Sunday, 7 December 2025

Author: AFP

Ukraine scrambles to respond to US plan

KYIV: Ukraine scrambled yesterday to respond to a US plan to end the war that includes many of Russia’s hardline demands, with Kyiv saying it had discussed the next steps with several key European allies. While President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed back against the 28-point plan, Russian leader Vladimir Putin

Indian warplane crashes at Dubai Airshow

DUBAI (United Arab Emirates): An Indian fighter jet crashed during a flying display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, killing the pilot in front of hundreds of shocked onlookers. The Indian-made Tejas warplane (pic) was executing a manoeuvre when it plunged to the ground and erupted in a fireball. The

Liverpool title defence conundrum

LONDON, England: Liverpool’s hopes of a successful title defence appear to be jeopardy after five defeats in six games left them eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Sports analytics company, Opta, puts the champions’ chances of winning the league at just over seven per cent, following their 3-0 humbling by Manchester City

Arsenal brace for Gabriel-less clash 

LONDON, England: Arsenal are expected to be without defensive lynchpin, Gabriel Magalhaes, when they host London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, on Sunday as Manchester City seek to keep up the pressure on the Premier League leaders. Club boss, Mikel Arteta, has a major headache as he considers how to reshuffle his

Facebook, Instagram to bar users under-16 in Australia

SYDNEY: Australians younger than 16 will be removed from Facebook and Instagram on December 4, tech giant Meta said yesterday, as Canberra prepares to enforce sweeping laws banning teens from social media. From December 10, Australia will force social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, to remove users under

Vietnam flooding submerges homes

HANOI: Rescuers plucked stranded people from the rooftops of submerged homes as widespread flooding inundated central Vietnam, where authorities said yesterday at least 16 people were killed. Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October, and popular coastal holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding. Whole

Hundreds shelter after volcano erupts

JAKARTA: Hundreds of Indonesians were staying in temporary shelters yesterday after a volcano on the main island of Java erupted, with officials evacuating around 190 people from its slopes, authorities said. Mount Semeru in eastern Java erupted on Wednesday afternoon, throwing ash and gas more than 13 kilometres away and

S. Korea ferry runs aground

SEOUL: A South Korean ferry ran aground after the helmsman became distracted by his mobile phone, a member of the coast guard told AFP yesterday. All 267 passengers and crew were safely brought to a nearby port after the ferry crashed on an uninhabited island off of South Korea’s southwestern

One missing, 175 evacuated in fire

TOKYO: One person was unaccounted for while 175 others were evacuated as a major fire engulfed a residential area in Japan, the local government said yesterday. Firefighters were still struggling to extinguish the blaze in the southern city of Oita as it spread to a forested mountain nearby, public broadcaster

Junta raids online scam centre

YANGON: Myanmar’s military said yesterday it raided an internet scam hub on the Thai border, arresting nearly 350 people, part of a highly publicised crackdown against the booming black market compounds. Sprawling fraud factories have ballooned in war-torn Myanmar’s border regions, housing scammers targeting internet users with romance and business