BAGHDAD:Iraqis were casting ballots on Monday in the first elections for provincial councils in a decade, with the ruling Shi’ite Muslim alliance likely to extend its grip on power amid a boycott by populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, its main political rival. The election sets the stage for parliamentary elections scheduled for 2025, which will determine […]
CANBERRA:Overseas migration to Australia hit a record high in the 2022-23 financial year due to a surge in temporary visa holders entering the country. According to official data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Friday, net overseas migration to Australia in the 12 months to the end of June was 518,000 — […]
WASHINGTON:The dollar dropped to a fresh four-month low on Thursday after the Federal Reserve’s latest economic projections indicated the interest-rate hike cycle has ended and lower borrowing costs are coming in 2024. The yen jumped in response, briefly breaking below 141 yen versus the greenback for the first time since late July. Meanwhile, the Aussie […]
SINGAPORE:Doctors in Singapore are calling on people to vaccinate and to put on a face mask to reduce the usual year-end increase in acute respiratory infections, including COVID-19, influenza and the common cold. Both Healthway Medical, the largest general practice chain with more than 120 clinics, and Parkway Shenton with 55 GP clinics, say they […]
CANBERRA:China has lifted import bans on three Australian meat suppliers in another sign of improving trade relations between the two countries, Australian officials said on Tuesday. China’s customs agency announced overnight it was removing bans on imports of beef and mutton from Australian plants of JBS, a global foods company, and from the Australian Lamb […]
NEW YORK:A30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with death threats aimed at Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and his campaign event attendees, the US attorney’s office in New Hampshire has said. The attorney’s office on Monday said Tyler Anderson of Dover in New Hampshire was arrested on Saturday and charged with […]
DUBAI:With nearly 200 nations of different sizes, economies, political systems, resources and needs, they all have to find common ground if they are going to save the one common ground they share — planet Earth. Consensus is frequently used to weaken efforts to curb climate change and experts say that’s by design, dating back to […]
WASHINGTON:The dollar started Monday on the front foot, with a reading on U.S. inflation and the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting for the year likely to set the tone for the week, while rising deflationary pressure in China weighed on the yuan. The greenback pushed back above 145 yen and last bought 145.62 yen, reversing […]
GAZA/WASHINGTON:U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his strongest public criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war on Hamas in south Gaza, said there was a gap between the government’s declared intentions to protect civilians and the casualties. “As we stand here almost a week into this campaign into the south… it remains imperative that […]
JAKARTA:Indonesia is considering granting visa-free entry to nationals of 20 countries, including the United States, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Germany, Britain and France, to boost its tourism and economy, its tourism minister said on Thursday. The government will finalise the list of countries included in the provision within one month, according to a statement. […]