International

21-02-2023 KYIV: United States President Joe Biden has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden’s visit on Monday was the first to Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into the neighboring country on February 24, 2022. …

21-02-2023 BEIJING: Beijing lashed out on Monday against US claims that China was considering sending arms to Russia to assist in its war in Ukraine. “It is the United States and not China that is endlessly shipping weapons to the battlefield,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said when asked …

20-02-2023 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party has accused billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros of trying to undermine India’s democracy by predicting that the Adani Group’s woes would loosen the Hindu nationalist leader’s grip on power. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, 92-year-old Soros said …

20-02-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies PERTH/ MELBOURNE: An energy giant has been accused of covering up the severity of an oil spill which allegedly killed dolphins off Western Australia (WA) last year. A whistleblower’s statement read out in parliament this week alleges dead dolphins were found floating near the oil …

20-02-2023 BEIJING: As China declares victory over the pandemic, the landmark protests in November which spelled the end for zero-COVID rules have begun fading from memory but as the country moved on, many of those who took part in the demonstrations went missing, taken by authorities in a quietly deepening …

20-02-2023 WELLINGTON: At least 11 people have died and thousands are missing in New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island last week. The cyclone hit the northern part of the island on February 12 and tracked down the east coast, inflicting widespread devastation. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has …

20-02-2023 TEHRAN/ LONDON: Independent TV network Iran International is suspending its operations in the UK because of threats against its London-based journalists. The Persian-language TV channel said that the decision was due to a “significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran”. “Threats had grown to the point that it was …

20-02-2023 ISTANBUL: Footballer Christian Atsu has been found dead under the rubble of his home almost two weeks after the Turkey earthquake, his agent has confirmed. The Ghana international, 31, had spells with Premier League sides Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle. Atsu had been missing since the 6 February quake that …

20-02-2023 MUNICH/ TEHRAN: A group of exiled Iranians will increase support for opposition movements in the country so they can continue to pressure the authorities there, amid a crackdown on protests, the last heir to the Iranian monarchy said yesterday. Iran has been rocked by unrest since the death in …

20-02-2023 PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has said he does not want to see Russia crushed by a defeat in Ukraine. Speaking to French media, Macron urged Western nations to increase military support for Kyiv and said he was prepared for a protracted war. “I want Russia to be defeated …