NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moon

NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moon

WELLINGTON: A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA’s plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It’s been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago […]

Putin declares victory in embattled Donbas region of Luhansk

Putin declares victory in embattled Donbas region of Luhansk

POKROVSK: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared victory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, one day after Ukrainian forces withdrew from their last remaining bulwark of resistance in the province. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin in a televised meeting Monday that Russian forces had taken control of Luhansk, which together […]

1.7 million people under lockdown in China’s Anhui province amid fresh Covid surge

1.7 million people under lockdown in China’s Anhui province amid fresh Covid surge

BEIJING: China placed 1.7 million people under lockdown in central Anhui province, where authorities reported nearly 300 new cases Monday in the latest of a string of outbreaks testing Beijing’s no-tolerance approach to Covid-19. The country is the last major economy wedded to a zero-Covid strategy, responding to all cases with strict isolation orders and […]

China rejects NASA accusation it will take over the moon

China rejects NASA accusation it will take over the moon

BEIJING: China on Monday rejected as an irresponsible smear a warning from the chief of NASA that China might “take over” the moon as part of a military programme, saying it has always called for the building of a community of nations in outer space. China has stepped up the pace of its space programme […]

Russia claims capture of pivotal city in eastern Ukraine

Russia claims capture of pivotal city in eastern Ukraine

Kyiv: Russia’s defense minister said Russian forces took control Sunday of the last major Ukrainian-held city in Ukraine’s Luhansk province, bringing Moscow closer to its stated goal of seizing all of Ukraine’s Donbas region. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Russia’s troops together with members of a local separatist militia “have established […]

Beijing, Shanghai resume flights, trains as COVID-19 cases come down

Beijing, Shanghai resume flights, trains as COVID-19 cases come down

Beijing: Shanghai and Beijing, China’s top two cities which went through stringent COVID-19 lockdowns in the last two months due to the spread of the Omicron variant, has accelerated the resumption of rail and air services, gearing up for the summer travel peak as the number of cases came down drastically. The Chinese mainland reported […]

Sri Lanka hopes for improved fuel availability with more shipments reaching this month

Colombo: The Sri Lankan government on Sunday said that it is hoping that the fuel availability in the country will improve in a week’s time with four fuel shipments, including three of diesel, likely to arrive this month. Addressing a media briefing, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said diesel shipments will reach Sri Lanka […]

India gifts 75 ambulances, 17 school buses to Nepal

KATHMANDU: India on Sunday gifted 75 ambulances and 17 school buses to Nepal as part of its ongoing efforts to build on the “robust and longstanding” partnership between the two countries and help the Himalayan nation bolster its infrastructure in healthcare and education sectors. India’s newly-appointed Ambassador Naveen Srivastava handed over the keys of the […]

Russia rains firepower on Ukraine warning West to back off

Russia rains firepower on Ukraine warning West to back off

KYIV: The latest in a litany of horrors in Ukraine came this week as Russian firepower rained down on civilians in a busy shopping mall far from the front lines of a war in its fifth month. The timing was not likely a coincidence. While much of the attritional war in Ukraine’s east is hidden […]

5 dead, 49 injured after 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Iran

5 dead, 49 injured after 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Iran

TEHRAN: At least five people were killed and 49 injured by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in southern Iran early on Saturday, state media reported, with the area also hit soon after by two strong quakes of up to 6.3 magnitude. Some 24 tremors, two with a magnitude of 6.3 and 6.1, followed the 2 a.m. […]