Category: World

SINGAPORE: American comedian Sammy Obeid has accused Singaporean authorities of censorship after they refused to grant a permit for his stand-up performance addressing Palestine and Israel. Obeid claimed in a social media post that his Sunday show was cancelled because regulator Infocomm Media Development Authority rejected his script despite submitting a heavily toned-down version. “I… Continue reading US comedian accuses Singapore of censorship over cancelled Palestine show

TERMEZ: Central Asian nations are prioritising economic cooperation with Taliban-led Afghanistan through new trade initiatives like the Airitom customs-free zone near Termez. Uzbekistan’s Airitom complex symbolises growing regional trade links, hosting 300 businesses and offering visa-free access for Afghans alongside modern medical facilities. Taliban representative Sayed Zaher Shah stated, “We have big plans for Central… Continue reading Central Asia boosts economic ties with Taliban despite security concerns

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s president promised Friday to investigate the death of a motorcycle taxi driver in clashes between protesters and police. Hundreds of protesters rallied near the Indonesian parliament complex Thursday as anger rose over hefty pay for lawmakers. This included a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (US$3,034), nearly ten times the minimum wage… Continue reading Indonesia president orders probe into driver’s death during protests

MOSCOW: Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin has died at the age of 92 according to an announcement from Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. The theatre described his passing as an “enormous tragedy” in a statement released on Friday. Shchedrin was the husband of late ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya and was hailed as “one of the greatest contemporary geniuses”.… Continue reading Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin dies aged 92 in Munich

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court began delivering its verdict on suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Friday. The court could remove her from office over her handling of the country’s border dispute with Cambodia. Paetongtarn, daughter of controversial billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office last month after being accused of failing to stand… Continue reading Thai court rules on PM’s fate after Cambodia phone call controversy

COLOMBO: A former Sri Lankan government minister surrendered to court on Friday after evading authorities for two months. This detention represents the latest high-profile arrest in the country’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Anti-graft units have significantly intensified investigations since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed power in September with a mandate to combat corruption. Former fisheries minister… Continue reading Sri Lankan ex-minister surrenders in anti-corruption crackdown

LONDON: Israeli government representatives will not receive invitations to a major London arms fair next month amid deteriorating diplomatic relations over the Gaza conflict. A UK defence ministry spokesperson confirmed on Friday that no Israeli delegation would attend the DSEI UK 2025 event in September. Israeli defence companies will still be permitted to participate in… Continue reading UK bars Israeli officials from London arms fair amid Gaza tensions

RENNES: The last surviving member of the French resistance force that withstood a German advance in a key battle in the north African desert in World War II has died aged 103, authorities announced. Paul Leterrier fought in the 1942 battle of Bir-Hakeim in Libya with the Free French Forces who had evaded the German… Continue reading Last French survivor of key WWII desert battle dies aged 103

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged women to immediately report intimate photographs shared online without their consent after discovering she was among the victims. Meloni expressed disgust after doctored photos of high-profile women including herself and opposition leader Elly Schlein appeared on a pornographic website. The images originated from photographs at political rallies… Continue reading Italy’s Meloni urges women to report intimate photo sharing online

NEW DELHI: The head of India’s powerful Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said that Indian families must have three children each, warning about the long-term risks from the current trend of declining birth rates. At 1.46 billion, India is the world’s most populous nation but the total fertility rate has dropped to less than… Continue reading India’s powerful Hindu group chief urges three-child families as fertility rates fall

DEMAND for physical gold in India picked up slightly this week, despite a recovery in prices, as jewellers stocked up ahead of the festive season, while activity remained subdued elsewhere. Indian dealers were charged a premium of up to $4 per ounce over official domestic prices, inclusive of 6% import and 3% sales levies, compared… Continue reading Indian jewellers stock up for festive season; activity muted elsewhere

SEOUL: Kim Keon Hee, the wife of South Korea’s ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been indicted for bribery and other charges, a special prosecution team said on Friday, amid a widening probe into the country’s martial law crisis and scandals involving the once powerful couple. Both Yoon and Kim have been arrested and… Continue reading South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee indicted for bribery

BILLIONAIRE Elon Musk filed a motion on Thursday to dismiss the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) civil lawsuit that accused him of waiting too long in 2022 to reveal his large stake in social media platform Twitter, later renamed as X. In a complaint filed in Washington, D.C. federal court in January, the SEC… Continue reading Musk seeks dismissal of SEC lawsuit on his 2022 Twitter stake

LOS ANGELES: Nearly 100 people have fallen ill in a multistate Salmonella outbreak in the United States linked to recalled eggs, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday. A total of 95 cases across 14 states have been confirmed as the same strain of salmonella, with 18 hospitalisations but no… Continue reading 95 infected in US Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court will decide on Friday whether to throw suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra out of office over her handling of the country’s border row with Cambodia. Paetongtarn, daughter of controversial billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office last month after being accused of failing to stand up for Thailand in… Continue reading Thai court to rule on PM’s fate after Hun Sen call leak

WARSAW: A Polish F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday while preparing for an air show in the central city of Radom, killing the pilot, a government spokesperson said. “Tragedy in Radom, during preparations for the air show, a F-16 jet crashed. Unfortunately, the pilot has died,“ Adam Szlapka wrote on X, adding that the defence minister… Continue reading Polish F-16 jet crashes killing pilot ahead of air show: govt

BOGOTÁ: A group of 33 Colombian soldiers were freed Thursday after being held captive for three days in a southeastern Amazonian community home to drug crops and dissident guerrillas, the country’s Ombudsman’s office said. After the soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with the guerrillas on Monday, local villagers blocked roads to prevent the departure of… Continue reading 33 Colombian soldiers freed after capture in guerrilla-controlled area

BRUSSELS: Russian President Vladimir Putin must sit down for peace talks on Ukraine, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday after calls with US leader Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Von der Leyen’s demand comes as the Kremlin continues to stall on Trump’s push to set up direct talks between Putin and Zelensky… Continue reading Putin ‘must come to negotiating table’, says EU chief after Trump call

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday called on the government to begin annexing parts of the Gaza Strip if Palestinian militant group Hamas stands by its refusal to lay down its weapons. The far-right minister, who has vocally opposed striking a deal with Hamas to end the nearly two-year war, presented his plan… Continue reading Israeli minister calls to annex Gaza if Hamas doesn’t surrender

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday there was “no way” US troops could invade Venezuela after Washington deployed five warships and 4,000 troops to the Caribbean to pressure the leftist strongman. The United States said the deployment to the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela’s territorial waters, is an anti-drug trafficking operation. Venezuela has responded by… Continue reading ‘No way’ US troops can invade Venezuela, says Maduro

LOS ANGELES: Two firefighters battling a wildfire in the United States have been arrested by border patrol agents, immigration officials said Thursday, as President Donald Trump’s migration crackdown gathers pace. Federal agents held crews from private fire contractors for several hours on Wednesday as they readied to help tackle the 9,000-acre (3,600-hectare) Bear Gulch Fire… Continue reading Firefighters arrested by US immigration officials

KYIV: Russia pounded Ukraine with deadly missiles and drone strikes early on Thursday in a sweeping attack that the U.S. special envoy on Ukraine said undermined President Donald Trump’s peace efforts. At least 23 people were killed in the capital, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram. As of 11 p.m. (2000… Continue reading Russian missiles pound Ukraine, damage EU and British offices

A 10-year-old acted like a human shield to protect a younger schoolmate. An eighth-grader prayed while hiding under a pew. A frightened 11-year-old asked her father to lock the doors and draw the curtains when she arrived home. These were just a handful of stories of courage and fear that have emerged a day after… Continue reading Minneapolis children revealed courage, absorbed fear during church shooting

WASHINGTON: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Mexico and Ecuador next week, the State Department said in a statement, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to crack down on illegal immigration to the U.S., combat drug cartels and counter Chinese influence in the region. The trip by Rubio, the first Latino U.S.… Continue reading US top diplomat Rubio to visit Mexico and Ecuador next week

WASHINGTON: The U.S. tariff exemption for package shipments valued under $800 ends permanently on Friday, with a six-month transition period under which postal service shippers can opt to pay a flat duty of $80 to $200 per package depending on the country of origin, Trump administration officials said. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)… Continue reading End of US low-value package tariff exemption is permanent, Trump officials say

THE U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of air-launched cruise missiles and related equipment to Ukraine for an estimated $825 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The potential sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles includes GPS guidance kits and electronic warfare defenses for the weapons, which have a range of… Continue reading US State Department approves potential sale of air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine

WASHINGTON: Nels Nordquist, a top economic aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, is leaving the White House to take a senior role at the International Labor Organization in Geneva, five sources familiar with the plans said. Nordquist had served as deputy director for international economics at the National Economic Council, giving him a key role… Continue reading Trump economic aide Nels Nordquist to leave White House for UN agency, sources say

STOCKHOLM: Sweden and the Netherlands have urged the European Union to adopt sanctions against both Israel and Hamas over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The two nations specifically called for targeted sanctions on Israeli government ministers and Jewish settlers in occupied Palestinian territories. They also demanded new sanctions against the political leadership of Hamas, which… Continue reading Sweden and Netherlands urge EU sanctions on Israel and Hamas leaders

LONDON: Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey will boycott a state banquet hosted by King Charles during Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Britain. Davey stated his decision aims to send a strong message regarding Trump’s position on the Gaza conflict. The US president is scheduled to visit the UK from September 17 to 19 for his… Continue reading UK Liberal Democrats leader to boycott Trump state dinner over Gaza

BANGKOK: The death toll from Typhoon Kajiki in northern Thailand has increased to five people with fifteen others injured due to landslides and flooding. Officials confirmed the updated casualty figures on Thursday as heavy rainfall is expected to continue throughout the week. The storm initially made landfall in Vietnam on Monday, forcing tens of thousands… Continue reading Typhoon Kajiki death toll rises to five in Thailand with heavy rain forecast

BRUSSELS: The European Union summoned Moscow’s envoy in Brussels on Thursday following a massive attack on Kyiv that killed at least 14 people and damaged the bloc’s diplomatic mission. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen addressed the press in Brussels after the strike, calling it proof “the Kremlin will stop at nothing” and vowing… Continue reading EU summons Russian envoy after Kyiv strike damages diplomatic mission

KYIV: Russian missiles and drones struck apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital early Thursday, killing at least 15 people including four children. President Volodymyr Zelensky declared the attack demonstrated Moscow’s rejection of peace negotiations despite international ceasefire efforts. Russia continued aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities despite US President Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire and… Continue reading Russian missile attack kills 15 in Kyiv amid collapsed peace talks

MINNEAPOLIS: Investigators are seeking to determine why a heavily armed shooter opened fire on children at a church service in Minneapolis on Wednesday. City police chief Brian O’Hara confirmed the attacker sprayed bullets through the windows of the Annunciation Church as dozens of young students attended a Mass marking their first week back at school.… Continue reading Investigation underway after US shooting kills two children, injures 17

A man in Jiangsu, China, has been sentenced to two years in jail for breaking into a woman’s home, sedating her and drawing her blood, claiming he did it to relieve stress. According to South China Morning Post, the man named Li, entered the home of a woman called Yu while her husband was out… Continue reading Man breaks into woman’s home and draws her blood for ‘stress relief’

BEIJING: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will attend a major military parade in China next week commemorating eighty years since the end of World War II. Both nations confirmed his participation on Thursday alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The event will showcase China’s latest military equipment and feature President… Continue reading Kim Jong Un to attend China’s military parade with Putin and Pezeshkian

WASHINGTON: Climate-driven wildfires are reversing decades of air pollution progress across North America according to a new study released Thursday. The Air Quality Life Index annual report reveals the United States and Canada experienced the sharpest pollution increases globally due to record-breaking wildfires supercharged by climate change. Michael Greenstone, an economics professor at the University… Continue reading Climate-driven wildfires reversing pollution progress in N. America: study