Former Taiwan president arrives in China pledging peace
TAOYUAN: Taiwan’s ex-President Ma Ying-jeou became on Monday the first sitting or former Taiwanese leader to visit mainland China since the Communist revolution in 1949, saying he hoped to bring about peace and improve relations. Ma’s office said he was met at Shanghai’s Pudong airport by officials including Chen Yuanfeng, deputy head of China’s Taiwan […]
Russia presses along Ukraine front after Bakhmut slowdown
KREMINNA: Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Friday, even as Kyiv said Moscow’s assault was flagging near the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian military reports described heavy fighting along a line running from Lyman to Kupiansk, as well as in the south at Avdiivka on the […]
School year starts in Afghanistan, but no classes held
KABUL: Afghanistan’s schools reopened for the new academic year on Tuesday, but no classes were held as students were unaware of the start and hundreds of thousands of teenage girls remain barred from attending class. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from going to secondary school. Taliban authorities have […]
Starc sticking to tried and tested formula ahead of World Cup
VISHAKAPATNAM: Mitchell Starc said he has not deviated from his game plan in over a decade and after taking five wickets against India on Sunday there seems little reason to change things as Australia ramp up their preparations for this year’s World Cup. Starc claimed 5-53 for his ninth five-wicket haul in One-day Internationals, his […]
North Korea holds drill ‘simulating N-counterattack’
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led two days of military drills “simulating a nuclear counterattack”, including the launch of a ballistic missile, state media reported on Monday. Kim expressed satisfaction over the weekend drills, which were held to “let relevant units get familiar with the procedures and processes for implementing their tactical nuclear […]
Iran, Iraq sign border protection deal
BAGHDAD: Iran’s top security official on Sunday signed a deal with Iraqi authorities for “protection” of their common border, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said, months after Tehran struck Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq’s north. Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region hosts camps and rear bases operated by several Iranian Kurdish factions, which Iran has accused of […]
Erdogan lifts objections to Finland’s Nato bid
ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkiye’s parliament will begin ratifying Finland’s Nato bid, but not that of Sweden, removing the biggest remaining hurdle to enlarging the Western defence alliance as war continues to rage in Ukraine. Speaking in Ankara alongside Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, Erdogan said Helsinki won Turkiye’s blessing after taking […]
796 Fresh Covid Infections In India, Active Cases Cross 5K After 109 Days
NEW DELHI, Mar 17: India on Friday recorded a single-day rise of 796 coronavirus infections, while the number of active cases surpassed 5,000 after 109 days, according to Union health ministry data. The total tally of COVID-19 cases now stands at 4.46 crore (4,46,93,506). The death toll increased to 5,30,795 with five fatalities, the data […]
Next-generation spacesuit for Nasa mission to Moon unveiled
HOUSTON: Nasa and the private aerospace company Axiom Space unveiled a prototype on Wednesday of the next-generation spacesuit that astronauts will wear on the next mission to the Moon. The suit revealed at an event at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston features greater flexibility and thermal protection than those worn by the Apollo astronauts […]
N. Korea launches missiles as US, South kick off major drills
SEOUL: North Korea said on Monday it had test-fired two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine, as South Korea and the United States kicked off their largest joint military exercises in five years. Nuclear-armed Pyongyang said the test verified its “nuclear war deterrence means in different spaces” as it slammed the drills — known as […]