Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after president flees to Maldives on July 13, 2022Colombo: Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency Wednesday as thousands of people mobbed the prime minister’s office after the country’s president flew to the Maldives, following months of widespread protests against an economic crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised at the weekend to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition […]
Three Palestinians killed in Israeli operation in West Bank on June 17, 2022Jenin: Three Palestinians were killed on Friday morning and eight others wounded in an operation by Israeli forces in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. The three men were killed when Israeli forces, who have increased their operations in the area in recent months, opened fire on the vehicle in […]
Hindu extremists target Muslim sites in India, even Taj Mahal on May 20, 2022New Delhi: Thirty years after mobs demolished a historic mosque in Ayodhya, triggering a wave of sectarian bloodshed that saw thousands killed, fundamentalist Indian Hindu groups are eyeing other Muslim sites — even the world-famous Taj Mahal. Emboldened under Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aided by courts and fuelled by social media, the fringe […]
Climate-stricken world needs renewables Marshall Plan: UN chief on May 18, 2022Paris: UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday outlined what amounts to a global Marshall Plan for ushering in a world powered by renewable energy rather than coal, gas and oil. To avoid catastrophic climate change, humanity must “end fossil fuel pollution and accelerate the renewable energy transition, before we incinerate our only home,” he said […]
Twitter names Elon Musk to board, further lifting shares on April 6, 2022New York: Twitter announced Tuesday that Elon Musk will join its board, boosting hopes the Tesla boss will lift the social media company’s prospects as some observers expressed wariness of the billionaire’s influence. Shares rose for a second day on news of Musk’s board appointment after surging on Monday’s disclosure of the outspoken entrepreneur’s large […]
Factfile: Plastic and pollution on February 26, 2022 Paris: Plastic production and pollution show no signs of letting up, even though solutions that could mitigate the material’s harmful environmental impact are emerging. Here are the key issues, ahead of a UN conference in Nairobi next week that has its sights on a future treaty to curb plastic waste: – How much plastic […]
World must brace for more extreme wildfires: UN on February 23, 2022Paris: The number of major wildfires worldwide will rise sharply in coming decades due to global warming, and governments are ill-prepared for the death and destruction such mega-blazes trail in their wake, the UN warned Wednesday. Even the most ambitious efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions will not prevent a dramatic surge in the frequency […]
EU chief urges Russia to take ‘concrete’ steps towards de-escalation on February 16, 2022Strasbourg, France: The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, on Wednesday urged Russia to take “concrete” steps to ease tensions around Ukraine, as Moscow said it was pulling back more forces from the border. “Russia has signaled that it may be open to diplomacy and we urge Russia to take concrete and tangible steps […]
Egyptian, Saudi leaders to attend Olympics: state media on January 28, 2022Beijing: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are among over 20 foreign dignitaries who will attend next week’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, Chinese state media said Friday. The dignitaries will be present for the February 4 opening ceremony, a welcome banquet and talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, […]
More than 30 Panamanians to be tried over Panama Papers scandal on January 26, 2022Panama City: Thirty-two Panamanians will be prosecuted for alleged involvement in graft revealed by the so-called Panama Papers in 2016, the country’s justice department said Tuesday. The 32 defendants will be prosecuted for “the alleged commission of the crime against the economic order, in the form of money laundering, in the case known as ‘Panama […]