South Africa

US Navy sails first drone through Mideast’s Strait of Hormuz

19 Apr 2023 23:49 PM IST

The US Navy sailed its first drone boat through the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, a crucial waterway for global energy supplies where American sailors often faces tense encounters with Iranian forces. The trip by the L3 Harris Arabian Fox MAST-13, a 13-metre (41-foot) speedboat carrying sensors and cameras,

Credit Suisse faulted over probe of Nazi-linked accounts

19 Apr 2023 23:47 PM IST

US lawmakers have accused embattled Swiss bank Credit Suisse of limiting the scope of an internal investigation into Nazi clients and Nazi-linked accounts, including some that were open until just a few years ago. The Senate Budget Committee says an independent ombudsman initially brought in by the bank to oversee

Chinese giant panda on loan to Thailand dies unexpectedly

19 Apr 2023 23:45 PM IST

A giant panda on long-term loan from China died in a zoo in northern Thailand on Wednesday, six months before she was due to return home, officials from the Chiang Mai Zoo said. The cause of Lin Hui’s death was not immediately clear but she appeared to have become ill

US-China mutual suspicion not to end anytime soon, big trouble for the rest of the world: Singapore PM

19 Apr 2023 23:44 PM IST

The deep mutual suspicion and fundamental distrust between the United States and China will not improve anytime soon and it will mean “big trouble” for the rest of the world, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday. Lee, who made an official visit to Beijing earlier this month,

German unions to hit railway, airports with new strikes

19 Apr 2023 23:41 PM IST

A German labour union is calling for railway workers to stage an eight-hour strike on Friday to back calls for an inflation-busting pay raise. Walkouts are also scheduled at three airports this week in a parallel pay dispute. The EVG rail workers’ union called for members to walk off the

Suspect in Japan PM attack may have had election grudge

19 Apr 2023 23:38 PM IST

An unemployed 24-year-old man who allegedly threw a pipe bomb at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wanted to be a politician and believed that he was unfairly blocked from running for Japan’s parliament by an age requirement, according to media reports and social media posts that appeared to be his. The

Kim says North Korea’s 1st spy satellite is ready for launch

19 Apr 2023 23:36 PM IST

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has built its first-ever military spy satellite and that he planned to launch it on an undisclosed date, state media reported Wednesday. Previous missile and rocket tests have demonstrated that North Korea can send satellites into space, but many experts question

No relief in Sudan as truce collapses and rivals clash

19 Apr 2023 23:35 PM IST

Explosions and heavy gunfire rattled the Sudanese capital in a fifth day of fighting on Wednesday after an internationally brokered truce quickly fell apart. The cease-fire failure suggested the two rival generals fighting for control of the country were determined to crush each other in a potentially prolonged conflict. With

Beijing hospital fire kills 29

19 Apr 2023 23:34 PM IST

29 people were killed in a fire that hit Changfeng Hospital in the Fengtai district of the Chinese Capital Beijing on Tuesday, but very few details were revealed as the authorities kept a tight lid on it, CNN reported. In Wednesday’s short news conference, officials revealed details of those who

Beijing hospital fire: Death toll rises to 29, mostly patients

19 Apr 2023 18:01 PM IST

The death toll from a hospital fire in Beijing has claimed 29 lives, including 26 patients; authorities announced on Wednesday that more than a dozen people, including the hospital’s head and her deputy, have been detained for their negligence. Dozens of people had to be evacuated after a fire broke

France reveal West’s divide over deterrence against China

19 Apr 2023 13:48 PM IST

Political turmoil in the West has persisted a week after French President Emmanuel Macron created controversy suggesting that the West shouldn’t turn into a “vassal” and that it should stay out of any issues between the US and China over Taiwan. Macron termed Taiwan as a “crisis that is not

Odd spiral appears amid northern lights in Alaska night sky

19 Apr 2023 01:06 AM IST

Northern light enthusiasts got a surprise mixed in with the green bands of light dancing in the Alaska skies: A light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appeared amid the aurora for a few minutes. The cause early Saturday morning was a little more mundane than an alien invasion or