World

Singapore, Mar 20 (UNI) More than 570,000 eligible Singaporeans will receive payouts ranging from 400 to 1,000 Singapore dollars (about 300 to 750 U.S. dollars) this March, as part of the government’s efforts to enhance the retirement savings of working seniors, the Ministry of Manpower said Thursday in a release. The disbursement marks the first…

Costa Navarino (Greece), Mar 20 (UNI) International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach was named Honorary Life President, marking a historic moment at the 144th IOC Session as he prepares to step down in June after 12 years at the helm of the global Olympic movement. The announcement came towards the end of the first…

Jerusalem, Mar 20 (UNI) Israel on Wednesday expressed “sorrow” over the death of a Bulgarian United Nations staff member in strikes on UN guesthouses in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah but said an initial investigation found no Israeli involvement in the incident. The United Nations said the staffer, employed by the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS),…

Moscow, Mar 20 (UNI) Ukraine will not participate in the talks between US and Russian delegations, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, The Guardian newspaper reported, citing Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. Podolyak admitted that it will be necessary to wait for the results of the telephone conversation between US President Donald…

Gaza/Jerusalem, Mar 20 (UNI) At least 16 Palestinians were killed and over 30 wounded in an Israeli airstrike that struck a crowd of mourners in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, according to Gaza health authorities. The strike hit the Salatin area of Beit Lahia during a gathering to mourn victims of earlier Israeli…

Washington, Mar 20 (UNI) The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on Wednesday agreed to “a partial ceasefire against energy” between Russia and Ukraine. The phone call came one day after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday in their phone talks…

Sanaa, Mar 20 (UNI) A new round of U.S. airstrikes struck Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Wednesday evening, wounding at least nine people, including seven women and two children, according to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. The strikes targeted a building under construction in Sanaa’s Geraf neighborhood, damaging nearby residential structures and injuring civilians sheltering in an adjacent…

Nicosia, Mar 19 (UNI) Cyprus Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas stated on Tuesday that the chances of finding more survivors from a refugee boat that capsised off the island’s southeastern coast are “increasingly unlikely.” The vessel, carrying an estimated 20 to 25 people, overturned in the Mediterranean Sea. Cypriot rescue teams managed to save two individuals…

Port of Spain, Mar 19 (UNI) Trinidad and Tobago will hold general elections on April 28, newly appointed Prime Minister Stuart Young announced on Tuesday, one day after taking office. Young, 50, was sworn in on March 17, succeeding Keith Rowley. He has requested President Christine Kangaloo to dissolve the parliament and call for elections,…

Islamabad, Mar 19 (UNI) Russia is ready to act as a mediator in the settlement of the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev told Sputnik. “Considering the existing disagreements between Islamabad and Kabul, Russia is ready to act as a mediator for their settlement if both sides deem it appropriate….