Author: Finance for Sight

MANDALAY: The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,000 on Saturday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors. The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar in the early afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people. At least 1,002 people were killed and nearly 2,400 injured in…

NEW YORK: Following the White House’s decision to ban Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House media events, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has joined the amicus brief filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) outlining how the Trump administration’s decision violates the First Amendment. In an alarming retaliation against the free press in the United States, on February 12, 2025, the Trump administration barred AP from covering White House events and accessing the Oval Office and Air Force One after its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico by its internationally…

NEW DELHI: India will buy 156 combat helicopters for its air force and army in a deal worth over $7.3 billion, the defence ministry said on Friday, marking one of the biggest purchases this financial year in the country’s drive to modernise its military. The dual-engine ‘Prachand’ helicopter manufactured by Indian warplane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is powered by engines co-developed with France’s Safran and can operate at an altitude of 5,000 metres and above. India has been making efforts to boost its domestic defence production to achieve self-reliance and shield itself from disruptions in global supply chains after being…

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the construction of a long-delayed solar power project during his upcoming visit to Sri Lanka, an official said on Friday. Vikram Misri, the secretary of India’s foreign ministry, said Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will witness a virtual groundbreaking ceremony for their joint-venture solar power project in the island’s northeast on April 5. The proposed 120-megawatt venture in the northeastern coastal district of Trincomalee has stalled for years, but New Delhi backed it as a joint project between the neighbouring nations. “This, in many senses, is going to…

BANGKOK: A powerful earthquake killed dozens of people in Myanmar on Friday, according to state media, toppling buildings and damaging infrastructure over a wide area. The quake also hit Thailand and an official said that at least nine people had died in the capital Bangkok. Rescuers were searching through the rubble of a tower block that was under construction and collapsed in the quake. Much of the destruction took place in Mandalay, which is Myanmar’s second largest city and lies only about 17 km (10 miles) from the quake epicentre. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, which…

BEIRUT: Israel’s air force conducted a heavy strike on a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Friday, a Reuters witness said, the first heavy bombardment there since a truce in November ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel warns it will hit Hezbollah building in south Beirut The strike, which resounded across Beirut and produced a large column of black smoke, followed an evacuation order by the Israeli military for the neighbourhood and three smaller drone strikes on the building intended as warnings, security sources told Reuters.

DHAKA: Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, that Beijing would consider requests to lower interest rates on Chinese loans to Dhaka, Yunus’ press chief said on Friday. Yunus was in China on his first bilateral state visit since assuming office last year. He has yet to visit India, amid diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours. President Xi also reaffirmed China’s commitment to encouraging Chinese investment in Bangladesh and facilitating the relocation of Chinese manufacturing enterprises, Yunus’ Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said in a Facebook post describing the talks as “comprehensive, fruitful, and constructive”. “President Xi…

CAIRO: Six Russians died on Thursday and 39 foreign tourists were rescued when a viewing submarine sank off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, the local governor’s office said on Facebook, adding that no passengers or crew were still missing. The Red Sea Governorate said the submarine, named “Sindbad”, had 50 people onboard: 45 tourists of different nationalities from Russia, India, Norway, and Sweden, and five Egyptian crew members. “Most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada,” the Russian consulate in Hurghada said. The submarine was equipped with large portholes to…

ISTANBUL: Turkey on Thursday stepped up a crackdown on media coverage of mass protests since the arrest of Istanbul’s popular mayor, deporting a BBC journalist and imposing a 10-day broadcast ban on an opposition TV channel. The moves came after police detained 11 Turkish journalists, including an AFP photographer, who were covering the worst street protests to hit Turkey since 2013. The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest and subsequent jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s biggest political rival. Earlier on Thursday, Turkey deported a BBC journalist covering the protests on grounds he posed…

BOAO: Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Thursday pledged stronger policy support for the world’s No.2 economy, which he said had started 2025 well and was on track to hit this year’s growth target, buoyed by advancements in AI and other technologies. His keynote speech at a business and political summit in the island province of Hainan comes in a week where Beijing has mounted a charm offensive to woo fresh foreign investment for its sluggish economy and protect against simmering geopolitical tensions. Chinese policymakers have put expanding domestic demand top of the agenda this year as they try to…