World,Front Page

French author Annie Ernaux wins Nobel Literature Prize

French author Annie Ernaux, known for her deceptively simple novels drawing on personal experience of class and gender, won the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday, the jury said.She was honoured "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective...

World

Homemade ‘DIY’ weapons boost Ukraine war arsenal

In a metal workshop in the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih in southern Ukraine, a homemade anti-drone system waits to be mounted on a military pick-up truck.The contraption -- a heavy machine gun welded to steel tubes -- is one of several do-it-yourself weapons that are proving to be valuable addition...

Business

Under-fire UK PM Truss fails to calm markets with growth pledge

Prime Minister Liz Truss vowed to steer the UK "through the tempest" as she closed her party's tumultuous annual conference on Wednesday, making an unapologetic pitch for economic "growth, growth, growth".Since succeeding Boris Johnson, Truss has alienated voters, financial m...

Business

German factory orders fall sharply on energy woes

German industrial orders fell more sharply than expected in August, official data showed Thursday, as soaring energy costs caused by the war in Ukraine take a toll on Europe's economic powerhouse.New orders-- which usually provide a foretaste of industrial output -- plunged by 2.4 percent on the...

Business

Asian markets drift as global rally peters, focus now on US jobs

Asian markets were mixed Thursday as this week's global rally ran out of juice, with concerns about a huge oil output cut's impact on inflation tempering hopes that central banks could soon ease back on their rate hike campaigns.The mood on trading floors has been a little lighter this week,...

Sports,Football

PSG held at Benfica despite Messi stunner

Paris Saint-Germain were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw away to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday despite Lionel Messi's brilliant curling strike.The Argentina star scored midway through the first half in Lisbon but Danilo Pereira's own goal before the break ensured PSG and Benfi...

Sports,Football

Di Maria-inspired Juve beat Maccabi

Juventus got off the mark in the Champions League with Wednesday's 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa powered by an inspired performance from Angel Di Maria.Argentina winger Di Maria set up Adrien Rabiot's brace and a further strike from Dusan Vlahovic to give Juve their first points in Group H.They...

Sports,Football

Chelsea swat aside AC Milan to revive Champions League bid

Graham Potter admitted Chelsea's 3-0 victory against AC Milan was "really important" as they climbed back into contention for a place in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.Potter's side won for the first time in three Group E games as Wesley Fofana's first Chelsea goal w...

Sports,Football

'Not human' Haaland at the double as Man City thrash Copenhagen

Erling Haaland only needed 45 minutes to add two more goals to a remarkable start to his Manchester City career as the English giants thrashed FC Copenhagen 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.Haaland now has 19 goals in 11 competitive games for City and was denied the chance of a fourth hat-tr...

World

European ‘community’ leaders meet in face of Russia’s war

Leaders from Ukraine, Britain and Turkey join EU counterparts on Thursday for an inaugural summit of the "European Political Community" aimed at bringing the continent together in the face of Russia's aggression.The gathering in Prague -- a brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macro...

Entertainment

Pitt ‘choked’ one child, hit another in Jolie plane fight

Brad Pitt allegedly hit one of his children in the face and choked another during a fight with Angelina Jolie on a private plane, according to court papers filed Tuesday in the United States by his ex-wife.The former couple, once one of Hollywood's highest profile pairings, have been embroiled i...

World,Back Page

Putin signs bills to annex four regions of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed legislation to annex four territories of Ukraine, government documents showed.The Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions are "accepted into the Russian Federation in accordance with the constitution of the Russian Federation"...

World,Back Page

OPEC+ likely to slash oil output

Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were expected Wednesday to agree on a major cut in output to prop up prices despite Western concerns over energy-fuelled inflation.The 13-nation OPEC cartel and its 10 Russian-led allies is reportedly considering a reduction of up to two million bar...

Business

WTO slashes 2023 global trade forecast as recession looms

The World Trade Organization on Wednesday dramatically lowered its global trade forecast for 2023, as Russia's war in Ukraine and other shocks take their toll on the world economy.Presenting a revision of their annual trade forecast, WTO economists said they expected the volume of global merchan...

Business

Equities extend rally on rate hopes, traders await OPEC decision

Asian investors joined their Wall Street and European counterparts in an equity buying spree Wednesday as more data pointing to weakness in the US economy further fanned hopes the Federal Reserve could temper its rate hike campaign.The much-needed dose of optimism has also put pressure on the dollar...

World

Over 500 hurt in Iran quake

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake in northwestern Iran injured more than 500 people early Wednesday, most of them lightly, state media reported."The quake that hit at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) in West Azerbaijan province has injured 528 people, 135 of whom have been admitted to hospital,&qu...

World

South Korea, US militaries fire missiles in reply to N Korea test

The South Korean and US militaries fired a volley of missiles into the sea in response to North Korea firing a ballistic missile over Japan, Seoul said Wednesday.Nuclear-armed North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting ...

World

Truss rejects ‘drift and delay’ in defiant speech to Tories

Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss is set Wednesday to close her party's tumultuous annual conference with an unabashed defence of "disruption" to counter economic "drift and delay".Just a month since she succeeded Boris Johnson, Truss has alienated voters, financial mark...

Sports,Tennis

Tunisian star Jabeur eases into second round at home in Monastir

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur eased into the second round of her home tournament at Monastir on Tuesday with a straight sets win over American Ann Li.Top seed Jabeur, a finalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open this year, won  6-2, 6-3 in the first ever WTA tour event to be hosted in Tunisia...

Sports,Football

Calhanoglu strikes as Inter bounce back to sink Barca

Inter Milan's Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu celebrates after opening the scoring during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona on October 4, 2022 at the Giuseppe-Meazza (San Siro) stadium in Milan. Photo: AFPHakan Calhanoglu fired Inter Milan to a 1-0 ...