MTHATHA (South Africa): President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived Friday in South Africa’s flood-devastated Eastern Cape province, where a torrential storm killed at least 78 people, with the search for more bodies ongoing. Thousands of houses, roads, schools and health facilities were left caked in mud after being completely submerged in water from a winter storm that…
BRUSSELS: The European Union is disbursing a further 1 billion euros ($1.15 billion) to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. “Today we disburse a new €1 billion to Ukraine. Bringing our total support to almost 150 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion,“ she said on social media platform X. ($1 =…
VIENNA: The 21-year-old man behind Austria’s worst school shooting posted on social media from the building just before he shot dead 10 people then killed himself this week, Austrian newspapers reported on Friday. Police described the Austrian as an introvert and an avid player of online shooting games who had largely withdrawn from the outside…
PARIS: French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that he had spoken with the Israeli and Saudi foreign ministers following the multipronged attack on Iran launched by Israel on Friday and Iran’s vows to retaliate. — More to follow
PARIS: Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg has cancelled his trip to next week’s Paris Air Show, a major aviation industry event, to focus on the investigation into the Air India Dreamliner crash. The crash has put the spotlight back on Boeing, which had been making progress under new leadership following concerns over safety and quality…
NICOSIA: Cyprus airports operator Hermes said 32 flights from the Middle East had been diverted to airports in Larnaca and Paphos by 0800 GMT on Friday. It said that at the present time, requests for diversions were ‘at a minimum’.
BEIJING: China warned the Group of Seven advanced economies on Friday against “manipulating” issues related to the world’s second-largest economy for their own agenda, after they accused Beijing of unfair business practices a year earlier. Beijing’s criticism of the G7 and what it represents comes amid a surge in global trade tension between the United…
BEIJING: China was deeply concerned about the Israeli attacks on Iran and urged de-escalation for regional peace and stability, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. “China opposes any infringement upon Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and opposes any escalation of tensions and expansion of conflicts. A sudden rise in regional tensions is…
MOSCOW,: Russia on Friday condemned the sharp escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran and expressed concern after Israeli strikes on Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. Israel launched strikes against Iran on Friday, saying it had targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start…
VIENNA: U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Friday he was ready to travel to Iran to assess the situation there after Israel carried out widespread military strikes that hit the sprawling nuclear complex at Natanz. In a statement to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, Grossi said the…
