World

Floods claim five lives in Vietnam and two in Cambodia
31Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Floods claim five lives in Vietnam and two in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH: Elderly residents and small children clung to inflatable tyres as soldiers and police used rope lines to get them to safety from rising floodwater on Saturday (Oct 10) in Cambodia's western province of Battambang. Hundreds of families in three Cambodian provinces - Pursat, Battambang and Pailin - have been forced to evacuate amid extreme rainfall ahead of the arrival of a tropical depression across the Mekong region. "A two-year-old child and 57-year-old man have drowned in the flood," Seak Vichet, a spokesman for the Cambodian national committee for disaster management told AFP on Saturday. Authorities do not yet have a clear picture of the extent of the damage or people affected but expect the situation to worsen on Sunday. In central Vietnam almost a metre of rain ha...
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Rolls-Royce launches US$6.4 billion plan to cope with COVID-19 cash crunch
30Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Rolls-Royce launches US$6.4 billion plan to cope with COVID-19 cash crunch

LONDON: British aerospace giant Rolls-Royce, facing plunging demand as the coronavirus pandemic sparks an air transport crisis, launched plans on Thursday (Oct 1) to shore up its finances by up to £5.0 billion (US$6.4 billion). The company, whose products power Airbus and Boeing aircraft, is strengthening its balance sheet to help navigate the damaging fallout from the ongoing global health emergency that has grounded jets worldwide. Rolls-Royce said in a statement that the package would comprise a £2 billion rights issue of shares, a bond offering of at least £1 billion, a new £1 billion loan facility, plus state support from UK Export Finance for an extension of an existing loan guarantee of up to £1 billion. "These steps will provide the group with improved financial resilience a...
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India’s coronavirus infections rise to 7.43 million
30Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

India’s coronavirus infections rise to 7.43 million

MUMBAI: India's cumulative tally of COVID-19 infections stood at 7.43 million on Saturday (Oct 17), having risen by 62,212 in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed. But the number of active infections slipped below 800,000 for the first time in 1.5 months, which the ministry called a significant achievement. India has recorded the world's second-largest number of cases after the United States and worries have been high that there may be further spikes during the ongoing festival season. Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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Pentagon chief stresses stronger alliances to counter China, Russia
30Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Pentagon chief stresses stronger alliances to counter China, Russia

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper revealed a new initiative on Tuesday (Oct 20) to strengthen and expand US alliances with "like-minded democracies" to counter Russia and China. Esper said the Pentagon would systematically monitor and manage its relationships with partner countries, aiming to find ways to coordinate militaries and also to advance US arms sales. The initiative, called the Guidance for Development for Alliances and Partnerships(GDAP), came just two weeks before the presidential election that, if President Donald Trump loses, could see Esper replaced in January. It also came after nearly four years of Trump's efforts to restructure and even dismantle alliances, including threatening NATO. "America's network of allies and partners provides us an asymmetric ad...
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The fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, explained
29Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, World

The fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, explained

At the call of the CCAF (Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France) several hundred people belonging to the Armenian community in France gathered near the Azerbaijan Embassy in Paris, France, on September 29, 2020, to protest against the war that broke out in recent days in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey. Samuel Boivin | NurPhoto via Getty Images LONDON — The re-emergence of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region have ratcheted up fears of a wider regional conflict at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. Dozens have been reported killed and hundreds wounded since fighting between the two former Soviet republics broke out on Sunday. The contested mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is...
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India passes bleak landmark of 8 million COVID-19 infections
29Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

India passes bleak landmark of 8 million COVID-19 infections

MUMBAI: India crossed a grim milestone of 8 million coronavirus cases on Thursday (Oct 29), with a daily rise of 49,881 infections, health ministry data showed. The world's second most populous nation also has the second highest tally of infections after the United States, which has recorded 8.8 million. Cases in India have dipped sharply from September's peak, but experts warn the current festival season could bring another spike. The death toll has been low relative to infections, with 517 new deaths in the last 24 hours carrying the total to 120,527, the ministry said. Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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Turkey hiring Kashmiri separatists to tarnish India’s image globally
27Oct By Mike TrudellNo Comments
USA, World

Turkey hiring Kashmiri separatists to tarnish India’s image globally

As a part of a carefully crafted conspiracy to malign India’s image across the world, Ruwa Shah, daughter of separatist leader Altaf Ahmad Shah, in an article published in Turkish media talked about how she feels for her allegedly besieged home while staying thousands of miles away in Turkey. While sharing her views she also mentioned that children in Kashmir never had a normal life.Altaf is an accused of terror funding in a case registered in 2017 by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA). As per NIA, separatist leader Altaf Shah was found to be involved in receiving and collecting funds through illegal means, including hawala for causing disruption in Kashmir Valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India.Th...
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France, India, Australia hold first trilateral dialogue with focus on Indo-Pacific Region
4Oct By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

France, India, Australia hold first trilateral dialogue with focus on Indo-Pacific Region

India, Australia and France recently held talks for the first time under a trilateral framework with focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.The virtual meeting was co-chaired by François Delattre, Secretary General - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary - Ministry of External Affairs of India, and Frances Adamson, Secretary - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia.“The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.According to the official statement released by the Ministry, the outcome-oriented meeting was held with an objective of building on the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other and s...
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Chinese national arrested in US in investigation of transfer of software to China
30Sep By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Chinese national arrested in US in investigation of transfer of software to China

The US Justice Department announced the arrest of a Chinese national and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles on federal charges of destroying evidence to obstruct an FBI investigation after he was seen throwing a damaged hard drive into a dumpster outside his apartment.Guan Lei, 29, Alhambra, who was in the U.S. on a J-1 non-immigrant visa was arrested pursuant to a one-count criminal complaint unsealed during his initial appearance in United States District Court.The criminal complaint alleges that Guan, threw a damaged hard drive into a trash dumpster near his residence on July 25.The FBI recovered the damaged hard drive after Guan was not allowed to board a flight to China and after Guan refused the FBI’s request to examine his computer.The affidavit in support of th...
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