Putin says Europe to blame for gas price spike

Moscow, Oct 6 (AFP/APP):Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Europe was to blame for the current energy crisis after soaring gas prices have spurred accusations that Moscow is withholding supplies to pressure the West. “They’ve made mistakes,” Putin said in a televised meeting with […]

French senators visit Taiwan despite China protests

Taipei, Oct 6 (AFP/APP):A delegation of French senators led by a former defence minister arrived on Wednesday in Taiwan, where they will hold talks with President Tsai Ing-wen, despite strong protests from China. Beijing opposes Taipei having any official diplomatic exchanges and has aggressively tried […]

Rival Libya bodies in new election law dispute

Tripoli, Oct 5 (AFP/APP):Two rival Libyan factions have again disagreed over legislation governing elections planned for December, raising further doubts Tuesday over whether the UN-backed polls can take place. In the latest dispute the equivalent of Libya’s senate, based in the western city of Tripoli, […]

Food-crisis spectre haunts 600,000 in Niger: UN

Niamey, Oct 3 (AFP/APP):The United Nations on Sunday warned that the Tillaberi region of western Niger was facing a “major food crisis”, with almost 600,000 people exposed to food insecurity. The vast region of about the same size as South Korea or Hungary borders the […]

At least 9 dead as cyclone lashes Oman, Iran

Muscat, Oct 3 (AFP/APP):At least nine people were killed in Oman and Iran on Sunday as Tropical Cyclone Shaheen pummelled parts of their coastlines, authorities said. In Oman, two people died in a landslide and a child in flash flooding, officials said. Rescue teams pulled […]

German parties meet as coalition haggling begins

Berlin, Oct 3 (AFP/APP):German political parties will hold exploratory talks from Sunday as they jostle to form the next government after a close election, with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) battling Angela Merkel’s conservatives for the chancellery. The SPD and its candidate Olaf Scholz narrowly […]

British PM Johnson upbeat despite UK’s woes

Manchester, United Kingdom, Oct 3 (AFP/APP):Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday vowed to press on with his post-Brexit agenda for Britain, even as the country faces a growing supply chain crisis made worse by its EU departure. Rank-and-file members of Johnson’s Conservative party gather from […]

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