Spending Spurs Faster Malaysia GDP Growth in Third Quarter
Malaysia’s economic growth accelerated in the third quarter as consumer spending along with the services and construction sectors
2023-11-17 14:21
Russia-Ukraine war live: Poll reveals Russian views on Putin as Black Sea fleet ‘forced to retreat’
A majority of Russians still support Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, according to a poll from Russia. Some 76 per cent of respondents said they backed the invasion, while 21 per cent thought it was going poorly. Meanwhile, one in five said they thought the country was on the “wrong path”. Some 45 per cent of those believe Russia was on the wrong path cited “war” and “people are dying”. Earlier, president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Ukraine has forced Russia’s naval fleet to pull back in the eastern part of the Black Sea, president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed. “For the first time in the world, it was in the Black Sea that a fleet of naval drones began to operate – a Ukrainian fleet,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “I would also like to note that now – as one of the main results of our actions – Russia is unable to use the Black Sea as a springboard to destabilise other regions of the world.” It comes as former prime minister David Cameron assured Volodymyr Zelensky the UK would continue to provide “moral, diplomatic, economic and military support” to Ukraine in his first trip to the country as foreign secretary. Read More David Cameron meets Zelensky in Ukraine in first visit as foreign secretary – and praises Boris Johnson In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows Russian court convicts a woman for protesting the war in Ukraine in latest crackdown on free speech Bombs, betrayal and burying loved ones: Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion
2023-11-17 13:29
‘It’s like a dystopian movie’: Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat
Residents from a small Icelandic town under threat from volcanic eruption have described ‘apocalyptic’ existence as they fear for their future. Last Friday, thousands of Grindavik residents were ordered to leave as the town was rocked by hundreds of earthquakes. The small fishing town is 34 miles from Reykjavík and is home to the famous tourist attraction the Blue Lagoon. Many have been unable to return to the ‘danger zone’ to collect their belongings, as earthquakes continue to strike the town. Grindavik resident Andrea Ævarsdóttir, 46, told The Independent: “Everything just seems so unreal, I feel like I’m in a dystopian movie. I’m just waiting to wake up from this nightmare.” The mother was getting ready to go into Reykjavík to celebrate her son Björgvin Hrafnar’s 16th birthday when their house started to shake on Friday. “Some of them [the earthquakes] were like a big truck had driven past your house, the bigger ones were like the same truck had hit your house,” she said. “Everything was shaking so bad, the floors were going up and down.” The family planned on staying overnight at her mother’s home, but they were alerted en route that they were going to be evacuated so only had their overnight bags and had left their cats behind. Ms Ævarsdóttir made the difficult call to return home to get her cats and medication but was stopped at a checkpoint on the main road Grindavikurvegur. Fortunately, the mother was granted special permission to return to collect her tablets and three pets before heading back. Like other Grindavik residents, Ms Ævarsdóttir was allowed to return home on Monday to collect her belongings but had to obey a 10-minute time limit. She is now living with her 16 and 14-year-old sons in her mother’s cramped two-bedroom apartment. Describing the surreality and sadness of leaving her home, she said: “I was crying non-stop when we got to Grindavik, we were allowed to drive into town. “We had ten minutes, you don’t have the mental capacity to think, I was in panic mode, I just grabbed what I could see. “I grabbed all of the clothes I could think of but I left one of the packed suitcases behind.” The children do not yet have to return to school as they recover from the shock, but it remains unclear where they will go, explained the mother. The distraught mother works as the director of a local and public school library and explained the families ‘entire existence is in Grindavik’. Her home of eight and a half years is still standing but some have fallen to the ground due to the strong quakes. “It was really hard to see the state of some of the houses and streets. My house seemed fine but this area is really unstable.” Now the mother has to decide whether she wants to eventually move back to the town, if it isn’t destroyed by the volcanic eruption. She says residents have accustomed to living with earthquakes, but living on an active volcano fissure is a different story. “I love living in Grindavik, it’s a really nice close-knit town but now comes the fear if we get to move back, do we want to move back?” she said. “This area is really unstable. Do we want to experience evacuation again?” Siggeir Ævarsson, 38, is another Grindavik resident who does not know if he will be able to return to his family home. The teacher had planned to meet his brother and sister-in-law but after the earthquakes stuck on Friday his brother-in-law urged them to come sooner. “I’ve seen a lot Earthquakes but this is something I’ve never felt before. “The sources were 2km away from our house. Things were falling down from shelves, I was standing in the kitchen I thought, can I even put pans on the stove.” Alongside his wife and youngest daughter,Þorgeir Úlfar,14, they grabbed their two cats and left. The 38-year-old says he and his wife, Soffía Sveinsdóttir, 39, have been fortunate as his sister-in-law has a spacious house with spare rooms. Mr Ævarsson was allowed to return on Sunday and was able to fill two cars with their items. “It was like going into an apocalyptic movie. The town was empty and lifeless. There were cracks everywhere. “It was very weird to walk into the house, it looked exactly the same the lights were still on. “Other houses are cracking in two, my house was fine, but a few metres up the road they are ruined.” As a born-and-bred Grindavikian, the father–of-two is trying to remain positive and “not think about lava flowing through his home”. “I’m trying to think of this as extension of a holiday, I’m watching movies, drinking beer.” Read More Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat Iceland eruption likely scientists warn as ‘biggest bulldozer’ deployed - live Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked Huge cracks appear on roads in Iceland’s volcano-threatened town Iceland earthquake: Town could be obliterated if volcanic eruption strikes
2023-11-17 13:18
Marcos Says to Meet With Xi to Ease South China Sea Tensions
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a
2023-11-17 11:52
China Is Sailing Its Way Through a Record Year of Debt Sales
There’s a 1.5 trillion yuan ($207 billion) question weighing on Chinese bond traders’ minds right now: How will
2023-11-17 11:50
OpenAI CEO Says Biggest AI Election Risks Haven’t Been Seen Yet
OpenAI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman thinks humanity is “on a path to self-destruction as a species
2023-11-17 10:24
Guatemala Prosecutors Open Door to Arresting President-Elect
Guatemalan authorities are seeking to revoke Bernardo Arévalo’s immunity from criminal prosecution, a move denounced by the president-elect
2023-11-17 09:57
FDIC Scuttles Meeting on Bank Fees as Pressure Mounts on Chair
A Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. meeting on Thursday to vote on how to refill the deposit insurance fund
2023-11-17 06:51
Fed Latest: Mester Says She Hasn’t Decided on Another Rate Hike
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester says she hasn’t decided whether another interest-rate hike is still
2023-11-17 03:49
How Amazon Is Going After Microsoft's Cloud Computing Ambitions
Amazon is the driving force behind a trio of advocacy groups working to thwart Microsoft's growing ambition to
2023-11-17 01:30
Pentagon Fails Its Financial Audit for Sixth Straight Year
The US Defense Department failed for the sixth consecutive year to score a clean financial audit, a goal
2023-11-17 00:53
Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv forces Russian navy back in Black Sea as Cameron meets Zelensky
Ukraine has forced Russia’s naval fleet to pull back in the eastern part of the Black Sea, president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed. “For the first time in the world, it was in the Black Sea that a fleet of naval drones began to operate – a Ukrainian fleet,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “I would also like to note that now – as one of the main results of our actions – Russia is unable to use the Black Sea as a springboard to destabilise other regions of the world.” It comes as former prime minister David Cameron assured Volodymyr Zelensky the UK would continue to provide “moral, diplomatic, economic and military support” to Ukraine in his first trip to the country as foreign secretary. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Hosted David Cameron on his first visit to Ukraine as Foreign Secretary of the UK. “We had a good meeting focused on weapons for the frontline, strengthening air defense, and protecting our people and critical infrastructure. I am grateful to the UK for its support.” Read More Russia admits Ukrainian troops crossed Dnipro river but says ‘fiery hell’ awaits them Putin could face new war crime case as evidence suggests starvation of Ukraine was pre-planned Ukraine troops applying pressure on Putin’s forces having gained foothold along Dnipro River, says Kyiv Bombs, betrayal and burying loved ones: Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion
2023-11-16 23:51