07-08-2023 ROME: At least two people have been killed and dozens of others were missing after two shipwrecks off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The Italian coastguard said on Sunday it had recovered two bodies and rescued 57 people following the sinking. Around 28 people were reported lost at sea …
Read More »Passenger train derails in Pakistan, killing 22 people
07-08-2023 By SJA Jafri KARACHI/ NAWABSHAH: At least 22 people have been killed after a train travelling from the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi to Abbottabad derailed in the city of Nawabshah in Sindh province, according to the country’s railways minister. “This is quite a big accident. Rescue teams …
Read More »Saudi Arabia urges its citizens to ‘immediately’ leave Lebanon
06-08-2023 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Lebanon urged its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible, and to avoid approaching areas where there have been armed clashes. In a statement posted late Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, the embassy warned Saudi citizens not to visit areas …
Read More »Ocean surface hits highest ever recorded temperature
06-08-2023 LONDON: The surface temperature of the world’s oceans has hit its highest ever level as climate breakdown from burning fossil fuels causes the oceans to heat. Global average daily sea surface temperatures (SST) hit 20.96C this week, breaking the record of 20.95C reached in 2016, according to the Copernicus …
Read More »UK-based restaurateur jailed for £50,000 COVID loan scam
06-08-2023 LONDON/ DERBYSHIRE: A UK-based curry restaurant owner has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for fraud involving a £50,000 COVID-19 bounce-back loan. To secure the maximum loan amount in May 2020, Syed Hussain dishonestly claimed that his restaurant’s turnover was £200,000. The actual turnover, as per filed accounts, was …
Read More »Texas abortion ban temporarily lifted for medical emergencies
06-08-2023 HOUSTON: Women in Texas with serious pregnancy complications will be temporarily exempted from the southern US state’s abortion ban, a judge has ruled. Judge Jessica Mangrum said there was a lack of clarity in the legislation, siding with women and doctors who had sued Texas over the ban in …
Read More »Chinese town engulfed by a flood to save Beijing
06-08-2023 BEIJING: As the flooding emergency in western Beijing turned deadlier at the beginning of this week, taking out bridges, washing away dozens of cars at a time, and wreaking havoc on the city, the decision was made to divert the raging waters. The effect was almost immediate. The pressure …
Read More »Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan given three-year jail sentence
05-08-2023 By SJA Jafri ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been given a three-year jail sentence over corruption allegations. Khan was found guilty of not declaring money earned from selling gifts he received in office. He denies the charges and says he will appeal. After the verdict, …
Read More »India’s wild price swings for tomatoes make & lose fortunes
Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: “Tomato King” Ramesh Pangal, a farmer in the north Indian state of Haryana, had a good yield despite a heatwave that began earlier than usual this summer. By May, the tomatoes he had grown on 21 hectares (52 acres) after taking a loan of …
Read More »Oceans break heat record with grim implications
05-08-2023 LONDON/ BRUSSELS: The oceans have hit their hottest ever recorded temperature as they soak up warmth from climate change, with dire implications for our planet’s health. The average daily global sea surface temperature beat a 2016 record this week, according to the EU’s climate change service Copernicus. It reached …
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