast Kenya was destroyed by a roadside bomb during an ambush by armed men near the border of Somalia, police said. The attackers opened fire on the 14-seater vehicle after it ran over the explosive about eight kilometers (five miles) from Mandera town on the […]
UN chief asks Myanmar military to respect human rights, fundamental freedoms on January 31, 2022UNITED NATION: On the eve of the first anniversary of the coup anniversary in Myanmar, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the military rulers to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. In a statement issued by his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Aziz Haq, the UN chief said he stood in “solidarity with the people” of […]
Ryanair slashes losses but Omicron hit winter bookings on January 31, 2022London: Ryanair slashed its losses sharply in the final three months of 2021 but the emergence of the Omicron variant cut into the normally busy winter holiday travel season, the low-cost airline said Monday. Ryanair said its final quarter of the year had started well, with strong bookings as there was “less confusion” about the […]
Greek govt defeats censure vote over blizzard response on January 31, 2022Athens: Greece’s conservative government on Sunday defeated a censure vote in parliament over its handling of a snowstorm that buried a key Athens motorway and left thousands without electricity for days. The motion brought forward by main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras fell nine votes short, with just 142 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament in favor. […]
North Korea confirms most powerful missile test since 2017 on January 31, 2022Seoul: North Korea confirmed Monday it had fired its most powerful missile since 2017, capping a month-long blitz of launches that has raised the spectre of leader Kim Jong Un restarting nuclear tests. Pyongyang conducted a record seven weapons tests in January, the most ever in a calendar month, as it threatened to abandon a […]