Yemeni workers in Saudi at risk of forced returns: HRW

Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi Arabia to stop laying off Yemeni employees, warning that this could force them to return to the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.
1 September 2021

Israel further eases Gaza restrictions despite unrest

Israel said yesterday it would expand Gaza’s fishing zone, increase its water supply and allow more Palestinian traders and goods to enter Israel, even as violence persisted on the border.
1 September 2021

WHO worried about ‘Mu’ variant

The World Health Organization has said it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as “Mu”, which was first identified in Colombia in January.
1 September 2021

World’s biggest triceratops on sale in Paris

A Paris auction house will seek to sell in October the world’s biggest known example of the dinosaur triceratops, known as “Big John”, with the spectacular skeleton on show to the public beforehand, organisers said Tuesday.
1 September 2021

4.1b living without any social safety nets: UN

Over half of all people in the world have no social protections, the United Nations said yesterday, even after the pandemic spurred countries to offer more services to their populations.
1 September 2021

Quotes of the day

This is the right decision. A wise decision. And the best decision for America. President Joe Biden on US troops pull out from Afghanistan
1 September 2021

UN sees fivefold surge in 50 yrs

The number of disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than 2 million people and costing $3.64 trillion in total losses, a UN agency said yesterday.
1 September 2021

Illegal mining up 500pc in decade

Illegal mining expanded by nearly 500 percent on protected indigenous reservations in Brazil in a decade, and by more than 300 percent on protected park lands, according to a study released Monday.
31 August 2021

Hurricane Ida ravages Louisiana

Rescuers on Monday combed through the “catastrophic” damage Hurricane Ida inflicted on Louisiana, a day after the fierce storm killed at least two people, stranded others in rising floodwaters and sheared the roofs off homes.
31 August 2021

Not noble gesture, but absolute necessity

When the world’s leading conservation congress kicks off Friday in the French port city of Marseille it will aim to deliver one key message: protecting wildlife must not be seen as a noble gesture but an absolute necessity -- for people and the planet.
31 August 2021

70pc of adults in EU fully vaccinated

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said yesterday 70 percent of adults in the European Union were now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, hitting an end-of-summer target the bloc set for itself in January.
31 August 2021

Brazil bank robbers strap hostages to cars during deadly raid

Heavily armed gangsters strapped hostages to their getaway cars after robbing two banks in Brazil, in a rampage that left three people dead, police and reports said Monday.
31 August 2021

Wildfire forces evacuation of major US tourist spot

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate Monday as a huge wildfire loomed over a major US tourist spot, filling the air with choking smoke.
31 August 2021

Russian cosmonauts find new cracks in ISS module

Russian cosmonauts have discovered new cracks in a segment of the International Space Station that could widen, a senior space official said yesterday, the latest in a series of setbacks.
30 August 2021

Tight security, shops shut as S Sudan warns against protests

Security forces patrolled South Sudan’s capital Juba yesterday and many shops were shut as the authorities warned of a tough crackdown against anyone joining a planned anti-government protest.
30 August 2021

Leaded petrol runs out of gas, century after first warnings: UN

The use of leaded petrol has been eradicated from the globe, a milestone that will prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths and save world economies over $2.4 trillion annually, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said yesterday.
30 August 2021

Teachers should be priority group for Covid jabs: WHO

Teachers and school staff should be among the groups prioritised for Covid-19 vaccinations so that schools in Europe and Central Asia can stay open, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef said yesterday.
30 August 2021

More News

Russia yesterday called on the United States to release Afghan central bank reserves that Washington blocked after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul earlier this month.
30 August 2021

This day in history

1907 - The Anglo-Russian Convention was signed in St Petersburg, settling differences between Britain and Russia over Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet.
30 August 2021

No diplomatic process with Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett yesterday sought to play down any notion of a move towards renewed peace negotiations with the Palestinians after the highest-level Israeli-Palestinian meeting in years.
30 August 2021