Tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate as the Biden administration is set to blacklist more than 10 Chinese companies over alleged human rights issues and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang, according to reports. Quoting sources, Reuters on Friday said the additions to the US Commerce Department’s Entity List are …
Read More »Turkey, US agree on ‘scope’ of how to secure Kabul airport: Erdogan
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has reached an agreement with the United States on the “scope” of how to secure Kabul airport under the control of Turkish forces. Erdogan said on Friday that providing the airport security that has become a main concern for the US, was discussed between …
Read More »Rwanda deploys troops to Mozambique to help fight insurgency
Rwanda said on Friday it had started deploying a 1,000-strong force to Mozambique to help the country combat an escalating Islamic State-linked insurgency that threatens its stability. Last month, the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) approved the deployment of a joint force to help Mozambique respond to the conflict …
Read More »Egypt, Sudan exchange strong words with Ethiopia at UN session on Nile dam
The three countries discussed Ethiopia’s mega-dam at a UN Security Council meeting; significant disagreements remain between the three parties as Ethiopia fills the dam for the second year in a row. The UN Security Council session on Ethiopia’s Nile River dam got heated Thursday as Egypt and Sudan voiced serious …
Read More »2 killed, 1 injured in Texas shooting, latest in a series of US gun violence incidents
Two people were killed in Houston, a large metropolis in the US state of Texas, late on Thursday in what police believe to be a case of murder-suicide, according to reports. A woman was also shot and rushed to a hospital in an injured state, reports said. The identity of …
Read More »Iran says in full control as Taliban claim capturing main border conduit
The Taliban, which controls eighty-five percent of the territory in Afghanistan, say they captured the war-torn country’s main conduit for trade with Iran. The militant group said it will try to shortly put back into operation the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat province. An Afghan government official said efforts …
Read More »Haiti police blame US, Colombian suspects in president’s slaying
Haitian police have arrested suspects in the killing of President Moise including men who appeared to be former Colombian soldiers. A 28-member hit squad made up of Americans and Colombians assassinated President Jovenel Moise, Haitian police said Thursday, adding that eight were still at large as the country lurched into …
Read More »Fire at Bangladesh juice factory kills 52, many feared trapped
At least 52 people were killed, 20 injured and many more feared trapped after a massive fire raged through a juice-making factory in Bangladesh, officials said on Friday, the latest industrial fire accident in the country. The fire started on Thursday evening at the ground floor of a six-story factory …
Read More »Zika virus detected in India’s Kerala state
Authorities in India’s southern Kerala region have issued a statewide alert after a case of the Zika virus was confirmed, officials said Friday. A further 13 suspected cases were being investigated, state health minister Veena George said. A 24-year-old pregnant woman was found to be infected with the mosquito-borne disease …
Read More »Lithuania begins building barrier on border with Belarus to block migrants
Lithuania began building a barrier along its border with Belarus on Friday after accusing Belarusian authorities of flying in migrants from abroad to send illegally into the European Union. The first stretch of barrier will run 500 metres (1,640 feet) in length, measure 1.8 metres (six feet) in height and …
Read More »Taliban says it controls most of Afghanistan, reassures Russia
A Taliban delegation in Moscow said on Friday that the group controlled over 85% of the territory in Afghanistan and reassured Russia it would not allow the country to be used as a platform to attack others. Foreign forces, including the United States, are withdrawing after almost 20 years of …
Read More »US set to add more Chinese companies to economic blacklist
The Biden administration is set as early as Friday to add more than 10 Chinese companies to its economic blacklist over alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang, two sources said. The U.S. Commerce Department action will follow its announcement last month adding five other companies and other …
Read More »Volkswagen and BMW fined $1 billion for running emissions cartel
The European Commission has fined Volkswagen Group and BMW $1 billion for colluding with Daimler to hold back the development of technology that could have reduced harmful emissions from their vehicles. In a statement on Thursday, the Commission said the three German carmakers, along with Volkswagen subsidiaries Audi and Porsche, …
Read More »French study: Two doses of vaccine crucial to beating Delta variant
Newly-published research from France’s Pasteur Institute suggests that people are mostly protected from the Delta variant of coronavirus after two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The study, published in Nature journal on Thursday, tested the effects of exposure to the hyper-infectious strain first identified in India on 59 vaccinated people …
Read More »Airplane carrying nine people crashes in Sweden – TT news agency
An airplane carrying nine people has crashed after takeoff outside Orebro, Sweden on Thursday, TT News agency said, citing authorities. “It is a skydiver plane that has crashed after takeoff,” Emil Gustavsson, rescue leader at the Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre, told TT. “We have no information regarding injuries for the …
Read More »Taiwan accuses US of causing ‘unnecessary speculation’ after White House deletes Covid-19 donations tweet
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry has asked the United States to avoid causing “unnecessary speculation or misunderstanding” after the White House Covid-19 Response Team deleted a tweet that contained the island’s flag. Earlier this week, the White House coronavirus taskforce posted a tweet that showed the flags of nations receiving donations of …
Read More »Russian air force conducts drills involving nuclear-capable bombers
Russia’s air force has conducted drills involving its nuclear-capable strategic bombers, the military said on Thursday. The Defense Ministry said that Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers took off from their base in the Saratov region on the Volga River and flew more than 4,000 kilometers (about 2,500 miles) to launch …
Read More »World Bank estimates cost of rebuilding Gaza at $485 mln after Israeli aggression
Rebuilding Gaza after the latest devastating war between Israel and the Palestinians will cost up to $485 million, the World Bank said. The report says it will take up to $380 million to repair the physical damage alone, with more required for other recovery needs. Israel carried out waves of …
Read More »UK gives EU two weeks to change N.Ireland deal or risk new ‘approach’ by London
The UK has given the EU two weeks either to risk unilateral action by London or agree the Axis trade checks launched by the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland (NI). Warning over the maintenance of the NI Protocol crisis, the ministers said that a new “approach” will be set out …
Read More »Huge 1,174-carat diamond unearthed in Botswana
An enormous 1,174-carat diamond has been unearthed in Botswana, a mining company has said, the second massive diamond to be found in the country in the space of a few weeks. The rare rock was recovered at the Karowe diamond mine last month and presented to the government in a …
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