Month: January 2020

Residents fear aftershocks more than cold after Turkey quake

A dozen people bundled up in colourful blankets crouched around a makeshift fire in eastern Turkey. It is an icy night in Elazig and Esra Kasapoglu shivers but she says “it’s out of the question to return home.” Several residents in Elazig, the province that was struck by […]

UAE tech ambitions tarnished by internet restrictions

With its ultra-modern infrastructure and hyper-connected services, the United Arab Emirates is an emerging technology power, but a scandal surrounding a popular messaging application has highlighted tight controls on the internet. The oil-rich country has invested billions in new technologies and artificial intelligence “to become a forerunner in […]

China hardens virus defences as death toll hits 56

China on Sunday expanded drastic travel restrictions to contain a viral contagion that has killed 56 people and infected nearly 2,000, as the United States and France prepared to evacuate their citizens from a quarantined city at the outbreak’s epicentre. China has locked down the hard-hit province of […]

China’s animal trade to spawn more viral outbreaks: experts

The animal-borne SARS virus 17 years ago was supposed to be a wake-up call about consuming wildlife as food, but scientists say China’s latest epidemic indicates that the practice remains widespread and a growing risk to human health. Like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which was traced to […]

Pompeo lashes out at journalist; NPR defends its reporter

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out in anger Saturday at an NPR reporter who accused him of shouting expletives at her after she asked him in an interview about Ukraine. In a direct and personal attack, America’s chief diplomat said the journalist had “lied” to […]

General: US committed to Syria fight; Missions up against IS

GREEN VILLAGE MILITARY OUTPOST — U.S. troops at military outposts ín eastern Syria asked variations of the same question to their top commander Saturday: What is our future here? What are the goals we need to think about? Gen. Frank McKenzie, the U.S Middle East commander, knows the […]

Trump lawyers argue Democrats just want to overturn election

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s lawyers plunged into his impeachment trial defense Saturday by accusing Democrats of striving to overturn the 2016 election, arguing that investigations of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine have not been a fact-finding mission but a politically motivated effort to drive him from the White […]

Serena Williams not going quietly as Coco makes case as heir

Serena Williams suffered her earliest exit from the Australian Open since 2006 but the 23-time Grand Slam champion is not ready to hand over the baton to heir apparent Coco Gauff just yet. The 38-year-old Williams was downcast but quietly defiant in the aftermath of her shock third-round […]

Turkey quake kills at least 22, rescuers dig for survivors

ELAZIG, Turkey – The death toll from a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey reached 22 on Saturday, as rescuers searched for survivors trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The magnitude 6.8 quake late Friday shook Elazig province, about 550 km (340 miles) east of the capital Ankara, […]

Limited internet to be restored in Kashmir, no access to social media

Srinagar – Limited mobile data services and internet will be temporarily restored in Jammu and Kashmir from Saturday, ending nearly a six month communications lockdown after Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the Muslim majority region’s autonomy. Access will be limited to about 300 “whitelisted” websites and internet speed […]

Headlines