World news
- World
Russia downgrades diplomatic ties with Estonia
Moscow: Russia has decided to downgrade diplomatic relations with Estonia to the level of charge d’affaires in retaliation of Estonia’s move to reduce Russian embassy staff. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday…
- Middle East
Iran’s Parliament Speaker urges stronger cooperation with Russia
Tehran: The Iranian Parliament Speaker has called for expanding cooperation with Russia, as both countries face “cruel” US sanctions. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf made the remarks during a joint press conference in Tehran…
- World
IMF urges Finland to boost sustainability of public finances
Helsinki: Finland has been urged to boost the sustainability of its public finances in a new report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF, in its annual assessment, also urged…
- Pakistan
93 per cent of Pakistanis stand for ban on cigarette sale: Survey
Islamabad: The findings of a study have shown that 93 percent of Pakistanis agreed that the sale of cigarettes should be banned. A Gallup and Gilani Pakistan survey reported that a nationally…
- World
Turkish Prez threatens no backing for Sweden’s NATO bid after Quran burning
Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Sweden that it should not expect Turkey’s backing to join the NATO following the burning of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.…
- World
Freezing weather kills 104 people in Afghanistan in 2 weeks
Kabul: The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan on Monday confirmed that at least 104 people, including women and children, have died in the past two weeks amid the freezing weather and heavy snowfall.…
- World
Japan braces for heavy snow, blizzard
Tokyo: Japanese weather officials warned on Monday that the coldest air mass of the season is likely to lead to heavy snow blanketing wide swathes of Japan from Tuesday. The Japan Meteorological…
- World
Teenage pregnancy in Philippines declines in past 5 yrs
Manila: Teenage pregnancy among girls aged 15 to 19 in the Philippines declined to 5.4 percent in 2022 from 8.6 percent in 2017, according to official data. The data from the Philippine…
- Pakistan
Pakistan’s mobile phone imports decline 66% in 1st half of FY 2023
Islamabad: Pakistan’s mobile phone imports declined by 66 percent in the first half of the current fiscal year 2022-2023, compared to the same period of the last fiscal year, according to official…
- World
81 bird species in Sri Lanka at risk of extinction
Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Secretariat said that 81 of the country’s bird species are at risk of extinction. Director of the Biodiversity Secretariat R.H.M.P. Abeykoon told local media that Sri Lanka is…
- World
Canadian govt announces agreement to settle lawsuit over residential schools
Ottawa: The Canadian federal government has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by two British Columbia First Nations for the loss of language and culture caused by residential schools for Indigenous…
- World
Bangladesh to hold presidential election by Feb 23: Poll body
Dhaka: Bangladesh will hold the presidential election by February 23, the country’s poll body announced. The announcement was made by the Election Commission (EC) Secretary Md Jahangir Alam at a news conference…
- World
British-Indian doc blames UK hospital for her suicide: Report
London: A 35-year-old British-Indian doctor, who ended her life in June last year, had blamed the hospital where she worked for her death, according to a suicide note shared by her parents.…
- World
Singapore tourism expects to bounce back to pre-Covid level by 2024
Singapore: Driven by strong demands from key markets like India, Indonesia and Malaysia, the Singapore tourism sector recovered strongly in 2022 to exceed the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) original forecast of 4…
- Middle East
Coming presidential elections in Turkey will be the toughest test for Erdogan’s rule
Nicosia: Last week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalled that the country’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections scheduled for June would be held on May 14. This immediately stirred a debate about whether…
