Biden says he will not apologise for downing Chinese spy balloon

Washington (IANS) US President Joe Biden has said that the last three of the four aerial objects shot out of the skies were probably balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions; but the fourth was a Chinese spy and "I make…

Concerned residents demand answers after toxic Ohio train derailed

Washington (IANS) Nearly two weeks after a train carrying hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, derailed in the eastern Ohio village of East Palestine and sparked a blaze, residents crowded in a high school gym in a meeting with officials,…

EU emissions reduction targets unrealistic, say Italian ministers

Rome (IANS) Italian officials criticised the new CO2 emissions reduction targets recently approved by the European Parliament for new vehicles, saying the targets were unrealistic.

The targets, which ban the sale of carbon-emitting diesel and…

Japan culls nearly 15 mn birds amid rampant avian flu

Tokyo (IANS) Nearly 15 million birds have been culled in Japan, a record high for a single season, amid an unprecedented spread of bird flu across the country, the farm ministry said Thursday.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and…

EU formally bans gas and diesel car sales from 2035

London (IANS) In a move to boost the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), the European Parliament has approved the law to ban the sale of new gas and diesel cars in the EU, starting in 2035.

The new legislation sets the path towards zero…

Somalia claims 200 al-Shabab militants killed in week-long onslaught

Mogadishu (IANS) Over 200 al-Shabab militants were killed during a week-long operation carried out by the Somali National Army (SNA) and regional forces in the south and central regions of Somalia, officials said on Wednesday.

The latest onslaught…

Space shooting spree targets were not aliens or ETs: US

Washington (IANS) The US does not quite know what it has shot off the skies in the last three instances, but officials assured Americans on Monday that they were not alien airships.

The first object downed was a Chinese spy balloon on February…

Russia's marine brigade of 5,000 men almost entirely destroyed in one of heaviest losses

Kiev (IANS) Russia has suffered some of the heaviest military losses in a single battle since the start of the war in Ukraine after elite units repeatedly tried to storm a fortified coal mining town in broad daylight, media reports said.

Ukraine…

Death toll crosses 30,000 in Turkey, Syria as incredible rescues bring hope

Ankara/Damascus (IANS) The death toll from the twin earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria last week has climbed to 29,605 and 1,414 respectively.

The number of wounded, meanwhile, rose to more than 80,000 in Turkey and 2,349 in Syria, according…

Questions about spate of high-altitude objects shot down over North America

Washington (IANS) U.S. military officials said they are unsure how three unidentified flying objects shot out of the skies of North America had been able to stay aloft.

President Joe Biden ordered another object - the fourth in total this month…