A cyclonic storm killed at least four people in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Saturday, the top state official said, as heavy rain and strong winds buffeted several districts damaging property and causing power outages. Cyclone Mandous, which made landfall late Friday night, damaged 185 houses and …
Read More »Power cuts in -30C spark anger in Kazakhstan
The plight of a city in Kazakhstan left without heating for over a week in temperatures that dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) has sparked anger and highlighted the deplorable state of the country's Soviet-era infrastructure. This month the northeastern city of Ekibastuz, with a population …
Read More »With eye on Washington, Saudi courts closer China ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Saudi Arabia this week made clear just how quickly ties are intensifying during a period of geopolitical realignment, despite warnings from the White House. The agenda included talks with Saudi royals and summits with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and broader Arab League, yielding …
Read More »Residents hold their noses as crews mop up huge US oil spill
Residents near the site of the worst US oil pipeline leak in a decade took the commotion and smell in stride as emergency crews laboured to clean up in near-freezing temperatures, and investigators searched for clues to what caused the spill. A heavy odour of oil hung in the air …
Read More »India stands isolated at UN Security Council during its presidency
India stood isolated at the United Nations Security Council when it was the only country that did not vote in favour of a resolution establishing a “humanitarian carve out” to the asset freeze measures imposed by the UN sanctions regime. The Security Council adopted resolution 2664 dated December 9, 2022 …
Read More »UN carves out sanctions exemptions for humanitarian aid
The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday to allow humanitarian aid to continue unhindered into countries targeted by UN sanctions, particularly frozen assets. The text states that "payments of funds," "economic resources" or "the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian …
Read More »No Modi-Putin summit this year after they met in September: Indian govt source
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold an annual in-person summit this year, an Indian government source said on Friday, after the two held discussions on the sidelines of an event in September. Bloomberg News reported earlier in the day that the decision to …
Read More »Bangladesh opposition mounts huge protest, MPs quit
Nearly 100,000 supporters of Bangladesh's main opposition party descended on Dhaka on Saturday to protest against the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and demand new elections. "Sheikh Hasina is a vote thief," they chanted at the Golapbagh sports ground where the rally was held as the crowd spilled into …
Read More »Iran’s Raisi vows to pursue crackdown on protesters after execution
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed on Friday to press on with a security crackdown on protesters a day after the execution of a man over recent anti-government unrest that drew a chorus of Western condemnation. Nationwide protests that erupted after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman …
Read More »Russia giving Iran ‘unprecedented’ military aid, overhauling ties, says US
Russia is providing Iran with an "unprecedented" level of military assistance in exchange for Tehran's deadly armed drones as the two nations reach new levels of cooperation, the White House said on Friday. "Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship …
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