Fighting between armed groups in the Libyan capital has killed 12 people and wounded 87, the health ministry said Saturday, in the first official toll for the latest violent episode. The ministry’s statement on Facebook cited “preliminary figures on victims of the fighting in Tripoli,” which had flared Friday evening …
Read More »Monthly Archives: August 2022
Ex-Afghan president admits blame for trusting ‘key partner’ US
Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has accepted “shared” responsibility for the fall of the country into Taliban hands, blaming himself for trusting the US which negotiated a deal with the militant group that brought about his ouster. “One has to take responsibility for trusting a partner that then trampled our …
Read More »Medvedev: Russia can’t stop war even if Ukraine drops NATO bid
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top ally, Dmitry Medvedev, says if Ukraine had been allowed to join NATO, World War Three could have begun. In an interview with French TV network LCI, Medvedev also said it is not possible for Moscow to stop its military campaign in Ukraine even if Kiev formally renounces …
Read More »Poland signs $5.8bn arms deal with S Korea to replace weapons sent to Ukraine
Poland has sealed a weapons deal worth $5.8 billion with South Korea for the purchase of tanks, howitzers and ammunition as the east European nation aims to replace armaments shipped to Ukraine. Polish Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, who also serves as the country’s defense minister, signed the arms deals on …
Read More »Migrants living under ‘inhumane’ conditions at Dutch center, PM ‘ashamed’
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he is “ashamed” as hundreds of asylum-seekers have been forced to sleep in the sweltering heat outside an overcrowded migrant reception center in Ter Apel, a village in the northern Netherlands. “It is terrible what is happening in Ter Apel,” Rutte said on Friday, but …
Read More »University with majority Black students in US receives two bomb threats in 48 hours
A university in Washington DC that has been historically populated by Back students has received two bomb threats in 48 hours, the latest in a series of “racially charged acts” against the institution. Students on Howard University’s Washington DC campus had to evacuate the dormitories for the second time on Friday …
Read More »Russia poses challenge to NATO in the Arctic: Stoltenberg
NATO’s secretary-general alleges that Russia’s military capabilities in the Arctic have come to pose a challenge to the Western military alliance in the region. Speaking during a visit to Canada on Friday, Jens Stoltenberg accused Moscow of creating “a significant military buildup” in the high North. He claimed that Russia …
Read More »Pakistan declares emergency as devastating floods affect millions
The government of Pakistan has declared a state of emergency to deal with the monsoon floods that have hit areas across the country and affected more than 30 million people. Despite being essential every year to irrigate crops and fill lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, monsoons also bring …
Read More »German, French electricity prices soar to new records
The price of electricity in Germany and France for 2023 has soared to new records due to the European energy crisis caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to AFP, in Germany, the price of electricity for the year ahead reached €850 ($850) per megawatt hours (MWh) in the stock …
Read More »Pro-Palestine activists rally in Minnesota, demand US divest from Israel
Pro-Palestine activists have rallied in Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota in the US, protesting against the state’s support for Israel. The protesters, who gathered outside the governor’s mansion, called on Minnesota’s State Board of Investment (SBI) to sell off its shares in Israeli corporations. The protest action, which …
Read More »China conducts fresh military drills around Taiwan as tensions grow
China has reportedly conducted military exercises around Taiwan as tensions grow over US provocations, including visits by top American officials to Taipei. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, citing a spokesman for China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command, reported on Friday that the drills are part of the routinized military operations …
Read More »Turkish military forces, allied militants shell villages in Syria’s Raqqah: Report
Turkish military forces and their allied militants have reportedly shelled residential areas in the countryside of Syria’s northern province of Raqqah, as Turkey is apparently preparing for a new cross-border offensive in West Asian country. The shelling struck the villages of Abu Surra, al-Dibs and the M4 international highway in the …
Read More »Report: UK ‘secretly’ doubles funding to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
The UK government’s funding for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain has more than doubled this year through Persian Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) for unknown reasons, according to a report. GSF spending for Saudi Arabia increased from £813,605 to £1.8m and from £710,028 to £1.8m for Bahrain in 2021-2022, the Foreign, Commonwealth and …
Read More »Syrian air defenses repel Israeli attack over Tartus, Hama
Syria’s air defenses have repelled yet another Israeli act of aggression targeting the Arab country’s western areas. The Israeli aerial assault took place at 19:15 local time (16:15 GMT) against the countryside of the cities of Tartus and Hama on Thursday, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported, adding …
Read More »Gas prices set new record in Europe amid fears of Russian supply cuts
European natural gas prices have hit new records in the aftermath of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, prompting several European countries such as Italy and Spain to take new measures to bring the crisis under control. Europe’s benchmark Dutch TTF gas contract advanced to 318 euros per megawatt on Thursday, …
Read More »Champions League draw: Lewandowski, Barca to face Bayern as English teams avoid group of death
A Barcelona-Bayern Munich pairing headlines the Champions League group stage draw as the Premier League teams all avoided what looks to be the group of death. Internazionale also lines out in that tough Group C, with Czech club Viktoria Plzen given the rough end of the stick as the fourth …
Read More »Oil prices ease on possible Iran oil exports, rising interest rates
Oil prices eased on Thursday in volatile trade as investors braced for the possible return of sanctioned Iranian oil exports to the market and on worries that rising U.S. interest rates would weaken fuel demand. The prospect that the OPEC+ producer group could curb oil supplies limited the decline in …
Read More »Nearly 25,000 migrants reach Greece in August as govt extended border wall
The Greek government said on Thursday that some 25,000 migrants had tried to enter the country through its border with Turkey in August, as it announced plans to dramatically extend a wall between the two neighbors. Athens will extend a 40-kilometer (25-mile) long wall built along the Greek-Turkish border at …
Read More »Pakistan floods have affected over 30 million people: Climate change minister
Historic monsoon rains and flooding in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people over the last few weeks, the country’s climate change minister said on Thursday, calling the situation a “climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions”. Pakistan has urged the international community to help with relief efforts as it …
Read More »US base in Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr comes under second rocket attack
A military facility housing US occupation forces in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr has come under attack for the second time in a few hours when rockets fired from nearby areas hit the facility. Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria’s official news agency SANA that a …
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