Britain's Queen Elizabeth spoke of loss of her husband in unusually personal Christmas message

Queen Elizabeth II in her Christmas Day message shared the pain she felt after the death of her husband as she encouraged people everywhere to celebrate with friends and family, despite the grief caused by the ongoing pandemic.
25 December 2021

Insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ‘violation of religious freedom’: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not count as an expression of artistic freedom but is a “violation of religious freedom”, according to Russian news agency TASS.
25 December 2021

16 migrants dead in Greece shipwreck, 3rd maritime disaster in a week

At least 16 people died when their boat overturned off the Greek island of Paros in the central Aegean Sea on Friday, in the third maritime disaster involving migrants this week, the country's coastguard said.
25 December 2021

US became ‘arrogant’ after fall of Soviet Union: Gorbachev

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev yesterday said that Washington grew “arrogant and self-confident” after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to the expansion of the Nato military alliance.
24 December 2021

Poland says Germany wants to turn EU into ‘Fourth Reich’

The head of Poland’s ruling party Jaroslaw Kaczynski yesterday said that Germany was trying to turn the European Union into a federal “German Fourth Reich”.
24 December 2021

Russia fines Google $98m over banned content

A Moscow court slapped Google with an unprecedented hefty fine of nearly $100 million yesterday as Russia ramps up its pressure on foreign tech giants.
24 December 2021

Two killed in Russia hospital fire

Two patients died yesterday after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit of an infectious diseases hospital, typically used to treat Covid patients, in Astrakhan in southern Russia.
24 December 2021

Intel apologizes over letter addressing US sanctions on Xinjiang

Intel found itself on the back foot in Washington and Beijing on Thursday after issuing a public apology over a letter to its suppliers referencing US sanctions targeting human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.
24 December 2021

West condemns ‘deployment’ of Russian mercenaries in Mali

More than a dozen Western powers on Thursday expressed anger that Russian mercenaries working for the controversial Wagner group have started to deploy in Mali, accusing Moscow of providing material backing for the fighters.
24 December 2021

Putin hails multiple launch test of hypersonic missile

President Vladimir Putin yesterday said the Russian military successfully fired a simultaneous salvo of its Zircon hypersonic missiles, calling it “a big event” for the country.
24 December 2021

Canada meets 2021 immigration target

Canada met its target of granting 401,000 foreigners permanent residency in 2021 by focusing its efforts on temporary residents already in the country,
24 December 2021

Iran nuclear talks to resume next week: EU

Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume next Monday, the EU diplomat chairing the negotiations said on Thursday, urging a “picking up of the
24 December 2021

CAPITOL RIOT PROBE: Trump asks US SC to block release of White House records

Former President Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court on Thursday to block the release of White House records sought by the House of Representatives committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
24 December 2021

Assange lawyers launch appeal against extradition

Lawyers for Julian Assange have launched an appeal before Britain’s Supreme Court against a High Court ruling that he may be extradited to the United States, the WikiLeaks founder’s fiancee said Thursday.
24 December 2021

Inaction may kill thousands

Germany’s new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has pledged to work with international partners to help avert in Afghanistan what she called “the worst humanitarian catastrophe of our time”.
24 December 2021

Putin sees ‘positive’ US reaction

President Vladimir Putin said that Washington’s willingness to discuss Russia’s security proposals to curb Nato’s eastward expansion was “positive”, as fears mount in the West over a major military escalation in Ukraine.
24 December 2021

This day in history

William the Conqueror is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England.
24 December 2021

World welcomes Christmas amid pandemic blues

Omicron’s rise has heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions, with Santa’s arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more Covid restrictions.
24 December 2021

US Navy seizes guns it says heading from Iran to Yemen

The US Navy has seized 1,400 AK-47 rifles and ammunition from a fishing boat it claimed was smuggling weapons from Iran to Huthi rebels in war-torn Yemen.
23 December 2021

Iran nuclear talks to resume next week: EU chair

Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume next Monday, the EU diplomat chairing the negotiations said yesterday, urging a “picking up of the pace”.
23 December 2021