BenArmani

At least 14 people have been killed in ongoing fighting yesterday between Myanmar’s military and rebels who mounted a series of attacks, including an unprecedented strike on an army academy, apparently in retaliation for massive drug seizures. Ethnic armed rebel groups have for decades fought against the military — and often between themselves — for land and resources in Myanmar’s...

A Franco-Irish teen who disappeared from a Malaysian resort likely starved and died of internal bleeding after about a week in the jungle, with no immediate sign of foul play, police said yesterday. There was no indication that 15-year-old Nora Quoirin, who had learning difficulties, was abducted or sexually assaulted, they said, announcing the results of an autopsy. But the...

Trees are one of the best things we have to clean the Earth’s air, but they have certain drawbacks: they need time and space to grow. Enter the BioUrban, an artificial tree that sucks up as much air pollution as 368 real trees. Designed by a Mexican startup, the towering metal structure uses microalgae to clean carbon dioxide and other contaminants...

South Korean President Moon Jae-in struck a conciliatory tone towards Japan yesterday, offering to “join hands” if Tokyo chooses dialogue as relations between the two countries dip to fresh lows. Seoul and Tokyo — both of them democracies and market economies —  are mired in long-running disputes over Japan’s use of forced labour in the first half of the 20th...

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They reviewed strategic bilateral relations and means to enhance them in all fields. The Amir and the Russian president expressed their satisfaction with the strong level of bilateral co-operation, particularly in the commerce and economy fields. The Amir invited...

Glamour and glitter marked the first day of the eighth annual Pantaloons South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) at the Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, as a galaxy of stars descended on Doha to be a part of the two-day mega show. Thursday saw the celebration of Telugu and Kannada cinema, as awards were given away in various categories and...

Militants yesterday downed a regime plane flying over northwest Syria as it took part in a deadly campaign that has seen loyalists inch forward against their opponents, a monitor said. An AFP correspondent saw smoke rising in the south of Idlib province above the debris of the plane, with its wing bearing the Syrian flag. After eight years of civil war...

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg yesterday set sail for New York, heading for a UN summit on a zero-emissions yacht skippered by a member of Monaco’s ruling family. The 16-year-old Swede, whose school strikes have inspired children across the world to protest against global warming, refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions caused by planes. But she has been offered...

Rail fares will rise by a further 2.8% in January, it has been confirmed, amid warnings from campaign groups and unions that ever higher train fares risk driving passengers off the railway. After a decade when fares have risen at double the rate of wages, the latest increase, set by the July RPI inflation figure published yesterday by the Office...

Grieving relatives yesterday asked bosses of Italy’s biggest motorway operator to leave a ceremony honouring victims of last year’s bridge collapse in Genoa that killed 43 people. Infrastructure group Atlantia, which operated the viaduct that collapsed last August 14 sending cars and trucks hurtling to the ground, has borne the brunt of nationwide outrage at the disaster. The indignation bubbled to...

Aircraft and firefighters on the ground yesterday fought a blaze that burned large tracts of pristine pine forest on the Greek island of Evia as the wildfire flared up again at different spots. A state of emergency has been declared in regions of the densely forested island east of Athens, after the blaze broke out on Tuesday, fanned by strong...

Authorities issued a fresh flood alert yesterday for parts of the southern state of Kerala, as the nationwide death toll from the annual monsoon deluge rose to at least 244. (However, a Reuters report puts the death toll at 270.) Authorities warned Kerala locals of heavy rainfall over the next 24-48 hours in some of the worst affected regions of...

The Narendra Modi-led government’s decision to withdraw special status to Jammu & Kashmir and divide the state into two Union Territories came in for praise from President Ram Nath Kovind during his address to the nation on the eve of India’s 73rd Independence Day yesterday. “I believe the recent changes carried out in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be immensely...

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used an address celebrating Independence Day yesterday to criticise India for its actions in the Kashmir region that has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India revoked the special status of its portion of Kashmir, known as Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5. Islamabad retaliated by suspending bilateral trade and all public transport...