WASHINGTON: More massive than the US economy, the national debt hit a new record of $22 trillion under President Donald Trump but Republicans who traditionally rail against debt and deficits have remained mum. The sum of borrowing to cover chronic deficits as well as growing interest payments, this mountain of
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin promised Russians rapid improvements in their living conditions as he kicked off his annual state of the nation address on Wednesday. “We cannot wait, the situation must change for the better now,” Putin said. “Within this year (Russians) should feel changes for the better.” The Russian
TOKYO: A Japanese court Wednesday awarded nearly $4 million in fresh damages to scores of residents forced to flee their homes after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The Yokohama district court ordered the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) to pay 419.6 million yen ($3.8 million) to 152 local
JAKARTA: Eyes rolled back in his head, a heavily tattooed Indonesian man sliced his tongue with a dagger in a bid to communicate with other-worldly spirits. The spectacle at a Jakarta temple marked the 15th and last day of Lunar New Year, known as Cap Go Meh in the Southeast
NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian leader Narendra Modi vowed Wednesday to increase pressure on countries that fuel terrorism. Neither mentioned a target, but their accord came as Modi has stepped up warnings to Pakistan following a suicide attack in Kashmir that left at least
LAGOS: At least 14 people were killed when Boko Haram jihadists attacked loggers in northeastern Nigeria, members of a militia force told AFP Wednesday. The group came under attack on Monday in Koshebe forest, 10 kilometres (six miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, militia leader Babakura Kolo said.
HANOI: Vietnam artist Tran Lam Binh brushes hearts and the word “L-O-V-E” on his portrait of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, part of his peace paintings series ahead of the leaders’ summit in Hanoi next week. He hopes to present his artworks of the
GENEVA: One person engulfed in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps has died, police said Wednesday, as rescue operations to find other possible victims were paused after an all-night search. Four people had been reported as injured in the avalanche on Tuesday at the Crans-Montana ski station in southern Switzerland.
NEW DELHI: India’s top court told billionaire tycoon Anil Ambani Wednesday he must pay his debts to Sweden’s Ericsson or go to jail, the latest twist in a saga that forced his telecom company to file for bankruptcy. Ambani’s debt-laden Reliance Communications is some $4 billion dollars in debt after
With greater and greater frequency, the parking lot in the small historic port of Annapolis near Washington is flooded even on sunny days: water washes in, pushed by the force of ever higher tides. No one is hurt, no roofs are torn off, and the neighborhood isn’t evacuated as it