Canada to reduce number of international students
Toronto, Jan 20 - Canada is set to reduce the number of international students coming to the country for post-secondary education.
UK retail sales in 2023 lowest since 2018
London, Jan 20 - Retail sales volumes in the UK fell by 2.8 per cent in 2023 compared to a year earlier, marking the lowest level since 2018, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in its latest survey.
Cold wave to sweep China
Beijing, Jan 20 - The first cold snap of 2024 will hit a large area of China from Saturday until January 23, bringing gales and intense snowfall, the national observatory said.
Highest number of humanitarian emergencies in 2023: UN
Geneva, Jan 20 - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it responded to a sharply rising number of new or deepening humanitarian crises in 2023, issuing 43 emergency declarations to scale up support in 29 countries, the highest number in the last 10
Int’l tourism to reach pre-Covid levels in 2024: UNWTO
Madrid, Jan 20 - International tourism numbers are set to recover to pre-Covid pandemic levels in 2024, according to data published by the Madrid-based UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Biden signs stopgap measure to extend govt funding until March
Washington, Jan 20 - US President Joe Biden has signed a stopgap funding bill that will keep the government open into early March, avoiding a partial shutdown that would have taken effect on Saturday.
Trump rules out Indian-American Haley as 2024 running mate
Washington, Jan 20 - Keeping his Vice Presidential choice tightly under wraps, Republican frontrunner and former US President Donald Trump has ruled out Indian-American rival Nikki Haley as his running mate for 2024.
UN humanitarians warn of dwindling water supply in Gaza
United Nations, Jan 20 - UN humanitarians have warned that the availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking each day.
US, UK strikes hit Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah
Sanaa, Jan 20 - The US and the UK have launched airstrikes on Yemen's port city of Hodeidah late Friday night, the media reported.
EU official visits Poland to discuss rule of law
Warsaw, Jan 20 - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders held discussions with the new Polish government on judicial reforms that could unlock tens of billions of euros worth of EU funding blocked by the Commission.
Ukraine allocates record $464 mn to fortify defence lines
Kiev, Jan 20 - Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that the government has decided to allocate a record 17.5 billion hryvnias (about $464 million) to fortify the country's defence lines.
US records about 11,000 deaths from flu this season: CDC
Los Angeles, Jan 20 - There have been at least 16 million flu illnesses, 180,000 hospitalisations, and 11,000 deaths from flu so far this season in the US, according to the latest data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Pakistan agrees to de-escalate tension with Iran, says ‘it desires to work based on spirit of mutual trust’
Islamabad, Jan 20 - Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and agreed to de-escalate the situation that emerged after strikes by both sides in each other's territories, said the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
World comes together for rebuilding trust amid uncertainty
Davos-Klosters, Jan 20 - Amid rising geopolitical tensions, close to 3,000 policy-makers, business executives, international organisations and civil society leaders, academics and innovators from around the world came together for the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum to rebuild a basis
Ireland launches legal challenge against UK over N. Ireland amnesty law
Dublin, Jan 20 - Ireland has started a legal case against the UK over an amnesty law concerning former soldiers during the decades-long violence in Northern Ireland, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said.
Over 3.45 mn people displaced in Ethiopia: UN report
Addis Ababa, Jan 20 - More than 3.45 million people are displaced in Ethiopia, with more than half of them displaced due to conflict, according to a new report of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN agency.
N.Korea tests underwater nuke weapons system in response to trilateral drills
Seoul, Jan 19 - North Korea on Friday said it has tested an underwater nuclear weapons system under development in response to the latest maritime trilateral drills involving South Korea, the US and Japan.
Japan’s 2023 core inflation hits 41-year high
Tokyo, Jan 19 - Japan's core consumer prices rose 3.1 per cent in 2023 from the previous year, marking the fastest growth in 41 years, the government said in a report on Friday.
Nikki Haley says ‘America not racist’, terms Biden & Trump ‘twin threats to democracy’
Washington, Jan 20 - White House hopeful Nikki Haley has said that "America is not prejudiced against colour", while projecting both incumbent President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump as the "twin threats to democracy" to win New Hampshire where a significant
Indonesia allows Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to to resume flying after checks
Jakarta, Jan 19 - Three Boeing 737 Max 9 planes that belong to Indonesia's budget airline Lion Air have been allowed to resumed flying after a temporary grounding following the Alaska Airlines incident earlier this month.