Saturday, 18 Jan, 2025

International

Explosion at Nigerian illegal oil refinery kills more than 100

More than 100 people were killed overnight in an explosion at an illegal oil refining depot in Nigeria’s Rivers state, a local government official and an environmental group said. “The fire outbreak occurred at an illegal bunkering site and it affected more than 100 people

Russia plans to take southern Ukraine -Commander 

Russia is aiming to take full control of southern Ukraine as well as the eastern Donbas region, a senior Russian commander says. Maj Gen Rustam Minnekayev was quoted in state media as saying that goal would allow Moscow to form a land bridge to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. He

António Guterres to meet Putin, Zelenskyy separately for peace

António Guterres will be traveling to Russia and Ukraine to meet with both the Foreign Ministers and Presidents of these countries, according to United Nations.  A spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres informed correspondents in a note that on Tuesday,

Afghanistan: At least 31 dead and injured in four blasts

Dozens of people have been killed or injured in four explosions across Afghanistan on Thursday, local officials and journalists have said. The first explosion tore through a Shia mosque in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. At least 31 people were killed, and 87 were wounded, a health

5 dead after small plane crashes in Haiti

A small plane crashed Wednesday in the bustling Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, killing at least five people and injuring several others, authorities said. The plane was headed to the southern coastal city of Jacmel when it tried to land in the community of Carrefour and hit a truck

Ukraine's allies pledge more weapons to help win war

Ukraine's allies have pledged to send more weapons to help it defend against a renewed Russian offensive. The US and others vowed to send artillery, anti-tank and air defence aid to Kyiv during a 90-minute video call on Tuesday. Ukraine says it needs the weapons to help defend

Russia gives fresh ultimatum to fighters in Mariupol

Summary Russia gives a new deadline of 1100 GMT (Wednesday) to Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to surrender Ukrainian officials say their troops will continue to defend the port city President Volodymyr Zelensky says "the situation in Mariupol remains as severe as

Pakistan: 6 sentenced to death for lynching Sri Lankan national

A court in Pakistan has sentenced six people to death after convicting them for their roles in last year’s vigilante killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager accused by workers of committing blasphemy. The six men sentenced to death were convicted of murder of Priyantha Kumara

Israel strikes Gaza Strip as tensions soar

Israeli warplanes launched an attack in the Gaza Strip, targeting what the military said was a weapons manufacturing site belonging to Hamas, the Palestinian group that administers the coastal enclave. No casualties or injuries have been reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry on

Battle for the Donbas has begun, says Zelensky

Summary Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia's large-scale offensive in the eastern Donbas region is under way The secretary of Ukraine's National Security Council had earlier said Moscow tried to break through defences in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv

Sri Lankan President appoints new cabinet

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a new cabinet despite calls for him to resign over a disastrous economic crisis. The 17 new ministers named did not include several relatives who had previously held portfolios, although a number of stalwarts kept their seats. He

At least 47 dead in Afghanistan after Pakistan attacks: Officials

The death toll from Pakistan’s military air raids on targets in the eastern Afghanistan provinces of Khost and Kunar on Saturday has risen to at least 47, officials said. “Forty-one civilians, mainly women and children, were killed and 22 others were wounded in air strikes

Russia bombards cities across Ukraine

Summary:  Russian shelling and air strikes hit multiple targets across Ukraine, officials say Four missiles have struck the Lviv region, the governor Makysm Kozytskyi says Five people are reportedly killed and 13 injured in shelling of the city of Kharkiv In Mykolaiv,

Tensions flare as Israeli police enter Al-Aqsa Mosque again

Israeli police have entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as worshippers gathered for early morning prayers, two days after detaining hundreds at the site in another raid at the mosque. Israeli authorities said they entered the compound on Sunday to facilitate routine visits by Jews to

Johnson to visit India in bid to boost defence ties

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to make a long-delayed trip to India this week in a bid to strengthen security ties with the country. He will meet his counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, with talks focused on defence and trade. It will be Mr Johnson's first

Russia sets deadline for Mariupol surrender

Russia’s defence ministry has told the Ukrainian forces still fighting in the besieged southern port of Mariupol to lay down their arms starting 6am Moscow time (1pm AEST) on Sunday to save their lives. Russia’s earlier claim that its troops had cleared the urban area of

Russia bans entry to British PM

Russia has banned Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior ministers from entering Russia over the UK's "hostile" stance on the war in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and 10 other senior politicians - mostly members of the Cabinet

Russia warns US of 'consequences' of Ukraine military aid

Russia has sent a series of warnings to the Biden administration, including a formal diplomatic protest this week, demanding that it halt shipment of advanced weapons to Ukraine that could strike into Russian territory or risk unspecified "unpredictable consequences." The

Israeli forces raid Al-Aqsa Mosque, over 150 Palestinians injured

Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem with medics reporting at least 158 Palestinians injured in the ensuing violence as hundreds were detained. The Islamic endowment that runs the site said Israeli police entered in force before dawn on Friday,

Russia expels 18 EU diplomats

Moscow said on Friday that 18 members of the European Union mission in Russia had been told to leave the country and blamed Brussels for destroying ties. The EU on April 5 said the 19 Russian diplomats had been "engaging in activities contrary to their diplomatic status" and