Asia hit hardest by climate and weather disasters last year, says UN By: AFP on April 24, 2024Asia was the world’s most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said Tuesday, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the UN’s weather and climate agency said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace. The […]
Israeli military intelligence chief resigns as Gaza pounded By: Agencies on April 23, 2024Israel’s military intelligence chief has resigned after taking responsibility for failures leading to the Hamas attack on October 7, the military said on Monday, as Israel carried out more shelling in war-battered Gaza. Major General Aharon Haliva is the first top Israeli official to step down for failing to prevent the Hamas attack, which triggered […]
Modi accused of targeting Muslims in election speech By: Agencies on April 23, 2024India’s main opposition Congress party filed a complaint to the Election Commission on Monday accusing Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “blatantly targeting” minority Muslims in a campaign speech. The world’s most populous country is constitutionally secular and its election code bans canvassing based on “communal feelings”. Modi’s muscular Hindu-first politics is a key […]
Parisians protest against Islamophobia amid Gaza war tensions By: Reuters on April 22, 2024A crowd of around 2,000 people protested in Paris against racism, Islamophobia and violence against children on Sunday after a court allowed their demonstration to go ahead. Bans on protests have been more frequent in France in recent months amid tensions stirred by Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. In a country that is home […]
50 Ukrainian drones shot down as attacks spark fires at Russian power stations By: AP on April 21, 2024Ukraine launched a barrage of drones across Russia overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Saturday, in attacks that appeared to target the country´s energy infrastructure. Fifty drones were shot down by air defences over eight Russian regions, including 26 over the country´s western Belgorod region close to the Ukrainian border. Two people – a […]
Israel, Iran play down apparent Israeli air strike near nuclear site By: pa media on April 20, 2024Israel and Iran have played down an apparent Israeli air strike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran, signalling the two bitter enemies are ready to prevent their latest eruption of violence from escalating into a full-blown region-wide war. But the indecisive outcome of weeks of tensions – which included an […]
India votes as Narendra Modi seeks third term By: pa media on April 20, 2024Voters began queuing at polling stations in parts of the first 21 states to hold ballots hours before they were allowed in at 7am, from the Himalayan mountains to the tropical Andaman Islands. Nearly 970 million voters – more than 10% of the world’s population – will elect 543 members to the lower house of […]
Explosions Rock Isfahan Province: Iran Activates Air Defense Systems Amid Tensions on April 19, 2024In a flurry of events, explosions have been reported in Isfahan Province, central Iran, near an airbase. Iranian state media confirmed the explosions, prompting Iran to activate air defense systems not only in Isfahan but also in several other provinces. Simultaneously, blasts were reported in Iraq and southern Syria, raising concerns over regional stability. US […]
US vetoes Palestinian request for full UN membership By: Web Desk on April 19, 2024The US has vetoed a Palestinian request to the United Nations security council for full UN membership, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state. The vote in the 15-member security council was 12 in favor, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland. US officials had been hoping Washington could avoid […]
Israel killed 6,000 mothers in Gaza, leaving 19,000 children orphaned: UN Women on April 18, 2024Six months into the war on Gaza, over 10,000 women have been killed by Israel, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned, UN Women said on Tuesday citing its latest report. Israel’s war on Gaza is “also a war on women”, the UN agency said at the launch of the report: Scarcity […]