International

Burkina Faso President tweets to lay down arms


New York: Amid ongoing unrest and a coup in Burkina Faso, a tweet was sent out by President Roch Kabore's official account calling on the army to lay down arms and to safeguard democratic achievements. "Our nation is going through difficult times. At this precise moment, we must safeguard our democratic achievements. I invite those who...

Over 61 crore students affected by school closures: Unicef


New York: Over 616 million, or 61.60 crore, students have been adversely affected by full or partial closure of schools due to the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations Children’s Fund said. Sharing data on the impact of school closures on children, Unicef pointed out that several million have missed out on academic learning with younger students...

UK PM welcomes police probe into Downing Street lockdown parties


London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers in the House of Commons that he welcomed a police investigation into alleged parties at Downing Street during the national lockdown. Johnson faced calls to resign from opposition politicians during an urgent debate following the announcement by the Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, that a police...

Stay calm, Russian invasion not imminent: Ukraine


Kyiv: Ukraine’s leaders sought to reassure the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and received a shipment of US military equipment to shore up their defenses. Moscow has denied it is planning an assault, but it has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine...

UAE destroys two Houthi missiles fired over Abu Dhabi


The United Arab Emirates (UAE) intercepted two missiles headed towards its capital Abu Dhabi on Monday morning. The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency said that the missiles were intercepted and its fragments fell over the city harming none. The missiles come as tensions soar between the coalition of Gulf nations and Iran-backed Houthi militia...

Vijay Mallya loses bid to save his plush London home


The fugitive Kingfisher tycoon Vijay Mallya is facing the prospect of a humiliating eviction from the luxury Central London home he currently occupies after the UK High Court ruled against him in a dispute with the Swiss bank UBS.  Mallya held a mortgage obtained from UBS on the multi-million-pound property, located along Cornwall Terrace in...

Over 16 cr more forced into poverty in 2 years of Covid: Oxfam


New Delhi: The first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic saw incomes of 99 percent of humanity fall and over 16 crore people were forced into poverty even as the world's ten richest men saw their fortune more than double to USD 1.5 trillion (over Rs 111 lakh crore) at a rate of USD 1.3...

Downing Street apologizes to Queen for lockdown parties


London: Downing Street has apologized to Queen Elizabeth II for hosting two staff parties on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral in 2021 when Covid-19 rules barred indoor socializing. "It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and Number 10 has apologized to the Palace," a spokesperson for British Prime...

Nearly 10,000 overseas nationals forced to return to China: Report


Beijing: Beijing has forced nearly 10,000 Chinese overseas nationals to return since 2014 using coercive means outside the justice system, according to a new report. The figure could be the "tip of the iceberg", Spain-based rights group Safeguard Defenders reported, as China aggressively pursues its nationals overseas. The report alleges China is expanding its policing powers overseas...