In video, kidnapped French journalist pleads for help on May 5, 2021BAMAKO: A missing French journalist said he was kidnapped in Mali by a militant group with links to Al-Qaeda, according to a video circulating on social media, the latest foreigner to be taken hostage in the West African country. The video of Olivier Dubois, who worked with several French media, could not be immediately verified […]
India’s Modi takes electoral hit in key state amid virus surge on May 3, 2021Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party suffered a setback Sunday when it lost a fiercely contested state poll. Over the past month India held its biggest democratic exercise in two years, with 175 million people eligible to vote in five regional elections. But the marathon polls involved huge rallies where many attendees were maskless, and a […]
George Floyd murder: Ex-policeman Derek Chauvin found guilty on April 21, 2021MINNEAPOLIS: Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted Tuesday of murdering African-American George Floyd after a racially charged trial seen as a pivotal test of police accountability in the United States. The jury deliberated less than 11 hours before finding 45-year-old Chauvin guilty of all three charges against him: second-degree murder, third-degree […]
Canada reports second case of rare blood clot after AstraZeneca jab on April 18, 2021Canada has recorded the second case of rare but serious blood clotting linked to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, authorities confirmed on Snday. Canadian authorities still recommend people get the vaccine jab. The patient, who lives in the western province of Alberta and received a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine supplied by the Serum Institute of India, […]
96 dead after heavy fighting in Yemen’s Marib, say loyalists on April 16, 2021Some 96 combatants lost their lives as a result of heavy fighting near the Yemeni city of Marib over the last two days, loyalist commanders said Friday. The fight broke out after Huthi rebels press their offensive on the government´s last northern toehold. “Clashes between the two sides on several fronts in the Marib area […]
14 militants sentenced to death over plot to kill Bangladesh PM Hasina on March 23, 2021DHAKA: Fourteen militants were sentenced to death in Bangladesh on Tuesday for attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina more than two decades ago, a prosecutor said. The 2000 bomb plot was one of several attempts on Hasina’s life in a wave of violence by extremists who were angry at her secular stance at the […]
In message to China, Biden to meet Australia, India, Japan PMs on March 10, 2021WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will hold first-ever joint talks Friday with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan, boosting an emerging four-way alliance often cast as a bulwark against China. It will be one of the first summits, albeit in virtual format, for Biden, who has vowed to revive US alliances in the wake […]
Biden to meet Australia, India, Japan PMs amid rising tensions with China on March 10, 2021WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden to hold his first ever joint meeting with the Australian, Indian and Japanese prime ministers, committing to strengthening its four-way alliance to send a message to China. It will be one of the first summits, albeit in virtual format, for Biden, who has vowed to revive US alliances in the […]
20 migrants killed after smugglers throw them into sea off Djibouti: IOM on March 5, 2021NAIROBI: At least 20 migrants lost their lives due to drowning after smugglers threw them into the sea during a crossing between Djibouti and Yemen, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said Thursday. “Survivors believe at least 20 people have been killed. There are still some unaccounted for. Five bodies washed up on shore,” Yvonne […]
France acquits ex-PM Balladur in Karachi corruption trial on March 5, 2021A French court on Thursday acquitted former prime minister Edouard Balladur on corruption charges after he was accused of using kickbacks from an arms deal but handed a suspended jail term to his former defence minister. The verdict by the Law Court of the Republic (CJR), which sits to try serving and former ministers for […]