Author: AFP

Heineken exits Russia

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Dutch brewer Heineken announced on Monday it was pulling out of Russia, becoming the latest Western firm to exit the country in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The beer company had already halted the sale and production of its Heineken brand in Russia, as well

Madeleine Albright, first female US secretary of state, dies at 84

WASHINGTON, United States: Madeleine Albright, who came to the United States as a child refugee and rose to be the first female secretary of state, shaping American foreign policy at the end of the 20th century, has died at the age of 84. Tapped by president Bill Clinton as ambassador

Eiffel Tower is now six metres taller

PARIS, France: The Eiffel Tower grew by six metres (20 feet) on Tuesday when vertigo-defying engineers fitted a new radio antenna on top of the Paris monument with the aid of a helicopter. The tallest building in Paris, known affectionately as the Iron Lady, measures 330 metres in height after

6.7-magnitude quake rattles Taiwan, injures one

TAIPEI, Taiwan: A magnitude 6.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Taiwan early Wednesday rattled buildings and roused people from their sleep, leaving one injured and causing a half-constructed bridge in the island’s east to collapse. Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as it lies near the junction of

Chinese recovery teams sift debris of crashed China Eastern jet

WUZHOU, China: Chinese recovery teams on Tuesday picked through the debris of a crashed China Eastern jet after it inexplicably plummeted from the sky into a mountainside with 132 people on board. Hopes of finding any survivors had all but vanished a day after the Boeing 737-800 passenger jet nosedived

Spain to send ‘military hardware’ to Ukraine

MADRID: Spain will supply weapons directly to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday, two days after declaring Madrid would only contribute via an EU funding mechanism. The move came after pressure on Sanchez’s left-wing coalition government to take a more proactive approach to the war raging

Russian invasion snowball effect

KUCHING: In the past week, the effects of the ‘Russian Invasion’ as dubbed the Americans have led to a series of tremendous disruptions. From the cities and citizens of Ukraine to the global relations and political influences, Russia has stirred up the status quo of the entire global economy. With

Mexican Town toasts Tequila Fish saved from extinction

TEUCHITLÁN: Residents of a small town in western Mexico are celebrating the reintroduction into the wild of the tequila fish — an endemic species saved from the brink of extinction. The fish, whose scientific name is Zoogoneticus Tequila, was rescued in the 1990s by US and British conservationists who kept

One dead, 10 feared missing in floods

BRISBANE: One person was found dead in a submerged car and 10 others were reportedly missing yesterday after heavy rain caused flash flooding in eastern Australia and set off a string of emergency warnings up and down the Pacific coast. The body of the drowned 60-year-old was found early yesterday

In Singapore, plus-size actors take centre stage

SINGAPORE: “I dare you, watch me as I undress,” sings actor Ross Nasir in a Singapore musical comedy about dating as a plus-size woman, highlighting a nascent fat acceptance movement in a city-state that once forced children to join weight loss programmes. “Fat-shaming” — discrimination based on weight — is