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Sanctions squeeze: Russia’s oil revenue drop as military spending soars

31 Aug 2023 10:04 AM IST

The Russian ruble’s wobble in value has exposed a crack in President Vladimir Putin’s fortress economy, a vulnerability quickly plastered over by the Kremlin’s economic team in a move that allowed the currency to regain its footing, at least for now. Yet the patch — an emergency interest rate increase

EU’s largest Wildfire continues to devastate Greece after 12 days

31 Aug 2023 10:00 AM IST

The European Union’s largest wildfire since the bloc started keeping records more than two decades ago showed no signs of abating Wednesday in northeastern Greece despite the efforts of a multinational firefighting force on the ground and a fleet of water-dropping aircraft. Now in its 12th day, the blaze that

Rising distrust and Nuclear progress a ‘Recipe for Disaster’: UN Chief

31 Aug 2023 09:59 AM IST

An alarming rise in global distrust and division coupled with efforts by countries to improve the accuracy and destructive power of nuclear weapons is “a recipe for annihilation,” the United Nations chief warned Tuesday. In a statement marking the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that with

Hurricane Idalia make “extremely dangerous” landfall in Category 4 storm

31 Aug 2023 09:58 AM IST

Hurricane Idalia made “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm early on Wednesday (US time), according to the updated advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Idalia inundated parts of Florida’s Big Bend region with a “catastrophic” storm surge between 12 to 16 feet — higher than an average city bus. In its

Ukrainian drones hit 6 Russian regions, breaking 18-month record

31 Aug 2023 09:57 AM IST

Russian officials accused Ukraine of targeting six Russian regions with drones early Wednesday in what appears to be the biggest drone attack on Russian soil since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine 18 months ago. Drones hit an airport in the western Pskov region and started a massive fire there, the

Russia intercepts Ukrainian drone over Ryazan region

31 Aug 2023 09:53 AM IST

Russian air defence intercepted a Ukrainian drone over the Ryazan Region on Wednesday, TASS News Agency reported. The Russian Defence Ministry told reporters that a drone was sent to Russia in another attempt made by the Ukrainian government. “At around 4:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Kyiv regime tried to attack

US unveils new military aid package for Ukraine

31 Aug 2023 09:51 AM IST

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, aimed at bolstering the country’s defenses against potential threats. The assistance, disclosed by Al Jazeera, encompasses a range of resources, including additional mine-clearing equipment, air defense missiles, artillery ammunition, high bar systems, and over three

A partnership for the planet: French Foreign Minister on India ties

30 Aug 2023 15:11 PM IST

The partnership between France and India has developed into one for the planet, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, and Paris is now looking to forge new alliances with India in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. “Our partnership with India has grown and become a partnership for the

Gabonese military officers seize power, say general elections lacked credibility

30 Aug 2023 14:05 PM IST

According to Al Jazeera, a group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on national television on Wednesday and claimed to speak for all of Gabon’s security and defense forces. They claimed that the country’s recent general elections were invalid and that they had taken control of the situation. According to

Nigerian army rescues children from captivity of Islamic rebels

30 Aug 2023 10:52 AM IST

Nigerian security forces have rescued dozens of captives mostly women and children held by Islamic extremist rebels in the country’s hard-hit northeastern region, the army said. The Nigerian army said late Monday the 25 captives were rescued during “clearance operations” by its troops in Borno state’s Gwoza district, a hotbed

Ready to improve cooperation: Top Chinese official to US commerce secretary

30 Aug 2023 10:50 AM IST

The top Chinese official in charge of economic relations with Washington told Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Tuesday he was ready to “make new positive efforts” to improve cooperation following an agreement to reduce trade tension by launching groups to discuss export controls and other commercial disputes. The agreement Monday

UK air traffic control outage to cause chaos for days

30 Aug 2023 10:49 AM IST

The UK government on Tuesday said that though the air traffic control “technical issue” that led to the severe disruption of hundreds of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded has been resolved, routes will continue to be affected as airlines scramble to recover from the domino effect on their