Category: World

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was committed to improving ties with Beijing in a key meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a regional security forum on Sunday. Modi is in China for the first time in seven years to attend a two-day meeting of the Shanghai… Continue reading India’s Modi says he is committed to progressing ties with China in meeting with Xi

TOKYO: Japan has decided to provide a United Nations (UN) agency with US$5.5 million for a project to improve living conditions in Syria, as residents who had fled the country amid a civil war are increasingly returning following the collapse of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government last year, Kyodo News Agency reported. The grant aid… Continue reading Japan to give US$5.5 million aid to UN for better living conditions in Syria

GENEVA: Residents of the tiny Indonesian island of Pari, threatened with disappearance by rising sea levels driven by climate change, have come to Switzerland to demand compensation from cement giant Holcim. The case is part of a wider international movement seeking to assign responsibility to major companies for the climate damage hurting the livelihoods of… Continue reading Indonesian islanders taking Swiss concrete giant to court over climate

SYDNEY: The wife of an Australian man wanted in connection with the killing of two police officers urged her husband to surrender, in a statement sent to Australian media Sunday. The heavily armed 56-year-old suspect, Dezi Freeman, fled into the bush Tuesday after opening fire on a team of 10 police officers at his home… Continue reading Wife of Australian man wanted in police killings urges him to surrender

SHANGHAI: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have begun a bilateral meeting in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, state media outlet Xinhua said on Sunday. Modi is in China for the first time in seven years to attend a two-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where Russian President… Continue reading China’s Xi meets India’s Modi in Tianjin

VENICE: Mexican director Guillermo del Toro gave birth to another monster Saturday, his big-budget “Frankenstein” movie, joking that the effort had left him worn out as his creation got its world premiere in Venice. The last creature he delivered here, the aquatic being in “The Shape of Water”, swam off with the festival’s top prize… Continue reading Del Toro delivers his monster, ‘Frankenstein’, at Venice

BARCELONA: Aid flotillas like the one preparing to leave for Gaza would not be necessary if governments upheld international law, rights activist Greta Thunberg told AFP Saturday. “It should not have to be up to us,“ said the 22-year-old Swedish campaigner, who will join the flotilla when it sets off from Barcelona on Sunday. “A… Continue reading Gaza aid flotilla ‘should not have to exist’ says Thunberg

SAN PEDRO: Floating blue paddles dance on the waves that lap a dock in the Port of Los Angeles, silently converting the power of the sea into useable electricity. This innovative installation may hold one of the keys to accelerating a transition away from fossil fuels that scientists say is necessary if the world is… Continue reading New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port

U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will issue an executive order to require voter identification from every voter. “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!,“ Trump said on Truth Social. “Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That… Continue reading Trump says he will order voter ID requirement for every vote

BUENOS AIRES: When the tango begins to play, Lidia Beltran shrugs off the Parkinson’s that plagues her, takes hold of her therapist and dances, her body fluid and her steps precise, as part of an innovative treatment program in Buenos Aires. Some 200 patients have participated in tango workshops offered over the past 15 years… Continue reading In Argentina, the tango keeps Parkinson’s symptoms at bay

CAIRO: The Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed on Saturday the death of its Gaza military chief Mohammad Sinwar, a few months after Israel said it killed him in a strike in May. Hamas did not provide details on Sinwar’s death but published pictures of him along with other group leaders, describing them as “martyrs”. Mohammad… Continue reading Hamas confirms death of its military leader Mohammed Sinwar

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is advancing plans to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing a White House official, after U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect on Monday. Restoring the Department of War name for the government’s largest department would likely require congressional… Continue reading White House moves forward on plans for a Department of War, WSJ Reports

TEL AVIV: The mother of an Israeli hostage vowed Saturday to seek the prosecution of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if his planned new offensive in Gaza leads to her son’s death in captivity. “If Netanyahu chooses to occupy the Gaza Strip instead of the current outline for a deal, it will be the execution of… Continue reading Hostage’s mother vows to hold Netanyahu to account if son dies

LONDON: British police said they arrested five people on Saturday after masked men tried to force their way into a hotel used by asylum-seekers, a day after the government won a court ruling on the use of another hotel to house migrants. Two groups of anti-asylum protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow… Continue reading UK police arrest five in London during anti-asylum protest

GAZA STRIP: The Red Cross warned on Saturday that any Israeli attempt to evacuate Gaza City would put residents at risk, as Israel’s military tightened its siege on the area ahead of a planned offensive. Gaza’s civil defence agency said that since dawn Israeli attacks had killed 66 people in the territory already devastated by… Continue reading Red Cross warns against evacuation of Gaza City as Israel tightens siege

ISRAEL identified the body of hostage Idan Shtivi, recovered from the Gaza Strip in a military operation this week that retrieved the remains of two hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday. Netanyahu’s office had announced on Friday the retrieval of Ilan Weiss’s body along with the remains of another hostage, whose identity… Continue reading Israel identifies body of hostage Idan Shtivi retrieved from Gaza

TIANJIN: Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to land in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday to attend a summit hosted by counterpart Xi Jinping with around 20 other world leaders. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit will be held in the port city until Monday, days before a massive military parade in the… Continue reading Putin expected in Tianjin for summit hosted by China

COPENHAGEN: European Union foreign ministers have urged the United States to reconsider its decision not to allow Palestinian officials to take part in the United Nations General Assembly in New York. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed the diplomatic appeal following a meeting of ministers in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Kallas also announced she… Continue reading EU urges US to reconsider ban on Palestinian officials at UN assembly

KHANKE: Archaeologists have discovered forty ancient tombs in drought-affected Iraq after water levels receded in the country’s largest reservoir. The tombs are believed to be over two thousand three hundred years old and were found at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province. “So far, we have discovered… Continue reading Iraq drought uncovers 40 ancient tombs in Mosul Dam reservoir

TIANJIN: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tianjin on Saturday evening for a major international summit hosted by China. His visit marks the first trip to China since 2018 and follows immediately after securing a $68 billion investment pledge from Japan. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering will bring together leaders from more than 20… Continue reading Modi arrives in Tianjin for SCO summit amid India-China rivalry

LVIV: Ukrainian authorities confirmed the fatal shooting of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy in Lviv on Saturday. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the incident as a “horrific murder” and promised a comprehensive investigation into the killing. Police reported that Parubiy, aged fifty four, “died on the spot as a result of his injuries” from the attack.… Continue reading Former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy shot dead in Lviv

JAKARTA: Violent clashes have erupted across Indonesia, boiling into the biggest test of Prabowo Subianto’s 10-month presidency, with at least four people killed in separate incidents. Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has been simmering with discontent in recent weeks over economic issues such as financial perks for lawmakers, but a motorcycle gig driver’s death sparked widespread… Continue reading Indonesia protests escalate with four dead amid economic discontent

LAHORE: Pakistani authorities have evacuated nearly half a million people stranded by severe flooding in eastern Punjab province after days of heavy monsoon rain. Three transboundary rivers cutting through Punjab have swollen to exceptionally high levels, affecting more than 2,300 villages across the region. Relief services chief Nabeel Javed confirmed that 481,000 people have been… Continue reading Pakistan evacuates 500,000 people from severe monsoon flooding

GENEVA: The head of the international Red Cross has denounced Israel’s plans for a mass evacuation of Gaza City ahead of a military takeover. International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric insisted there was no way such an evacuation could be done safely under current conditions. “It is impossible that a mass evacuation… Continue reading Red Cross says Gaza City mass evacuation impossible under current conditions

TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested eight individuals suspected of attempting to transmit sensitive site coordinates and senior military details to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. They are accused of having provided the information to the Mossad spy agency during Israel’s air war on Iran in June, when it attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top… Continue reading Iran arrests eight for suspected Mossad links amid escalating tensions

BANGKOK: Thailand’s political rivals jockeyed for power on Saturday after a court sacked the prime minister, with two camps declaring they were ready to form the next government but with no indication when that might happen. The Constitutional Court’s dismissal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Friday for an ethics violation triggered a burst of dealmaking. Her… Continue reading Thailand’s political rivals jockey for power after PM’s court dismissal

WASHINGTON: The United States has barred Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from attending next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. A State Department official confirmed that Abbas and approximately eighty other Palestinian officials would be denied visas under this decision affecting members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority. Abbas had planned… Continue reading US bars Palestinian leader Abbas from UN as allies pledge statehood

KYIV: Former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy has been killed in the western city of Lviv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. “Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko have just reported on the first known circumstances of a horrific murder in Lviv. Andriy Parubiy has been killed,“ Zelenskiy wrote… Continue reading Former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Parubiy killed in Lviv, Zelenskiy says

MOSCOW: The Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday its troops had taken control of the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The ministry said its forces had successfully carried out strikes with high-precision weapons on Ukrainian missile and aviation enterprises, as well as military airfields in Ukraine. Reuters could not independently verify the… Continue reading Russia says it captured village in eastern Ukraine, struck Ukrainian military targets

BRASÍLIA: Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has lost his appetite and continues to vomit, his son said Friday, just days before learning his fate in a trial for plotting an alleged coup. “The old man is thin, has no desire to eat and continues facing endless bouts of hiccups and vomiting,“ Carlos Bolsonaro, one of… Continue reading Bolsonaro’s health declines ahead of Brazil coup trial verdict

COPENHAGEN: European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed pessimism about the bloc imposing sanctions against Israel regarding the Gaza conflict. Kallas stated she was “not optimistic” about reaching consensus during Saturday’s foreign ministers meeting in Denmark. Foreign ministers gathered in Denmark will discuss suspending EU funding to Israeli start-ups as initial punishment for the… Continue reading EU foreign policy chief not optimistic on Israel sanctions over Gaza

BANGKOK: Thailand’s defence ministry has confirmed that the current political vacuum will not compromise border security with Cambodia. The kingdom faces political turmoil after the Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over her handling of a border dispute. Friday’s ruling left Thailand with an acting prime minister and caretaker cabinet until a new government… Continue reading Thailand’s political vacuum will not impact border security with Cambodia

TIANJIN: Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Egyptian Premier Moustafa Madbouly ahead of a major international summit. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering will occur in Tianjin on Sunday and Monday with participation from more than twenty countries. This meeting precedes a massive military parade in Beijing commemorating eightieth anniversary of… Continue reading Xi Jinping welcomes world leaders in Tianjin ahead of SCO summit

COPENHAGEN: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot declared on Saturday that there should be no restrictions on access to next month’s United Nations General Assembly meeting. Barrot made this statement after the United States announced it would deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority. “A UN General Assembly meeting… should not be subject to any… Continue reading France urges US to allow Palestinian access to UN General Assembly

NEW DELHI: India will not “bow down” and instead focus on capturing new markets, trade minister Piyush Goyal said in his first public remarks since Washington imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods. The 50-percent levies on many Indian imports into the United States took effect this week as punishment for New Delhi’s massive purchases of… Continue reading India will not ‘bow down’, trade minister says after US tariffs

TOKYO: A Trump administration request that Japan buy more U.S. rice caused this week’s snag in bilateral trade talks as Tokyo “strongly objected” to the condition, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday. Japan’s top tariff negotiator abruptly cancelled a U.S. trip on Thursday over unspecified “points that need to be discussed at the administrative level”,… Continue reading Trump demand for Japan to buy more US rice snagged trade talks, Nikkei says

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Saturday that the Angkor Wat has been ranked as Asia’s most attractive tourist destination by TripAdvisor, reported Xinhua. The prime minister announced this in a text posted on his official social media platforms, with a TripAdvisor list of Asia’s top 20 tourist destinations. Angkor Wat is… Continue reading Cambodia’s Angkor Wat ranked TripAdvisor’s most attractive tourist destination: PM