Ahead of the Spring Statement, the Tony Blair Institute said Labour's policies have 'added friction at the moment the UK needs greater agility'. Read more
A Pakistani cabinet minister says Islamabad will continue to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar under a 15-year agreement, despite the severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar by Saudi Arabia and some other countries.
Shahid Khaqan Abb
A Pakistani cabinet minister says Islamabad will continue to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar under a 15-year agreement, despite the severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar by Saudi Arabia and some other countries.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the federal minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, said Qatar and Pakistan last year signed a $1 billion agreement, under which Qatar's Liquefied Gas Company Limited will sell LNG from 2016 to year 2031 to state-run Pakistan State Oil.
He said since no sanctions have been imposed on Qatar by the United Nations, Pakistan and Qatar were bound to abide by the agreement.
Qatar has released an initial report into the alleged hack of its state-run news agency, an incident which helped spark a diplomatic crisis between the energy-rich country and Arab nations.
The Qatari Interior Ministry said late Wednesday that the website of the Qatar News Agency was initially hacked in April with "high techniques and innovative methods."
It said hackers installed a file and then published a fake news item attributed to Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, just after midnight May 24.
The ministry did not say who it suspected carried out the attack. It also thanked the FBI and the British National Commission for Combating Crime for assisting it in its investigation.
The alleged fake news item, which had Sheikh Tamim making controversial comments on Iran and Israel, immediately was picked up by Saudi and Emirati media, laying the groundwork for the crisis that began Monday (05.06.2017.)
Kuwait's emir has traveled to Qatar and met that country's leader as part of his efforts to mediate an end to a crisis that's seen Arab nations cut ties to the energy-rich country and attempt to isolate it.
Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was met planeside by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when he arrived on Wednesday night.
The two held talks, though details of their discussions were not released. Sheikh Sabah earlier Wednesday traveled to Dubai where he met with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as prime minister and vice president of the UAE.
Sheikh Sabah also has traveled to Saudi Arabia in his efforts.
It said hackers installed a file and then published a fake news item attributed to Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, just after midnight May 24.
The ministry did not say who it suspected carried out the attack. It also thanked the FBI and the British National Commission for Combating Crime for assisting it in its investigation.
The alleged fake news item, which had Sheikh Tamim making controversial comments on Iran and Israel, immediately was picked up by Saudi and Emirati media, laying the groundwork for the crisis that began Monday (05.06.2017.)
Kuwait's emir has traveled to Qatar and met that country's leader as part of his efforts to mediate an end to a crisis that's seen Arab nations cut ties to the energy-rich country and attempt to isolate it.
Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was met planeside by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when he arrived on Wednesday night.
The two held talks, though details of their discussions were not released. Sheikh Sabah earlier Wednesday traveled to Dubai where he met with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as prime minister and vice president of the UAE.
Sheikh Sabah also has traveled to Saudi Arabia in his efforts.
Banaras' Masaan Holi offers a unique, contemplative celebration with sacred ashes from cremation pyres, unlike the riot of colours elsewhere. Rooted in Shaivite traditions, it symbolizes life's cyclical nature and confronts mortality. While social media has amplified its spectacle, the ritual's profound, existential encounter remains, urging immersion beyond filtered frames.
[Nile Post] The government has issued a high-level alert following the release of the March-April-May (MAM) 2026 seasonal forecast, warning of warmer-than-normal temperatures and significant rainfall that could trigger a wave of natural disasters across the country.
[New Zimbabwe] AN official within the American government has disputed claims that their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on support in Zimbabwe's health sector was centred on them getting access to the country's critical minerals.
[RFI] A new secretary-general of the United Nations will be appointed on 1 January, 2027 to succeed Antonio Guterres, with three current nominations on the table - former Senegalese president Macky Sall, plus former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Argentine Rafael Grossi.
The EU is putting pressure on Ukraine to restore the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, FT reports Read Full Article at RT.com
By precipitating industrial erosion, the dollar’s supremacy undermines the foundational sources of American might Read Full Article at RT.com
US President Donald Trump has compared Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to 19th-century showman P.T. Barnum Read Full Article at RT.com
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Spain must be convinced to spend more on its army Read Full Article at RT.com
SINGAPORE — The High Court on March 4 allowed an appeal by Lim Oon Kuin, the 84-year-old founder of failed oil trading company Hin Leong, and imposed a term of 13.5 years.This means a shaving of four years off his original sentence.Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said the original jail term of 17.5 years' jail was «crushing» even with the usual one-third remission.Lim, who is better known as O.K. Lim, was sentenced in November 2024 for two counts of cheating and one count of abetting forgery, in what prosecutors described as «one of the most serious cases of trade financing fraud that has ever been prosecuted in Singapore».After a lengthy district court trial, he was found to have duped HSBC into disbursing US$111.6 million (S$143 million) to Hin Leong based on two fabricated oil sale contracts.He was also found to have instructed a former employee to forge documents for one of the bogus contracts.On March 4, Justice Hoo found that the district judge who sentenced Lim erred in according weight to the prosecution's arguments that Lim's offences had undermined public confidence in the oil sector.
As a country heavily reliant on imports, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to external shocks and supply chain disruptions.This vulnerability in the face of rising global uncertainties can, in turn, affect Singapore's survival, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad. SMS Zaqy, who is also Senior Minister of State for Defence, set out how Singapore intends to build options and flexibility to deal with different scenarios of disruption at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment's (MSE) Committee of Supply debate on Wednesday (March 4).Citing disruptions during Covid-19 and Malaysia's ban on the export of live chickens in 2022, the senior minister of state cautioned that tiding through disruptions will become more challenging."We also need to manage our risks from animal disease, which add to further pressure on global food supply and prices.
The engine compartment of a Suzuki hatchback caught fire along Kaki Bukit Avenue 4 on Tuesday (March 3). A video of the incident posted in a motoring chatgroup shows flames and thick black smoke rising from the car's engine compartment.Based on the video, it is a Suzuki Swift hatchback, which is not an electric vehicle.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at about 3pm.The fire was extinguished using a hose reel, SCDF added.No injuries were reported and the cause of fire is under investigation.[[nid:730619]]editor@asiaone.com
An overnight cycling race that took place at Seletar Mall in Sengkang last weekend has made quite a buzz on social media.While some expressed excitement over the Downmall Challenge — possibly the first of its kind in Singapore — others fretted over safety issues.On Sunday (March 1), Nasthasia Nadiah, who represented Singapore in cycling at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, shared a first-person view as she raced through the mall from level four to level one.In the clip of her practice run, she can be seen manoeuvring her YT Capra bike around traffic cones, going down escalators, and navigating tight corridors. At the finish line, she rode her bike up a ramp. The TikTok video, which has garnered over 570,000 views as of Tuesday, also attracted numerous comments.Some praised the event for being interesting, with one calling it «one of the coolest things in Singapore». Others hoped that bigger malls such as VivoCity and Suntec City would hold such events so cyclists can have larger race courses. Some expressed interest and asked how to participate in future editions of the event.
SINGAPORE — Some restaurants and food and beverage outlets with dine-in services will not charge customers the 10-cent deposit when they order bottled or canned drinks from April 1, the day the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) kicks in.For other food shops, such as those in hawker centres and coffee shops, collection of these containers could be challenging due to the porous nature of the dining areas. There could be multiple drink stalls within the same area.In these cases, the beverages will be sold with the 10-cent deposit, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary on March 3, during the debate on his ministry's budget.Under the scheme administered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), customers will pay an additional 10 cents, which is a refundable deposit, for bottled and canned drinks ranging from 150ml to 3 litres.When containers bearing the «Deposit Mark» are returned at the reverse vending machine, customers can retrieve their deposits via their ez-link cards or their DBS PayLah! wallets. NEA is an agency under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
Polls were kept open for two additional hours, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) urged her supporters to stay in line.
New congressional maps are debuting in Texas and North Carolina as Republicans try to defend their majorities and Democrats hope they can flip both chambers.
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the attitudes of the countries bordering the region and beyond are important
Admiral Brad Cooper says US destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones
Kazem Jalali reminded that heads of state have legal and personal immunity
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, is reportedly set to enter politics, marking a shift from his father's stance against dynastic succession. This move comes amid growing internal party pressure and concerns about leadership transition, with Nishant seen as a potential link to traditional JDU supporters.
Karnataka's Congress government is reconsidering its decision to fill 56,432 government posts without internal reservation for Scheduled Castes. Following pressure from SC communities and ministers, the cabinet will discuss introducing pro-rata internal reservation within the existing 15% SC quota.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has strongly condemned the US-Israel's actions against Iran, calling for immediate international intervention to secure a ceasefire. The board expressed sorrow over the reported martyrdom of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and highlighted that targeting leadership and advocating regime change violates international law.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has formed the committee of privileges. This important panel will examine complaints of breach of privilege. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad will lead the 15-member committee. The panel includes members from both the ruling NDA and opposition parties. A complaint against Rahul Gandhi is pending Speaker's decision.
India faces a critical gap in tracking nearly 6 lakh babies born annually with congenital anomalies, as these conditions increasingly contribute to child mortality. To address this, Smile Train India and Birth Defects Research Foundation launched BIND, advocating for a National Birth Anomalies Registry to improve data, identify risk factors, and guide health planning for better prevention and care.
Their absences aren’t actually against the law. But because this is a high-profile case and none of the officers scheduled to appear Tuesday are in custody, questions persist about when they’ll finally make a public appearance.
A few years after he was released from prison after serving more than five years for fraud, Scott Brooks began targeting victims once again, a judge heard Tuesday as Brooks pleaded guilty mid-trial to six counts of fraud.
A class action lawsuit alleging Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program exploits the labour and Charter rights of agricultural workers can proceed, a judge decided last week.
Sixteen students and their professor from Queen's University are safe in Doha, Qatar, after their plan was turned around mid-air on Feb. 28.
Canadian expats and those trying to get back home from the Persian Gulf say they're living under the constant threat of missile and drone strikes, but are taking solace in what they describe as highly effective air-defence systems keeping them safe from harm.
A US operations base in Kuwait, hit by an Iranian drone, lacked proper anti-aircraft capabilities or fortifications, CBS News reports Read Full Article at RT.com
According to the kingdom's military command, 92 drones were destroyed
The US president says that the measure can be introduced «as soon as possible»
The German chancellor also said he had made this clear to US President Donald Trump
The German chancellor urged to create a strategy for the future of Iran and the region, where «all neighbors, without exception, recognize Israel’s right to exist and live safely»
Kazem Jalali says that the armed attack gives Iran an inherent right to self-defense
