International

12-10-2022 WASHINGTON: The Democratic chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called on Monday for a freeze on cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including most arms sales, accusing the kingdom of helping underwrite the Russian war on Ukraine after OPEC+ announced last week it would cut oil production. The Saudi-led …

12-10-2022 GAZA: The leaders of rival Palestinian groups are meeting in Algeria for two-day talks aimed at discussing a proposal for reconciliation and national unity. The proposal was drawn up after “months of effort by Algeria to reach a common vision for boosting the Palestinian national action”, Palestinian ambassador Fayez …

12-10-2022 LONDON: European countries have already bought more liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2022 than in any year previously. The surge in demand followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with various European governments rushing to end their dependence on Russian energy as quickly as possible. In the nine months from January …

12-10-2022 BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Lebanon and Israel have reached a historic agreement demarcating a disputed maritime border between them following years of US-mediated negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday. While limited in scope, a deal would mark a significant compromise between states with a history of war and hostility, …

12-10-2022 UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations General Assembly voted on Monday to reject Russia’s call for the 193-member body to hold a secret ballot later this week on whether to condemn Moscow’s move to annex four partially occupied regions in Ukraine. The General Assembly decided, with 107 votes in favour, …

11-10-2022 KYIV: Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and several other major cities have been hit in a barrage of missile attacks that hit civilian targets and killed several people, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had launched long-range missiles against Ukrainian energy, military and communications infrastructure. He …

11-10-2022 TAIPEI: War between Taiwan and China is “absolutely not an option”, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday, as she reiterated her willingness to talk to Beijing and also pledged to boost the island’s defences including with precision missiles. China again rejected her latest overture, saying the island was …

11-10-2022 GENEVA: Heatwaves will become so extreme in certain regions of the world within decades that human life there will be unsustainable, the United Nations and the Red Cross said Monday. Heatwaves are predicted to “exceed human physiological and social limits” in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and south …

11-10-2022 LONDON: The British government released its latest hate crime statistics for England and Wales (2021-22) with the key finding that hate crimes recorded by the police have increased by 26% in the year ending March 2022 compared with the previous year. It is important to note the caveat that …

11-10-2022 Bureau Report + BBC NEW DELHI/ MAHARASHTRA: A village in India has decided to get rid of two modern addictions TV and the internet by reducing the use of both by a couple of hours every day. The Maharashtra village sounds a siren at 7 pm in the evening …