PARIS – Russia is being “unplugged” from the world economy as sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine start to bite, France said on Monday. “Russia is being progressively unplugged from the rest of the world, notably in economic terms, and that will have a very serious impact,” European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told the Europe … Read more
WASHINGTON: Top officials at the US Federal Reserve will be banned from holding individual stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies and certain other investments under new rules adopted on Friday, after controversial trading activity led to high-profile resignations last year. Under the regulations adopted unanimously by the policy setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), central bank leaders including … Read more
BRIDPORT, United Kingdom: From facial scrubs using coffee grounds to clothes made from plastic bottles and furniture decorated with agave fibres, efforts to up-cycle or repurpose waste products are gaining traction in Britain. Every day a bike courier for the skincare brand Up-circle visits 25 cafes in London and collects some 100 kg (220 pounds) … Read more
UNITED NATIONS – Fresh off a visit to conflict-torn regions of Ethiopia, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed described the “unimaginable” horrors women have faced, and called for justice and accountability. In a press conference recapping her trip to Ethiopia’s Tigray, Amhara, Afar and Somali regions, the UN number two described an instance when a … Read more
WASHINGTON – Americans are paying to get a star of the psychedelic medicine movement — ketamine — shipped to them for at-home mental health treatments that are being called both a breakthrough and a gamble. A pandemic-spurred easing of prescription rules helped fuel a jump in telemedicine offerings of ketamine, an anesthetic that was once … Read more
SANAA – Yemen’s Houthi militia announced on Friday they had shot down two spy drones believed to be made by the United States and belonging to the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen. The first drone was shot down in the northern province of Al-Jawf while the second one was downed in Al-Jubah district in the … Read more
The visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Moscow on a prescheduled bilateral visit attained greater significance, as the United States urged him to play his part in averting a “costly” and “destabilizing conflict, following Russia- Ukraine clash. The United States said it has been in touch with Islamabad on the escalating crisis. “We believe … Read more
GENEVA – The raging Ukraine conflict will certainly dominate the UN Human Rights Council session beginning next week, with Russia’s top diplomat among those set to address the increasingly polarised assembly in person. Hours into a full-fledged Russian invasion of its neighbour early Thursday, Moscow confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was still planning to … Read more
JERUSALEM – Israel condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine Thursday as a “violation of the international order” but underlined its close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv. “The Russian attack on Ukraine is a serious violation of the international order,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said, adding that Israel “condemns” the assault. But Lapid also noted that “Israel has deep, long-lasting … Read more
NEW DELHI – The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has accounted for more deaths than the Delta variant in the United States, an Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) reported. The ANI, quoting a local U.S. daily, The Seattle Times, reported that since Nov. 24 last year, when South Africa first reported the Omicron variant … Read more
WASHINGTON – Infectious disease experts are keeping a close eye on an even more contagious version of the Omicron variant in the United States, fueling worries that the country may not return to normal, according to a report by National Public Radio (NPR) on Monday. The virus, known as BA.2, is a strain of the … Read more
GUATEMALA CITY – A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck western Guatemala early Wednesday caused damage affecting nearly 25,000 people, and caused one person to suffer a fatal heart attack, authorities said. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at a depth of 84 kilometers (52 miles), was in the coastal district of Escuintla, less than 100 kilometers … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO – The Omicron wave is breaking, but deaths have surpassed those from the Delta wave in the United States, The Seattle Times has reported. Since Nov. 24 last year, when South Africa first reported the Omicron variant to the World Health Organization, the United States has confirmed more than 30,163,600 new infections with … Read more
JUBA – When Tunda Henry’s family fled South Sudan’s brutal civil war five years ago, they vowed to return after the upheaval. But as the young nation’s shaky peace process struggles to make progress, he fears that day may never come. Tuesday will mark two years since President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar … Read more
BEIJING – China and Russia set off alarms in the West this month with the most robust declaration of their friendship in decades but Beijing has signalled it would not back Vladimir Putin if he sent troops in to invade Ukraine. The February 4 joint statement by the neighbours included unprecedented support from Beijing for … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO – Donald Trump’s new social media app started a gradual rollout late Sunday and should be “fully operational” by late March, potentially raising the former president’s profile more than a year after he was banned by major platforms. “This week, we will begin to roll out to people on the Apple App store,” … Read more
Economists debating inflation in the United States are confronting a difficult challenge: stripping out volatile price changes to gauge underlying pressures. The most common measure of underlying or “core” inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, has been hard to read during the pandemic. The traditional measure came into wider use in the 1970s, … Read more
STARBASE, United States: Elon Musk delivered updates on SpaceX’s efforts to develop its interplanetary Starship rocket on Thursday night, but stopped short of announcing a firm launch date for an orbital test or new missions, despite considerable buildup ahead of the rare presentation. Addressing an audience at the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, south … Read more
Supply disruptions coupled with strong demand for goods, rising wages and higher commodities prices continue to challenge economies worldwide, pushing inflation above central bank targets. To contain price pressures, many economies have started tightening monetary policy, leading to a sharp increase in nominal interest rates, with long-term bond yields, often an indicator of investor sentiment, … Read more
LONDON – The settlement between Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre allows Britain’s monarchy to “move on”, just as Queen Elizabeth II celebrates a landmark 70th year on the throne, royal commentators said. Andrew, 61, has opted against pursuing a jury trial in the US civil case brought against him by Giuffre, who alleges he sexually … Read more
MUNICH, Germany – Germany accused Russia on Friday of endangering Europe’s security with demands that recall the Cold War, as Western leaders arrived for a Munich Security Conference set to be dominated by the Ukraine crisis. Fears are growing in the West that Russia is on the verge of invading its neighbour, with the United States warning … Read more
TEHRAN – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Thursday that the Islamic republic is looking for “peaceful” use of nuclear energy, and “not for nuclear weapons.” Although the Iranians’ “enemy” knows that Iran’s nuclear program is “peaceful,” it does not want the Iranian nation to achieve this great progress, Khamenei made the remarks … Read more
SYDNEY – Australia said Thursday it would list the whole of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas as a terrorist organisation, the latest Western nation to do so. Canberra had previously listed Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades military wing as a terror group, but the new designation will list the organisation in its entirety, including its political wing. Hamas … Read more
TEHRAN – Iran urged the US Congress on Wednesday to issue a “political statement” that Washington will stay committed to a possible agreement in Vienna talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal. The accord offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but then US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from … Read more
TEHRAN – A top Iranian security official said on Monday that the success of the Vienna talks on the restoration of a 2015 nuclear deal depends on the U.S. political determination. Nuclear negotiations in Vienna have reached a stage where “the outcome can be announced without guesswork,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali … Read more
WINDSOR, Canada – A major US-Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday almost a week after it was forced shut by truck driver-led protests against coronavirus restrictions, prompting police to quell the demonstration with a series of arrests. The blockading of the Ambassador Bridge, which handles an estimated 25 percent of trade between the two countries, … Read more
SAO PAULO – Brazil registered 54,220 COVID-19 infections and 314 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing its nationwide counts to 27,479,963 and 638,362, respectively, the National Council of Health Secretaries said Sunday. The national seven-day moving average of deaths reached 881, while that of daily infections stood at 135,279. As of Saturday, 152.4 million … Read more
GENEVA: Swiss President Ignazio Cassis called for “calm and creativity” to fix Switzerland’s thorny relations with the European Union. Ties between Brussels and Bern have been strained since non-EU member Switzerland suddenly decided in May 2021 to end years of discussion towards a broad cooperation agreement with the bloc. Cassis said that in sorting out … Read more
