Europe
‘Willing to take direct action’ against Huthis
British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said yesterday that Britain is “willing to take direct action” against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen who have repeatedly attacked vessels in the Red Sea.
MIGRANT CRISIS / 30,000 crossed the Channel to UK last year
Nearly 30,000 migrants crossed the Channel to Britain from mainland Europe in small boats in 2023, an annual drop of more than a third, government figures released yesterday showed.
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announces surprise abdication
Denmark's popular Queen Margrethe II, Europe's longest-serving monarch, said Sunday that she would abdicate on January 14 and pass the baton to her son Crown Prince Frederik
London marks 100 years of Big Ben ‘bongs’
London’s Big Ben yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of its “bongs” to ring in the New Year being broadcast live across the world.
Migrant caravan in Mexico heads to US border
Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers moved slowly north across the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Tuesday in a caravan hoping to reach the US border, one day before top US officials planned to visit Mexico to discuss migration.
MILITARY EQUIPMENT / Russia, India closer to joint production
Russia and India have made tangible progress in talks on plans to jointly produce military equipment, Russian
‘I am your new Father Frost’
Jailed Putin foe Alexei Navalny yesterday confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle and said he was in excellent spirits despite a tiring 20-day journey to get there.
Pope Francis decries Gaza’s ‘appalling harvest’ of deaths
Pope Francis said in his Christmas message yesterday that children dying in wars, including in Gaza, are the “little Jesuses of today” and that Israeli strikes there were reaping an “appalling harvest” of innocent civilians.
Russia moves Navalny to a prison in the Arctic
Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been moved to a penal colony in an Arctic region of northern Russia, his spokeswoman said yesterday after supporters lost touch with him for more than two weeks.
West trying to ‘destabilise’ Serbia: Russia
Russia yesterday accused Western countries of stirring up tensions in Serbia, a Moscow-friendly Balkan nation that has been rocked by protests over alleged fraud in elections held on December 17.
Indian passenger plane held in France takes off
A plane with close to 300 Indian passengers detained near Paris over suspicions of human trafficking took off yesterday after being cleared for departure by French police, an AFP reporter said.
Russia bars pro-peace candidate
Russia’s Central Electoral Commission yesterday rejected an application by a candidate calling for peace to stand in next year’s presidential elections.
Asset Seizure: Russia may cut diplomatic ties with US
Russia may cut diplomatic ties with the United States if Washington confiscates Russian assets frozen over the Ukrainian war, the Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying yesterday.
Suspected Human Trafficking: France grounds plane carrying 300 Indians
A Nicaragua-bound plane carrying more than 300 Indian passengers has been grounded in France over suspected “human trafficking”, authorities said yesterday.
Several killed in Prague university shooting
A shooter at a Prague university killed several people and injured dozens of others yesterday before being “eliminated” by police.
Gunman kills 10 in Prague university shooting
A gunman killed 10 people and seriously wounded 11 others at a Prague university on Thursday before being "eliminated", according to police and Prague emergency services
Pakistani parents sentenced to life in Italy
An Italian court sentenced two parents to lifetime imprisonment on Tuesday for killing their teenage daughter after she refused to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage.
AI cannot be patent ‘inventor’ Rules UK Supreme Court
A US computer scientist on yesterday lost his bid to register patents over inventions created by his artificial intelligence system in a landmark case in Britain about whether AI can own patent rights.
