NICE: Fierce winds drove heavy rain across large swathes of France yesterday, knocking out electricity for tens of thousands of homes along the western Atlantic coast and causing destructive flooding in the southeast, officials said. An autumn storm baptised Alex buffeted Brittany overnight, with wind gusts reaching 186 km/h at […]
Year: 2020
MADRID: With coronavirus infections soaring, the city of Madrid was yesterday bracing for a partial lockdown that will cut it off from the rest of the country. The new restrictions, which will also apply to nine other nearby towns where infection rates are high, will come into force at 10.00pm […]
BEIRUT: Armenia and Azerbaijan have traded accusations of using foreign fighters, mostly from Syria, in the battle for Nagorno-Karabakh. Here is an overview: Syrians in Azeri ranks? From the onset of the clashes last Sunday, Armenia has accused Turkey of sending mercenaries from northern Syria to fight alongside the Azeris. […]
BEIJING: Xi Jinping’s vow to snuff out emissions by 2060 completes a diplomatic pirouette that moves China to the heart of the global green agenda, wrong-foots the US and cuddles up to Europe’s climate advocates in one nimble step. The Chinese leader last month chose the UN as the stage […]
CALISTOGA: California fire crews deploying water-dropping helicopters made a defensive stand on Friday against flames raging in the foothills of the Napa Valley wine region as forecasts called for a return of dangerous high winds and hot weather this weekend. More than 2,500 firefighters were battling the Glass Fire, which […]
NEW YORK: Donald Trump’s announcement that he has contracted Covid-19 was proof for many of his fellow New Yorkers that the president has not taken the virus seriously enough. But in a country deeply divided by politics, some suspected the news could be a ploy. In this Democratic bastion, which […]
BETHESDA: President Donald Trump arrived by helicopter at a military hospital outside Washington yesterday, where the White House says he will stay for “the next few days” for Covid-19 treatment. The move, described by the administration as precautionary, came around 15 hours after the president announced on Twitter that he […]
WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department on Friday (Oct 2)said it was appealing a judge’s decision to block the government from barring Apple and Alphabet’s Google from offering Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat for download in US app stores. The government said it was appealing the Sept. 19 preliminary junction issued by […]
WASHINGTON: New orders for US-made goods increased less than expected in August, though business spending on equipment appeared to be recovering, which likely supported the economy in the third quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday (Oct 2) that factory orders rose 0.7 per cent after accelerating 6.5 per cent […]
SINGAPORE: Consumers trying to use their credit cards may encounter difficulties after Wirecard ceased services in Singapore, prompting local businesses to look for other payments providers. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) had earlier this week directed the troubled German firm to stop payment services here and to return all […]