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Russia’s central bank Friday said it was cutting its key interest rate for a second straight time as risks of price rises and financial instability were no longer rising. The Bank of Russia said it was slashing the rate from 17 percent to 14 percent from May 4, a greater …

Germany summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Berlin on Friday to protest a sentence of life in prison that a Turkish court handed to a prominent Turkish civil rights activist and philanthropist. Western governments and rights groups strongly criticized this week’s ruling which found Osman Kavala guilty of attempting to overthrow the …

The US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said Friday that one of its staff had died in a Russian strike on Kyiv during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Radio Liberty journalist and producer Vera Gyrych died as a result of a Russian missile hitting the house where she lived …

Negotiations between the Taliban and a Qatar-Turkey consortium for operating Afghanistan’s five airports, including in the capital, have hit a deadlock after the Taliban insisted their fighters will guard the facilities, officials said. Kabul’s only airport was trashed in August when tens of thousands of people rushed to evacuate on …

The warning comes after the UN’s health agency flags surging caseload as the main driver of rising cases throughout Africa. South Africa may be entering a fifth COVID-19 wave earlier than expected after a sustained rise in infections over the past 14 days seemingly driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 …

Ukraine war takes toll on economy of European countries using the euro as inflation reaches record levels and output weakens. Inflation in the eurozone hit a new record this month while growth slowed during the first quarter of the year, according to official data, as the war in Ukraine takes …

Under the pretext of war in Ukraine, the UK army will send about 8000 soldiers to eastern Europe. About 8,000 British army troops will take part in exercises across Eastern Europe in one of the largest deployments since the cold war. Dozens of tanks will be deployed to countries ranging …

Millions of people have taken to the streets for Quds Day rallies around the world to show solidarity with the Palestinians and condemn Israeli atrocities against them. In Iran, demonstrations started at 10 a.m. local time (0530 GMT) in Tehran and some 900 others cities and towns across the country. …

The Kremlin said Thursday that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine were dangerous for European security. “The tendency to pump weapons, including heavy weapons into Ukraine, these are the actions that threaten the security of the continent, provoke instability,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov was responding to comments made …

66 people died in the 2016 crash, which Egyptian authorities initially blamed on terrorism. The 2016 crash of EgyptAir flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo, which Egyptian authorities initially described as an act of terrorism, was caused by a pilot smoking a cigarette, an investigation has found. The jet disappeared …

A senior minister has questioned the timing of Beijing’s security pact with the Solomon Islands Australia’s home affairs minister has accused China of attempting to interfere in an election set for next month, saying a recent security deal with a nearby Pacific nation suggested nefarious motives. In comments to a …

The US House of Representatives has passed a non-binding bill calling for the assets of wealthy Russian individuals to be used to support Ukraine The US House of Representatives passed a non-binding bill on Wednesday, calling on President Joe Biden to impound the assets of wealthy Russian individuals believed to …

Gunmen attack a Ramadan iftar gathering in Deir Az Zor, killing seven people. Suspected ISIL (ISIS) gunmen killed seven people and wounded four others at a Ramadan iftar gathering in Syria’s northeast Deir Az Zor province, according to activists and monitors. The former spokesperson of the United States-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian …

Finland and Sweden will be welcomed to NATO with open arms and their accession process will expectedly take place quickly if they decide to join the Western military alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says. “Finland and Sweden are our closest partners. They are strong and mature democracies, EU members, and …

Palestinians have turned out en masse for prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque as a portrayal of national solidarity against the occupying Israeli regime, as freedom seekers worldwide prepare to mark the International Quds Day. At least 250,000 Palestinian worshipers congregated at the mosque in the Old City of occupied al-Quds to …

Local media in the United States reported yet another shooting this time in Mississippi during which 4 people lost their lives while the suspect was found dead after the incident. The possible suspect in the fatal shooting of the owner and two employees of a Mississippi Gulf Coast motel and …

At least 213 people were killed in three days of violence between Arab and non-Arab groups in Sudan’s West Darfur, the state governor said, giving the first official toll for recent clashes. West Darfur has been gripped by days of deadly fighting largely centered in Krink, a locality of nearly …

Beijing accuses Washington of “deliberately” harming peace and stability The Chinese military on Wednesday condemned the latest US patrol mission in the Taiwan Strait, calling the arrival of the warship a “provocation.” The USS Sampson guided-missile destroyer sailed through the strait on Tuesday and, according to a statement by the …

A large fire erupted at a luxury Dubai hotel on Wednesday, forcing guests and staff to leave and sending smoke over the United Arab Emirates’ tourism and trade hub. Several fire engines and police cars were deployed at the five-star Swissôtel Al-Murooj hotel in downtown Dubai as dozens of people …

Democrats in the US are staring at a doom and gloom situation ahead of midterm elections as President Joe Biden continues to lose his support base less than two years into his first term. Only 41 percent of young Americans approve of Biden’s job performance, according to a new Harvard …