A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan’s east coast Friday morning, the United States Geological Survey said, with the island’s government confirming there were no reports of major damage. The tremor, which could be felt in the capital Taipei, hit at 7:35 am (2335 GMT) at a depth of 15 kilometres (about nine miles) near Hualien, epicentre of a major quake in April, according to the USGS. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, which initially reported a 6.3-magnitude quake, issued a mobile phone alert warning people to “keep calm and seek cover nearby”. In Hualien, two people trapped in elevators during the quake…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
International mediators made a new bid Thursday to push Israel and Hamas toward a ceasefire in their war that the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said has now killed more than 40,000 people. Talks opened in Qatar’s capital amid a wider international diplomatic bid to ease tensions that have spiked since the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. An Israeli delegation attended the Doha talks, which also involved US Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington that “today is a promising start” but acknowledged: “There remains a lot of…
On the campaign trail in rural Thailand last year, Paetongtarn Shinawatra reminded voters of her influential billionaire family’s legacy of populism in what was her electoral debut. The 37-year-old, who spent weeks at the hustings while visibly pregnant, delivered mixed results. Her Pheu Thai party came only in second in 2023’s election but cobbled together a ruling coalition after the vote-winner was blocked by military-backed lawmakers. Now, the daughter of the country’s most divisive but enduring politician, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, will take the office her father and aunt once occupied, underlining her family’s central place in Thai politics. On Friday, some 48…
One pilot was killed and three injured when a Russian fighter plane crashed during a training flight over Siberia, the regional governor said on Friday. The Tu-22M3 plane went down late Thursday in a deserted area over the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev said. Rescue efforts “lasted all night… unfortunately one of the pilots couldn’t be saved”, Kobzev wrote on Telegram, citing the defence ministry. The three wounded pilots were hospitalised, he said, adding that according to preliminary information the crash was caused by a “technical failure”. The Tu-22M3 is a long-range strategic bomber made by the Tupolev military manufacturer.
China and Saudi Arabia were the top destinations for Russian seaborne fuel oil and vacuum gasoil (VGO) exports in July, traders said and LSEG data showed on Friday. Russian fuel oil and VGO seaborne exports last month rose 7% from June to about 4.05 million metric tons, helped by completion of seasonal maintenance on Russian refineries. Russia’s offline primary oil refining capacity for July at 2.5 million tons was below June’s level by some 44%, according to Reuters calculations based on data from industry sources. Since the European Union’s full embargo on Russian oil products went into effect in February…
An influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West and the US-led NATO alliance had helped to plan Ukraine’s surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region, something Washington has denied. The lightning incursion, the biggest into Russia by a foreign power since World War Two, unfurled on Aug. 6 when thousands of Ukrainian troops crossed Russia’s western border in a major embarrassment for Putin’s military. Ukraine said the incursion was needed to force Russia, which sent its forces into Ukraine in 2022, to start “fair” peace talks. But the United States and Western powers, eager to…
When Vice President Kamala Harris flies to Chicago next week to accept her party’s nomination for the presidency, she will be met head-on with voters protesting one of her thorniest electoral issues: the Biden administration’s aid to Israel. A coalition of some 200 social justice organizations is going forward with their plan to march at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, despite a late decision by Joe Biden – the main focus of their ire – to step down from the top of the ticket. Pro-Palestinian activists resent Biden’s administration for funding Israel during its war against Hamas, which has…
India’s top e-scooter maker Ola Electric Mobility surged 20% on Friday to reach a valuation of 586.64 billion rupees ($6.99 billion), after it launched a new line of motorcycles and on bets it will lower costs by using its own batteries. The e-motorcycle launch is set to intensify competition in the world’s second-largest two-wheeler market, where Ola Electric will face off with bigger rivals like Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor, opens new tab and Hero Motocorp. Two-wheelers dominate Indian roads, with 18 million units sold last year. Ola Electric, which listed its shares on Aug. 9 after a $734 million initial…
Fortnite-creator Epic Games launched its own app store Friday that allows users to bypass the stores run by Apple and Google after waging a years-long battle to directly offer its games to smartphone users. The Epic Games Store is available to users of Android phones worldwide and for iPhone and iPad users in Europe. The launch of the store comes after Epic waged legal battles and lobbied regulators to loosen the grip of Apple and Google on the sale of apps for phones running their operating systems. “We’re very happy to be on the verge of launching our games on…
After being a victim of cyber-harassment, the former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Jemima Goldsmith, has blocked all emails from Pakistan. Jemima Goldsmith took to social media platform X [formerly Twitter] to address her friends in Pakistan, explaining that she had to block all emails from the country due to cyber harassment. She blamed the online harassment campaign on PTI’s opposition parties, referring to them as “PTI’s desperate opponents.” In her message, Jemima noted that X has been banned in Pakistan, so only those using VPNs would be able to view her post. She concluded by reflecting on her…
