World

A new study blames pollution of all types for 9 million deaths a year globally, with the death toll attributed to dirty air from cars, trucks, and industry rising 55 per cent since 2000. That increase is offset by fewer pollution deaths from primitive indoor stoves and water contaminated with human and animal waste, so overall pollution deaths in 2019 are about the same as in 2015. The United

Moscow, May 15: One person was injured after the village of Sereda in Russia’s Belgorod Region was shelled from Ukraine, the regional governor has said. Another village in Russia’s Belgorod Region was shelled from Ukraine on Sunday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said. The Sereda settlement is located on the border between the two countries. One person was hurt in the attack, “suffering a

Colombo, May 12: Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's prime minister for the sixth time on Thursday, though the veteran politician has never completed a full term in office. The 73-year-old's political career appeared to be drawing to a close before this week, when he agreed to helm a unity administration and help steer the South Asian island nation through a crippling economic crisis

More than half of people hospitalised with Covid-19 still have at least one symptom two years after they were first infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the longest follow-up study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. The research followed 1,192 participants in China infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the first phase of the pandemic in 2020. While physical and mental

Washington, May 11: Us lawmakers are about to approve a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine as Washington looks to prolong the conflict with Russia. Both Republican and Democratic Parties have reached an agreement on the details of the massive package, which will likely move quickly through Congress. "Time is of the essence -- and we cannot afford to wait," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a

Colombo, May 10: Sri Lanka's former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is facing calls for his arrest from Opposition politicians for inciting violence against peaceful anti-government protesters that claimed at least eight lives, left over 200 people injured and saw arson attacks on the homes of several politicians. Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, resigned as Sri Lankan Prime Minister on Monday amid

Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as his loyalists went on rampage today, injuring more than 100 anti-government protesters in Colombo. A ruling party MP was killed in the clashes, many were hospitalised. Here are the latest developments: >> MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala opened fire and critically wounded two people blocking his car in Nittambuwa, and was later found dead

Washington, May 7: US President Joe Biden is sending a new weapons package worth at least $100 million to Ukraine, in the latest in a series of transfers to help Kyiv fight against Russia. Biden signed the weapons package on Friday, providing additional artillery munitions, radar and other equipment to Ukraine. "Today, the United States is continuing our strong support for the brave people of

Cairo, May 2: For the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the smell of freshly baked orange biscuits and powdered sugar-dusted cookies typically fills the air in Mona Abubakr's home. But due to higher prices, the Egyptian housewife this year made smaller quantities of the sweet treats, some of which she gives as gifts to relatives and neighbours. The mother of three has also tweaked another tradition

The conflict between Moscow and Kiev, as well as the long-running Ukraine crisis, is a direct result of the West’s push to create a unipolar world, one which involved NATO’s unabated eastward expansion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told China’s Xinhua News Agency in an interview published on Saturday. “The US and NATO have always seen Ukraine as an instrument of containing Russia,” the