Culture
2 hours ago
Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is a period of fasting, prayer, and reflection observed by Muslims worldwide. While the basic practices of fasting, giving alms, and prayer are uniform everywhere, various cultures incorporate unique traditions into their practice to make the period even more fulfilling. Being so eager to…
12 hours ago
China has initiated legal proceedings with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over an additional 10% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods, the Commerce Ministry announced yesterday.
1 day ago
US President Donald Trump has suspended military aid to Ukraine, heaping pressure on Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Russia and prompting Europe to unveil an 800 billion euro plan to shore up its defense. The move comes just days after a stunning public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, who is…
1 day ago
China said Tuesday it would slap fresh tariffs on a range of agricultural imports from the United States as of next week, in retaliation against a hike in levies by Washington. "Additional 15 percent tariffs will be imposed on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton," Beijing's finance ministry said in a statement. And "additional 10 percent…
1 day ago
Mounting trade wars between the United States and its largest economic partners deepened on Tuesday as US tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China kicked in, sparking swift retaliation from Beijing and Ottawa. Stinging US tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods came into effect as a deadline to avert President Donald Trump's levies passed without the…
28 Feb
A man who ran an illegal network of cryptocurrency ATMs was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday, in the first such criminal case in the UK. Such ATMs, which allow users to buy cryptocurrency or convert it into cash, are illegal to operate in the UK without approval from Britain's financial watchdog, the…
28 Feb
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday spoke to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, urging him to release a British citizen and activist jailed in Cairo, Downing Street said. "The prime minister discussed the case of British national Alaa Abd El-Fattah with President Sisi. He pressed for Alaa's release, having met his mother Laila Soueif…
28 Feb
Lebanese on Friday conducted a delayed burial in a border village for more than 90 civilians and fighters from the Hezbollah movement who died during the war with Israel that ended with a November ceasefire. Under the truce, Israel had an initial 60 days, later extended to February 18, to pull out its troops from…
28 Feb
Pope Francis, in hospital with pneumonia, suffered a breathing "crisis" on Friday which caused him to vomit but he was given air and responded well, the Vatican said. The episode came just hours after a Vatican source said the 88-year-old pontiff's condition was no longer considered critical, following a series of incremental improvements. Francis, who…
28 Feb
Bitcoin and its cryptocurrency peers have slumped in value over recent days as tariff threats from US President Donald Trump and new scandals affecting the sector shake confidence in volatile assets. Bitcoin dived Friday to trade under $80,000 for the first time since November. Its low of $78,225.84 was more than 25 percent off levels…
28 Feb
Thousands lined the streets around the Israeli commericial hub Tel Aviv on Friday for the funeral procession of Tsachi Idan, a hostage killed in captivity in Gaza. The development engineer was abducted from his kibbutz of Nahal Oz during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He was taken to Gaza with his…
28 Feb
Germany's conservatives led by election winner Friedrich Merz held first talks Friday with the Social Democrats on forming a coalition government as the country faces multiple challenges at home and abroad. "The exploratory talks began in an open and constructive atmosphere," Merz's CDU/CSU alliance and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) said in a joint statement,…
28 Feb
Russia on Friday named career diplomat Alexander Darchiev as new ambassador to the United States, filling a role vacant since last year in another sign of easing tensions. US President Donald Trump has sought to restore ruptured ties with Moscow since taking office, reaching out to President Vladimir Putin and initiating high-level talks for the…