Category: World

UNITED NATIONS: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Israel of seeking to “blow up” the entire Middle East. Lavrov criticised Israel’s recent attacks in Iran and Qatar while also voicing strong opposition to calls for annexing the West Bank. “Israel’s illegal use of force against the Palestinians and aggressive actions against Iran, Qatar, Yemen,… Continue reading Russian FM Lavrov accuses Israel of trying to blow up Middle East

ISTANBUL: A humanitarian aid flotilla destined for Gaza is currently 463 nautical miles from the blockaded enclave according to its organisers. The Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed its ships have resumed their journey following a brief stop to resolve mechanical problems. Organisers stated the flotilla is anticipated to reach its destination within four to seven days… Continue reading Gaza aid flotilla 463 nautical miles from destination, organisers confirm

SEOUL: South Korea is unable to pay $350 billion upfront in investment in the United States as President Donald Trump suggested under a deal to cut tariffs and is seeking an alternative solution, Seoul’s presidential adviser said on Saturday. Since a handshake deal by the allies’ leaders in July to lower U.S. tariffs to 15%… Continue reading South Korea rejects $350 billion upfront tariff deal with US

GAZA CITY (Palestinian Territories): Palestinian women wept and wailed Saturday as they mourned a family killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza City, expressing anger at Israel and Hamas for the bloodshed engulfing the city. Five members of the Bakr family were killed overnight in the strike on Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, where… Continue reading Gaza mourners blame Israel, Hamas after deadly airstrike

RIGA: Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics urged NATO on Saturday to increase its protection of the Baltic States, citing Russian violations of the alliance’s airspace, and adding to a similar call from Lithuania. European leaders have said Russia has repeatedly violated NATO airspace, including in the Baltic States and Poland, where earlier this month around 20… Continue reading Latvia urges NATO to boost Baltic air defences after incursions

FRANKFURT: Germany is reportedly considering granting its military the authority to shoot down drones following a series of suspicious aerial incursions across northern Europe. Recent drone sightings over airports in Denmark and Norway have caused temporary closures and heightened security concerns. A drone was also observed late Friday over Denmark’s largest military base, further escalating… Continue reading Germany considers military authorisation to shoot down drones

CHISINAU: Moldova has excluded the pro-Russian political party ‘Greater Moldova’ from participating in Sunday’s parliamentary vote due to suspected illegal financing. Officials announced the decision on Saturday after it was made late on Friday. This marks the second pro-Russian party to be excluded within days of the vote, raising concerns over alleged Russian interference. Moldova’s… Continue reading Moldova bars second pro-Russian party from parliamentary vote

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations will reinstate sweeping sanctions on Iran after nuclear diplomacy failed, with Tehran rejecting what it calls an unacceptable US demand to hand over its enriched uranium. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian slammed a reported American proposal for Tehran to relinquish all its enriched uranium in exchange for a three-month reprieve from… Continue reading UN sanctions on Iran return as nuclear talks collapse

VIENNA: The United Nations will reimpose comprehensive sanctions on Iran this Saturday after European powers activated a unique mechanism in the 2015 nuclear agreement. Britain, France and Germany triggered the “snapback” provision on August 28, alleging Tehran had breached multiple commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This mechanism allows any party to the… Continue reading European powers trigger snapback of UN sanctions on Iran

ISLAMABAD: More than 4.2 million people have been affected by monsoon floods in Pakistan’s Punjab province, with southern districts suffering the most severe impact. A rapid needs assessment released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) revealed the scale of the disaster on Friday. The survey was conducted jointly with… Continue reading Floods affect 4.2 million people in Pakistan’s Punjab province

SINGAPORE: Many Singapore-based pharmaceutical companies might avoid immediate impact from upcoming United States tariff hikes due to existing American investment plans. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong stated these firms are currently clarifying their eligibility for exemptions with US authorities. “Following the recent announcement, we also reached out to them again and, as I understand,… Continue reading Singapore pharma exports may avoid immediate US tariff impact

COPENHAGEN: Unidentified drones flew over Danish military sites including its biggest base overnight following a slew of earlier sightings that Copenhagen has termed a “hybrid attack”, hinting at possible Russian involvement. Neighbouring Norway was also investigating “possible sightings of drones” early Saturday near its biggest military base, Orland, where its F-35 fighter jets are parked.… Continue reading Denmark and Norway investigate new drone sightings over military bases

BUCHAREST: Six infants have died and three others were infected following a bacterial outbreak at the “Sfanta Maria” children’s hospital in Iasi, northeastern Romania. The country’s Health Ministry confirmed on Friday that nine patients under the age of one had contracted the Serratia marcescens bacteria. It stressed that a direct medical link between the infections… Continue reading Six infants die after bacterial outbreak at Romanian children’s hospital

LILLE: Two women died overnight while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to Britain. French authorities confirmed the deaths on Saturday, adding that approximately 60 other individuals had been rescued from the incident. The tragedy occurred south of the beaches of Neufchatel-Hardelot, where about 100 people were trying to reach the UK on… Continue reading Two women die attempting Channel crossing from France to UK

CANCÚN: Electricity has been fully restored across large parts of southeastern Mexico following a major interconnection line failure. The blackout began around 2:00 pm local time and lasted approximately six hours before power returned to affected areas in Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated late on Friday that nearly half the… Continue reading Power restored in southeast Mexico after blackout affects 2.3 million

BEIRUT: Hezbollah marks the death of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, commemorating the man who oversaw the group’s rise to become Lebanon’s most powerful force and a key Iranian ally. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike that flattened a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the group,… Continue reading Hezbollah marks death of leader Nasrallah amid regional tensions

SINGAPORE: Pharmaceutical companies in Singapore are urgently seeking clarification on potential exemptions from steep new United States tariffs. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong revealed that Singapore exports approximately S$4 billion (US$3.10 billion) worth of pharmaceutical products to the US annually. He noted that most of these exports consist of branded drugs now facing a… Continue reading Singapore pharma exports face US$3.1 billion threat from new US tariffs

MOSCOW: Ukrainian drones struck an oil pumping station in the Russian region of Chuvashia on Saturday, forcing the facility to stop working. Regional governor Oleg Nikolaev announced the attack in a statement posted on his Telegram channel. He confirmed the incident occurred near the village of Konar, approximately 1,200 kilometres from Ukrainian territory. Nikolaev reported… Continue reading Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil station in Chuvashia, governor says

SEOUL: A major fire at South Korea’s national data centre has crippled some government online services and internal networks, prompting a race on Saturday to bring the systems back online and a probe of what sparked a lithium-ion battery to start the blaze. The fire is suspected to have started with an explosion on Friday… Continue reading South Korea scrambles to restore services after major state data centre fire

PARIS: Former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s prison sentence has deepened divisions in France over judges’ handling of political wrongdoing, months before far-right chief Marine Le Pen attempts to overturn an embezzlement conviction and run for top office. A Paris court jolted the political sphere on Thursday when it handed Sarkozy a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy… Continue reading Sarkozy jailing reignites debate over French political justice ahead of Le Pen appeal

IRIMBO: Family and friends gathered in a small Mexican town on Friday to mourn and demand justice for a 38-year-old father of two who was killed by an immigration agent during an arrest attempt in a Chicago suburb earlier this month. Silverio Villegas Gonzalez left Irimbo, in Mexico’s Michoacan state, for the United States 18… Continue reading A Mexican town mourns father slain by ICE in Chicago

LANZHOU: A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Longxi County in Dingxi City in northwest China’s Gansu Province at 5.49 am on Saturday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), reported Xinhua. The epicentre of the earthquake which struck at a depth of 10km, was monitored at a latitude of 34.91 degrees north and at a longitude… Continue reading Magnitude-5.6 quake hits NW China’s Gansu

MANILA: The death toll from Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi rose to 11 in the Philippines on Saturday as the cyclone bore down on Vietnam, authorities said. Bualoi battered small islands in the centre of the Philippines on Friday, toppling trees and power pylons, ripping roofs off homes, unleashing floods and forcing 400,000 people to evacuate.… Continue reading Philippines death toll rises to 11 as storm Bualoi bears down on Vietnam

U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump said on Friday that Microsoft should fire Lisa Monaco, who had served in the administrations of two Democratic presidents and is now Microsoft’s global affairs president. The move appears to be the latest effort by Trump to exact retribution on those he sees on political enemies and comes one day after… Continue reading Trump says Microsoft should fire its global affairs president Lisa Monaco

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday that US President Donald Trump played a decisive role in averting a “catastrophic war” in South Asia in May this year when his country and India were involved in a four-day military confrontation. Amid international concerns over the clashes,… Continue reading Trump intervention helped in averting ‘catastrophic’ war in South Asia, Pakistan PM tells UNGA

BUENOS AIRES: Shocked and in tears, relatives on Friday laid to rest two women and a girl whose live-streamed torture and murder caused an outcry in Argentina, where activists are planning a weekend protest against femicide. The bodies of Morena Verdi and Brenda Del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez were found buried… Continue reading Argentine victims of live-streamed murder laid to rest on eve of protest

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s granddaughter has unveiled a clothing brand bearing her name, with promotional photos taken at the White House featuring the teen in a $130 sweatshirt. Don Jr.’s daughter stood near the 79-year-old Republican on Friday wearing one of her brand’s pullovers, as he answered reporters’ questions outside the White House. “This… Continue reading Trump’s granddaughter launches clothing brand from White House

U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump has escalated his criticism and actions against executives, corporations and institutions. His unprecedented actions — from novel export deals to frozen university grants — have upended the status quo between the government, law, academia and corporate America. On Friday, Trump called for the firing of Lisa Monaco, Microsoft’s global affairs president,… Continue reading From Wall Street to academia, who is in Trump’s line of fire?

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday talks on Gaza with Middle Eastern nations were intense and that Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants were aware of the discussions, which he said would continue as long as required. Trump met leaders and officials from multiple Muslim-majority countries this week to discuss the situation in Gaza,… Continue reading Trump says Gaza talks with Middle East countries are intense, will continue

CHELSEA: A U.S. immigration officer shoving a woman in a New York City courthouse to the floor. Protesters dispersed with tear gas outside a Chicago detention center. A woman injured during an arrest in the Boston area. The incidents on Thursday and Friday highlight the growing tensions in major U.S. cities over President Donald Trump’s… Continue reading ICE tactics inflame tensions in New York, Chicago and other cities

THE British government will offer to pay more for medicines that it buys for the National Health Service, the Financial Times reported on Friday, hoping to defuse one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s top complaints after he announced steep tariff increases on branded medication. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief business adviser, Varun Chandra, will… Continue reading UK to offer to pay more for some drugs to appease Trump, FT reports

U.S. Congressional Democrats released on Friday daily schedules belonging to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from 2014 to 2019, which show Epstein had plans to meet with Republican donors Elon Musk and Peter Thiel and conservative commentator Steve Bannon. The documents, which Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said came from Epstein’s… Continue reading US House Democrats release Epstein schedules showing plans to meet Musk, Thiel

U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Friday said he is ordering the declassification and release of all U.S. government records related to the disappearance of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who vanished while attempting a round-the-world flight in 1937. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the mystery surrounding Earhart’s final flight has “captivated millions.” “I… Continue reading Trump orders release of records related to Amelia Earhart

POTENTIAL tropical cyclone nine formed in the Atlantic and is s expected to track across the central and northwestern Bahamas this weekend and approach the southeast U.S. coast early next week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was located about 200 miles (325 km) south south east of the Central Bahamas, packing maximum sustained… Continue reading Potential tropical cyclone nine forms in Atlantic, NHC says

THE man who killed four people at a midtown Manhattan office tower housing the NFL’s head office suffered from a traumatic brain injury commonly associated with football players, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office said on Friday. Shane Tamura, 27, a Las Vegas casino security officer and former high-school football player, had left a… Continue reading Gunman who targeted NFL’s New York offices suffered from CTE, examiner finds

U.S. energy firms this week added oil and natural gas rigs for a fourth week in a row for the first time since February, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report on Friday. The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose by seven to 549 in… Continue reading US oil and gas rig count rises to highest since June, Baker Hughes says

LONDON: King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will pay a state visit to the Holy See next month, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday, making a trip which they had been forced to cancel in April because of the failing health of the late Pope Francis. The British royals were due to visit the Vatican… Continue reading King Charles to pay state visit to Vatican to see Pope Leo

GENEVA: The United Nations human rights office released a long-awaited update to its database of companies with activities in Israeli settlements on Friday. The non-exhaustive list now contains 158 firms from 11 different countries. Major international companies such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Motorola Solutions, and Trip Advisor remain included on the updated list. Several companies including… Continue reading UN updates database with 158 firms linked to Israeli settlements