The Chinese government’s top diplomat issued a stern warning on Friday against interfering in Venezuela or imposing sanctions on the South American nation, saying history offered a clear lesson about not “following the same old disastrous road”. China has repeatedly called for outsiders not to interfere in Venezuela’s internal affairs ... Read More »
22 of world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India, Greenpeace says
Analysis of air pollution data finds that 64% of cities globally exceed WHO guidelines Twenty-two of the world’s 30 worst cities for air pollution are in India, according to a new report, with Delhi again ranked the world’s most polluted capital. The Greenpeace and AirVisual analysis of air pollution readings ... Read More »
For Kremlin, Ukrainian election a choice between lesser of three evils
Before Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatists in east Ukraine, Moscow had a Ukrainian president who did much of what it wanted. Now, as Ukraine readies to elect a new leader, none of the main candidates look that enticing to Russia. Viktor Yanukovich, the last Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president, was toppled ... Read More »
‘Buddhism under threat’: Thai election gives platform to radicals
A clothing and cosmetics model and a former monk are campaigning together for Thailand’s election at a market outside Bangkok. The message: Buddhism is under threat. Their politics marks a new trend in traditionally tolerant Thailand, where Buddhist nationalist movements have never taken root in the same way as in ... Read More »
No-deal Brexit would take back control and hand it to Trump, experts say
US trade deal would mean ‘submitting to someone else’s wishes’, academic says A no-deal Brexit would force the UK to “submit” to Donald Trump rather than “taking back control” from the European Union (EU), experts have warned. Any trade deal with the US would be “entirely on their terms” and ... Read More »
Iran’s Khamenei doubted Europe could help Tehran against U.S. sanctions
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advised the government last July not to rely on a European package to protect Tehran against U.S. sanctions, after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal and reimposed penalties. The release of the speech shows while President Hassan Rouhani was trying to ... Read More »
Black hole discovered hiding behind gas cloud in the depths of the galaxy
Scientists say searching for strange movements in space gas clouds will help in hunt for more of these mysterious objects A black hole has been identified hiding in the depths of space after scientists noticed its effects on a neighbouring cloud of gas. There are thought to be over 100 ... Read More »
Trump investigation: US House panel launches probe into possible obstruction by president
‘It’s our job to protect the rule of law,’ committee chair says The US House Judiciary Committee will launch a probe into possible obstruction of justice and abuse of power by Donald Trump. Jerry Nadler, who chairs the committee, told ABC that the panel wanted to obtain documents from more ... Read More »
Algerian protesters plan more action and call for regime change
Democracy movement Mouwatana opposes president Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term The coordinator of protests sweeping across Algeria for the past week has called for wholesale regime change as tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets on Friday. “What Algerians want is to get rid of not ... Read More »
Cases of children being groomed on Instagram triple, police figures show
‘Keeping children safe cannot be left to social networks,’ says NSPCC Children as young as five years old are being targeted for grooming on Instagram where attempts have more than tripled, the NPCC has warned. More than 5,100 online grooming crimes were recorded by police in just 18 months after ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information