Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has ordered an investigation into possible currency manipulation after the lira fell sharply to record lows against the dollar this week, the Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. It said Erdogan had tasked the State Supervisory Council, an auditing agency that reports to the presidency, to …
Read More »Two cases of Omicron coronavirus variant detected in Britain
Two linked cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in Britain connected to travel to southern Africa, health minister Sajid Javid said on Saturday. Omicron dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization on Friday, is potentially more contagious than previous variants of the disease, …
Read More »Archaeologists find an 800-year old mummy in Peru
A team of experts has found a mummy estimated to be at least 800 years old on Peru’s central coast, one of the archaeologists who participated in the excavation said on Friday. The mummified remains were of a person from the culture that developed between the coast and mountains of …
Read More »Spanish police march in Madrid to protest against ‘Gag Law’ reform
Thousands of Spanish police officers marched through Madrid on Saturday to protest against a proposed reform of a security law that they say will hamper their ability to do their work. Politicians from Spain’s three main conservative parties joined police officers in the protest against proposed changes to the 2015 …
Read More »Russia spy chief says Ukraine invasion plan ‘malicious’ U.S. propaganda
Russia has no plans to invade Ukraine and suggestions to the contrary are malicious US propaganda, Moscow’s foreign intelligence chief said on Saturday. U.S., NATO, and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements near the border with Ukraine, suggesting …
Read More »Gun violence sends Black Friday shoppers scurrying in North Carolina, Washington
Gun violence erupted at retail outlets crowded with post-Thanksgiving holiday shoppers in North Carolina and Washington state on Friday, sending bystanders at both locations scurrying for cover and injuring a total of seven people, police said. At a shopping mall in Durham, North Carolina, a late-afternoon shootout between “two groups …
Read More »Ethiopia PM at frontline with army in Afar region – state-affiliated TV
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is on the frontline with the army fighting rebellious Tigrayan forces in the northeastern Afar region, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reported on Friday. Abiy was wearing military fatigues and speaking to the television station in the Afaan Oromo and Amharic languages, according to the broadcast. Reuters …
Read More »Tunisian media say police thwarted attack in front of the interior ministry
Witnesses said heavy security was deployed in front of the interior ministry in the main street of the Tunisian capital, with local media saying police had thwarted an attack. “I am at the crime scene and I cannot give any details now,” a spokesman of the Interior Ministry told Reuters. …
Read More »Zelenskiy says Ukraine thwarts coup plot involving Russians; Kremlin denies role
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said Ukraine had uncovered a plot to overthrow his government next week involving individuals from Russia, although he declined to say whether he thought the Kremlin was behind it. Speaking at an hour-long press conference, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had obtained audio recordings of the …
Read More »Terrorist bombing near school in Somalia kills 8, wounds 13 children
A terrorist suicide bombing outside a school in Somalia’s capital killed eight people and wounded 17 including 13 children, the latest in a string of deadly blasts this year in a country beset by political turmoil and drought. The bombing at around 7:30 a.m. was claimed by al Shabaab militants, …
Read More »Ethiopia’s government warns US against spreading false information on war
Ethiopia’s government has asked the United States to stop spreading falsehoods against the country, the state minister of communication Kebede Dessisa said on Thursday, after the State Department issued an alert about potential “terrorist attacks.” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and rebellious forces from the Tigray region in the north …
Read More »World’s second-largest population starts to shrink
India’s total fertility rate has dropped below the replacement level for the first time, according to data released by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The rate has fallen to two in the latest survey, below the level at which a generation is producing enough children to replace itself. Given …
Read More »NATO supplying Ukraine with banned weaponry, Russia alleges
Kiev’s forces are increasingly launching offensives in war-torn Donbass, attempting to use Western firepower to bring the two breakaway self-declared separatist republics to heel with military force, Moscow has blasted. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the situation in the east of the …
Read More »Swedish Social Dems leader to get second try at forming government
Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson, who resigned only hours after winning lawmakers’ backing as prime minister earlier this week, will get a second chance to form a government, the speaker of parliament said on Thursday. Andersson’s resignation as prime minister on Wednesday was prompted by a decision by coalition partner …
Read More »US should not have any illusions about Taiwan, says China
There is no room for compromise over Taiwan and the United States should not have any illusions about this, China’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday, adding that Washington had of late made a series of “provocations” on several issues. China says the issue of Taiwan, which it claims as Chinese …
Read More »Putin fires Russian prison chief after torture scandal
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday fired the head of Russia’s prison service, weeks after the emergence of leaked videos that appeared to show prisoners being tortured and sexually assaulted. Alexander Kalashnikov was dismissed with immediate effect, according to a terse decree published on the Kremlin’s website. Arkady Gostev, a deputy …
Read More »Iran, IAEA agree in principle to resolve technical issues: FM
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Tehran and the UN nuclear agency have reached an agreement in principle to resolve their outstanding issues. The official made the remarks during an online discussion with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday, adding that Iran and the agency were seeking to “issue …
Read More »Human rights violations rampant at Belarus-Poland border: HRW
Belarusian border guards may be guilty of torture against migrants on the country’s border with Poland, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday, adding that both nations have committed “serious human rights violations.” The group said in a report that the two governments “have an obligation to prevent further deaths by …
Read More »Ethiopia’s PM Abiy has gone to war’s front lines: State media
Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister has gone to the front lines, his government announced Wednesday, after the leader said sacrificing oneself might be necessary for the yearlong war with rival fighters approaching the capital. State media showed no images of Abiy Ahmed, a 45-year-old former soldier, and his spokesperson …
Read More »Taliban reveals agenda of upcoming talks with Washington
The Taliban plans to discuss American recognition of its interim government, the unfreezing of assets, and Afghanistan’s reconstruction in upcoming talks with the US in the Qatari capital Doha, the group’s spokesman has revealed. In an interview with Sputnik news agency on Wednesday, Suhail Shaheen said the militant group is …
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