China’s ‘unease’ over Türkiye’s support for Uighurs has hurt ties: Ankara

ANKARA 29 Dec (Online): The ebb in ties between Türkiye and China comes from Beijing’s “unease” over Ankara’s support for the Uighurs of Xinjiang, northwestern China, Türkiye’s top diplomat has said. Turkish-Chinese ties have suffered over Beijing being disturbed by Ankara’s “attitude toward Turkic Uighurs. […]

G7 tells Taliban top ‘urgently reverse’ ban on women aid workers

KABUL 29 Dec (Online): G7 foreign ministers on Thursday called on the Taliban to “urgently reverse” a ban on women working in Afghanistan’s aid sector. The ban is the latest blow against women’s rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban reclaimed power last year. The Taliban […]

Netanyahu about to recreate govt

TAL AVIV, Israel – December 28 (ONLINE) Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has finalised coalition deals with allied parties, their spokespeople said, in final steps toward his political comeback at the head of one of the most right-wing governments in Israel’s history. Netanyahu, whose bloc of […]

US, EU urge immediate deescalation at tense Serbia-Kosovo border

Washington, Dec 28 (AFP/APP):The European Union and the United States urged Kosovo and Serbia Wednesday to take “immediate” steps to deescalate tensions amid mounting unrest in their border region. “The European Union and the United States of America are concerned about the continued tense situation […]

Canada-led group seeks arbitrator over jet downing by Iran

Ottawa, Dec 28 (AFP/APP):A group of countries led by Canada on Wednesday called for an arbitrator to settle claims against Iran over its shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane in January 2020. The move is a first step in possibly bringing a case against […]

Dramatic fall in birth rate expected in Ukraine in 2023

KYIV, Ukraine – December 27 (ONLINE) A dramatic fall in the birth rate is expected in Ukraine next year and it is quite possible that the country’s population may decrease to 35 million or less by 2030, Ella Libanova, Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of […]

China set to reopen borders, scraps Covid quarantine

BEIJING, China – December 27 (ONLINE) People in China have reacted with joy and rushed to plan trips overseas after Beijing said it would scrap mandatory Covid quarantine for overseas arrivals that will end almost three years of self-imposed isolation. In a snap move late […]

France charges man over World Cup teen hit-and-run

Montpellier, France, Dec 27 (AFP/APP): France has charged a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a teenage boy during celebrations of France’s win over Morocco in the World Cup semi-finals, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The 14-year-old boy, Aymen, was killed on December 15 in the […]