BRUSSELS – In Europe, the minister overseeing migration is one of the hardest jobs in politics. In Belgium, the job is held by Sammy Mahdi, the son of an Iraqi political refugee. “It’s not the easiest, nor the most fun job,” Mahdi told AFP in his minister’s office in Brussels. “Issuing orders to leave the … Read more
THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will lift almost all anti-Covid restrictions by February 25 and return to normal life as cases and hospitalisations fall, the health minister said on Tuesday. Bars, restaurants and nightclubs will go back to pre-pandemic opening hours while social distancing and face masks will no longer be obligatory in most places. The … Read more
PARIS – French police shot dead a man who lunged at them early on Monday with a long-blade knife at Paris’s Gare du Nord train station, police sources said. The man attacked two police officers on patrol at the station, one of Europe’s busiest, with a 30-centimetre (12-inch) knife with the English slogan ACAB (All … Read more
KARACHI: Rising geopolitical tension, fears of supply disruption and a surge in the post-Covid demand are dragging crude oil prices towards $100 a barrel in the international market sooner than earlier predicted, risking the fragile global growth, analysts and industry players said. Experts say oil at $100/barrel has become a high probability, as the markets … Read more
DIVJAKA, Albania – Thousands of migratory birds have failed to make their annual visit to Albania’s western coast this winter, experts say, pointing to climate change, overfishing and urbanisation as likely factors. The number of waterbirds recorded in January 2022 in the Divjaka-Karavasta wetlands an internationally important wintering site along the European migratory flyway was … Read more
URUMQI – Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been cleared of medium and high-risk areas for COVID-19, with the last medium-risk areas in its border city of Horgos downgraded to low-risk, local authorities said Tuesday. With the adjustment, the whole of Xinjiang is back in the low-risk category for COVID-19. Five medium-risk areas of … Read more
MOSCOW – With war clouds gathering over Ukraine, international diplomacy goes into overdrive on Monday with the French and Russian presidents to talk in Moscow and the German chancellor heading to the White House to meet with US leader Joe Biden. Also on Monday, the German, Czech, Slovak and Austrian foreign ministers were expected in Kyiv, which … Read more
PARIS: Russia furnishes over 40 per cent of the natural gas Europe imports and in the event it invades Ukraine again those supplies could be at risk, throwing into question European countries’ ability to keep the heat on in the dead of winter. Europe, which imports around two-thirds of its natural gas, has alternatives to … Read more
Norway’s cross-country ski squad has been winning a huge haul of medals at one Game after another and with Beijing Winter Olympics just started, Norwegians are expected to again top the medals table. Norway has hosted the Games on two occasions including the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. … Read more
Moscow – Russia has a stake in crises around the world from Ukraine to Syria, Sudan and Mali and that is reflected in the active role it takes at the UN Security Council on issues both big and small, contrasting with the relative detachment of the United States. The paradox is that, by at least … Read more
COPENHAGEN – Two years after the outbreak of Covid-19, Europe could soon enter a “long period of tranquility” due to high vaccination rates, the milder Omicron variant and the end of winter, the WHO said on Thursday. “This period of higher protection should be seen as a ceasefire that could bring us enduring peace”, WHO Europe director Hans Kluge … Read more
PARIS: Wariness and outright hostility to vaccines did not start with Covid-19 but date back to the 18th century when the first shots were given. From real fears sparked by side effects to fake studies and conspiracy theories, we take a look at anti-vax sentiment over the ages: 1796: First jab, first fears Smallpox killed … Read more
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have helped Liverpool conquer England and Europe, now both crave Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medals. Both sharpshooters will be in quarter-finals action on Sunday in Cameroon with Mane-inspired Senegal tackling surprise packets Equatorial Guinea while Salah and his Egypt teammates confront Morocco. Mane says he would “swap all the … Read more
BEIJING – The European Parliament adopted a so-called Hong Kong-related resolution, pointing a finger at Hong Kong affairs, discrediting China wantonly, calling for sanctions on officials from the Chinese central government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, and even arrogantly urging China to abolish the national security law for Hong Kong. It also … Read more
FRANKFURT: Germany’s largest lender Deutsche Bank on Thursday announced it had booked its highest profit in 10 years, driven by its investment arm after a difficult period of restructuring. In 2021, Deutsche Bank recorded a €1.9 billion ($2.1 billion) net profit, having posted a more slender €100 million margin in 2020, as the world economy … Read more
LONDON: The UK government said Monday it will scrap compulsory Covid tests for fully jabbed arrivals and quarantine for unvaccinated travelers, in what it called “a new phase” in its pandemic strategy. Currently, fully vaccinated arrivals are required to take a lateral flow test within two days, while those not jabbed must self-isolate for 10 … Read more
At a time when global cooperation and help are most needed, many countries on the African continent are facing “vaccine nationalism” from the West. Several countries have been forced to discard more than 3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines because the vaccines expired within months of being received as donations. The situation is “regrettable” … Read more
Nature is reclaiming her territory at a quarry in the east of England that is being transformed into a vast reserve offering vital sanctuary to endangered birds. With its reedbed wetlands, the marshy plain of the Fens outside Cambridge has become an attractive habitat for the secretive bittern, which was until 2015 on the UK’s … Read more
Due to Covid-19 and rising ‘challenges for international touring,’ Harry Styles will not be performing in Australia or New Zealand. “Due to the persistent obstacles for international touring, the Harry Styles ‘Love On Tour’ is unable to be rescheduled for Australia and New Zealand in 2022,” according to an Australian website. Read more: Harry Styles … Read more
POZNAN, Poland – Curators combing through a vast historic archive of Freemasonry in Europe amassed by the Nazis in their wartime anti-Masonic purge say they believe there are still secrets to be unearthed. From insight into women’s Masonic lodges to the musical scores used in closed ceremonies, the trove, housed in an old university library … Read more
MADRID – Debate over the environmental impact of Spain’s huge factory farming sector is heating up in the country, Europe’s biggest meat consumer, and splitting its ruling coalition. In an interview published in British daily The Guardian, Consumer Affairs Minister Alberto Garzon lashed out against Spain’s “so-called mega-farms”, calling them unsustainable. “They find a village … Read more
PARIS: Shares in French energy giant EDF plunged on Friday, after a series of blows for the state-controlled firm including shutdowns at nuclear plants, government orders to sell cut-price power and a financial warning. Tumbling by more than 21 per cent in mid-morning trading in Paris, EDF’s stock massively undershot the CAC 40 index of … Read more
BEIJING: Five million residents of a central Chinese city started home confinement Tuesday in a new lockdown to curb the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, according to state media. Beijing is on high alert for new outbreaks as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics next month, sticking to a … Read more
BEIJING: China reported more cases of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant on Monday, with authorities on high alert over flare-ups in major cities just weeks ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The emergence of the fast-spreading variant is yet another test of China’s zero Covid strategy, with authorities already battling several outbreaks — including … Read more
KARACHI: The Pakistan rupee’s stability is linked with the international oil prices and the demand for the dollars for export payments next week, as the foreign exchange reserves of the country is on the decline, analysts said. The international oil prices are on the rise for the last couple of days, while the external payments … Read more
LONDON: Restrictions imposed in the wake of the Omicron coronavirus variant have “wiped out” much of a recent recovery enjoyed by UK bricks-and-mortar stores, the British Retail Consortium revealed Friday. Much of the progress made in late 2021 “was wiped out in December as surging Omicron cases and new work-from-home advice deterred many from shopping in-store, … Read more
STOCKHOL: Ikea will hike its prices by an average of 9 per cent next year due to the ongoing supply and transportation disruptions, the company that operates most of the Swedish furniture giant’s stores said. Thursday’s announcement comes as pandemic-fuelled shortages and shipping challenges ramp up inflation and pinch economies globally, with consumers increasingly feeling the … Read more
BERLIN: Germany will shut down three nuclear power plants on Friday even as Europe faces one of its worst-ever energy crises; following Angela Merkel’s timetable for phasing out atomic energy. With the energy prices already on the rise and tensions higher than ever between Europe and key gas supplier Russia, the closure of the plants in … Read more
