International

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Saturday for more effort and unity as the country enters a “new phase” in its approach to combating the pandemic, in his first comments to the public on Covid-19 since his government changed course three weeks ago and relaxed its rigorous policy of lockdowns and mass testing. China’s abrupt switch earlier this month from …

The Palestinians on Saturday welcomed a vote by the United Nations General Assembly requesting that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provide an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. The Hague-based ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the top UN court dealing with disputes between states. Its rulings are binding, though the …

The world’s eight billion people have begun ushering in 2023 and bidding farewell to a turbulent 12 months marked by war in Europe, stinging price rises, Lionel Messi’s World Cup glory and the deaths of Queen Elizabeth, Pele and former pope Benedict. Many are ready to party on New Year’s Eve after a few pandemic-dampened years, setting aside pinched budgets and a virus that is increasingly forgotten but …

KYIV: Explosions were reported throughout Ukraine on New Year’s Eve as Russia carried out its second major round of missile attacks in three days on Saturday, Reuters reported while quoting Ukrainian officials. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least one person had been killed and eight wounded after a series of explosions in the capital. Reuters correspondents reported hearing 10 loud …

PARIS: Iran’s security forces fired on a crowd in the Kurdish-populated west on Saturday, killing a 22-year-old, a rights group said, more than 100 days after the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini sparked nationwide protests. The Islamic republic has been rocked by demonstrations since Amini died in custody on Sept 16 following her arrest for an alleged breach of …

HONG KONG: China’s top lawmaking body has given Hong Kong leader John Lee the power to bar foreign lawyers from national security cases, removing the decision from the city’s courts, in a move likely to further fuel concerns over judicial independence. The use of foreign lawyers by both prosecutors and the defence have long been part of the former British …

UNITED NATIONS: The Arab region registered the world’s highest unemployment rate in 2022, about 12 per cent, says a UN survey released this weekend. The Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the Arab Region, however, projects post-Covid-19 economic recovery efforts to prompt a very slight decrease next year — to 11.7pc. Following an estimated 5.2pc growth in 2022, the …

ZAGREB: Croatia was counting down the hours on Saturday ahead of a switch to the euro and entry into Europe’s passport-free zone — two major milestones for the country after joining the EU nearly a decade ago. At midnight (2300 GMT) the Balkan nation will bid farewell to its kuna currency and become the 20th member of the eurozone. It …

SEOUL: North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday, Seoul’s military said, adding a final salvo to Pyongyang’s record-breaking blitz of launches this year. Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen sharply in 2022 as the North has conducted sanctions-busting weapons tests nearly every month, including firing its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever. Saturday’s launch comes a …

An explosion outside the military airport in Kabul on Sunday caused multiple casualties, a spokesman for the Taliban-run interior ministry said. “Today morning an explosion took place outside Kabul military airport, due to which a number of our citizens were martyred and injured,” spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor told Reuters, adding that investigations were underway. He did not specify the nature or …