Category: World

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday backed the Philippines in protesting Beijing’s plan for a “nature reserve” on disputed Scarborough Shoal, saying it was part of a “coercive” strategy in the South China Sea. “The US stands with our Philippine ally in rejecting China’s destabilizing plans to establish a ‘national nature reserve’… Continue reading Rubio backs Philippines against ‘coercive’ sea nature reserve

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in Friday as the country’s prime minister to lead a six-month transition to elections, after deadly anti-corruption protests ousted the government. The previous prime minister quit Tuesday as parliament was set ablaze. “I, Sushila Karki… take an oath in the name of the country and the… Continue reading Nepal ex-chief justice Karki becomes next PM after protests

KYIV: Russia said Friday that peace talks with Kyiv were on “pause” as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin still wanted to capture the whole of Ukraine. US President Donald Trump meanwhile warned that he was running out of patience with Putin, and the NATO alliance said it would bolster its… Continue reading Russia says Ukraine peace talks frozen as NATO bolsters defences

WASHINGTON: China is preparing for war to take Taiwan, the island’s top China policymaker said in Washington on Friday, warning if Taiwan were to fall it would cause a regional “domino effect” that would threaten the security of the United States. Chiu Chui-cheng, the cabinet-ranked head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, told the Washington-based Heritage… Continue reading In US, Taiwan minister warns of ‘domino effect’ if China takes island

ZURICH: Swiss watchmaker Swatch has begun selling a special edition watch with the numbers three and nine reversed on its face in a play on the 39% tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on U.S. imports from Switzerland last month. The tariffs – among the highest set by Trump worldwide – were met with shock and… Continue reading Swatch sells watch lampooning Trump’s 39% tariffs on Switzerland

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country will present a policy of jointly advancing nuclear arms and conventional military might during an upcoming key meeting of its ruling party, state media KCNA reported on Saturday. While inspecting weapons research centres on Thursday and Friday, Kim said “the 9th Congress of the Workers’… Continue reading North Korea’s Kim says country to present nuclear policy in upcoming party meeting

WASHINGTON: Group of Seven nations’ finance ministers discussed in a call on Friday further sanctions on Russia and possible tariffs on countries that they consider “enabling” its war in Ukraine, as the U.S. called on its allies to impose tariffs on purchasers of Russian oil. Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne chaired the G7 meeting, which… Continue reading US calls on G7, EU to impose tariffs on China, India over Russian oil purchases

CHICAGO: A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a man on Friday as officers attempted to detain him in a Chicago suburb, the Department of Homeland Security and local officials said. ICE officers were conducting a vehicle stop to arrest Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez when he drove his car at the officers, DHS said… Continue reading ICE officer kills man in Chicago suburb during arrest attempt

BOSTON: A federal appeals court rejected on Friday a challenge by immigrant rights advocates to the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans living in the United States. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling… Continue reading Court rejects challenge to Trump ending thousands of migrants’ legal status

WASHINGTON: Eighteen-year-old Tyler Robinson seemingly had a bright future ahead of him. The Utah teen had scored in the top percentile on his college entrance exam and earned himself a four-year scholarship to Utah State University in Logan. His proud mother posted a video on Facebook in which her first-born son, the oldest of three,… Continue reading Who is Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s murder?

OREM: A young Utah man suspected of killing the conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a university forum has been taken into custody, as U.S. leaders reacted with sorrow and frustration over the latest outbreak of political violence sweeping the country. “We got him,“ Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters at a briefing on Friday, expressing… Continue reading Suspect in Charlie Kirk murder captured after two-day manhunt

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will leave Saturday on a trip to Israel to offer support before French-led moves to recognize a Palestinian state, the State Department said. Rubio is going ahead with the visit despite President Donald Trump gently reprimanding Israel for a surprise attack on Hamas on Tuesday in Qatar, a… Continue reading US Secretary Rubio to visit Israel amid Gaza conflict and Qatar tensions

VATICAN CITY: American songwriter Pharrell Williams and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will co-direct a free concert and light show for tens of thousands of people at the Vatican on Saturday. The event titled “Grace for the World” will be held in St Peter’s Square and feature US singer-songwriter John Legend, French-Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo and… Continue reading Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli co-direct free Vatican concert

OREM: Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event in the western US state of Utah. Authorities had failed to locate the gunman on Thursday, more than 30 hours later. Here is what we know and some of the main unanswered questions. The shooting Kirk,… Continue reading Charlie Kirk shooting: what we know about Utah assassination

KATHMANDU: Retired Nepali civil servant Dhruba Shrestha has lived through decades of turmoil from civil war to political upheaval but says nothing compared to this week’s violence. The 76-year-old told AFP he had seen violence since his student days but never such a riot as soldiers briefly lifted a curfew in the capital. Nepal plunged… Continue reading Nepal assesses damage after deadly protests leave 51 killed

KYIV: Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Friday to support soldiers wounded in the ongoing war with Russia. The Duke of Sussex arrived in Kyiv via overnight train early Friday morning according to Ukrainian Railways. Ukrainian Railways posted a video showing Harry being greeted on the platform in the capital city. “Prince… Continue reading Prince Harry makes surprise Ukraine visit to support wounded soldiers

BRUSSELS: The EU said Friday it had accepted Microsoft’s commitment to more clearly separate the Teams communications app from its Office products — sparing the US tech giant a hefty antitrust fine. The European Commission said the redress proposed by Microsoft answered the concerns at the heart of an antitrust probe launched in 2023, ending… Continue reading Microsoft avoids EU antitrust fine with Teams separation deal

BRUSSELS: Europe’s largest carmakers held crucial talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday to pressure the bloc into revising its plan to end combustion-engine vehicle sales by 2035. The industry is struggling with intense Chinese competition and a faltering transition to electric vehicles, prompting calls for a more pragmatic approach to… Continue reading EU carmakers push for 2035 combustion engine ban rethink amid challenges

MOSCOW: Russia has accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack against the Smolensk nuclear power plant located approximately 300 kilometres west of Moscow. The Russian nuclear agency Rosatom stated that air defence systems neutralised a Ukrainian combat drone near the plant’s third power unit around 4:00 am local time. Debris from the intercepted drone shattered… Continue reading Russia accuses Ukraine of drone attack on Smolensk nuclear plant

MILAN: Fashion icon Giorgio Armani requested in his publicly revealed will that his foundation sell a 15% stake in his company to a major luxury group. The Italian designer, who passed away on September 4 at age 91, specifically named LVMH, L’Oreal, and EssilorLuxottica as preferred potential buyers in the document published by Italian media.… Continue reading Armani’s will requests 15% stake sale to luxury groups like LVMH

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates summoned Israel’s deputy ambassador on Friday in a formal rebuke of his country’s deadly attack against Hamas leaders in neighbouring Qatar. This diplomatic action represents the strongest condemnation yet from a Gulf nation that normalised ties with Israel in 2020. Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International… Continue reading UAE summons Israel envoy over Qatar attack amid Gulf tensions

SALT LAKE CITY: A suspect has been taken into custody for the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. US President Donald Trump announced the arrest during a Fox News interview, ending an intensive manhunt that followed what he described as a heinous assassination. Kirk’s killer had evaded police and federal… Continue reading Suspect in custody for Charlie Kirk murder at Utah university, Trump says

SUBIC: Philippine fishermen express concern that China’s proposed nature reserve in Scarborough Shoal could lead to increased harassment and further restrict their fishing operations. China has approved establishing a national nature reserve at the shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been under Chinese control since 2012. Filipino fishing boats frequently… Continue reading Philippine fishermen fear China nature reserve plan in Scarborough Shoal

NEW DELHI: India will have sufficient surplus sugar stocks to allow exports in the season beginning October 1, according to a senior government official. Ashwini Srivastava, joint secretary at the Department of Food and Public Distribution, confirmed the export potential during a global conference without specifying exact shipment volumes. Exports by India could pressure global… Continue reading India to export sugar in new season due to ample stocks

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s president and military leadership are negotiating to appoint an interim leader following violent anti-corruption protests that left 51 people dead and parliament in flames. The Himalayan nation descended into chaos this week after security forces attempted to suppress youth-led demonstrations against corruption and poor governance. This represents the worst violence since Nepal’s civil… Continue reading Nepal seeks interim leader after protest violence leaves 51 dead

DENPASAR: The death toll from severe flooding on two Indonesian islands has increased to 23 people, with five individuals still missing. Torrential rains that began late Tuesday caused widespread floods and landslides across Bali, a popular tourist destination. Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed four additional fatalities and two more missing persons on Friday.… Continue reading Indonesia flooding death toll rises to 23 with five missing

LONDON: The UK government has signed a £400 million contract with Google Cloud to enable secure sharing of classified information with the United States. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the agreement will strengthen communication links between the two nations ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming state visit. Defence intelligence and national security specialists will utilise… Continue reading UK signs £400 million Google Cloud deal for classified US data sharing

BRUSSELS: Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has condemned a music festival’s decision to cancel a performance by the Munich Philharmonic due to its Israeli conductor. The Flanders Festival Ghent disinvited the orchestra because conductor Lahav Shani had not distanced himself from Israel’s government amid the Gaza conflict. De Wever described the move as “reckless… Continue reading Belgian PM condemns festival for cancelling Israeli conductor

MILAN: The will of late fashion designer Giorgio Armani instructs heirs to sell a 15% stake in the Italian fashion house within 18 months and later transfer an additional 30% to 54.9% to the same buyer between three and five years after his death, according to a copy of the will reviewed by Reuters. In… Continue reading Giorgio Armani’s will instructs to gradually sell fashion brand or seek IPO

DENPASAR: Two people were still missing on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali, officials said on Friday, as waters began receding after flooding killed at least 16 people this week, most of them swept away when rivers burst their banks. Torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday caused the fast-rising floods in Denpasar and six of Bali’s… Continue reading Waters recede in Bali after floods kill 16 people, with two still missing

LONDON: The British royals will display their unrivalled soft power when Donald Trump visits Britain next week, seeking to mollify the U.S. President as few others can. Once head of the largest empire in history, the British monarch’s main diplomatic job now is to schmooze and dazzle world leaders like Trump at grand state occasions… Continue reading UK turns to King Charles and royals to mollify Trump like no others can

OSLO: Donald Trump’s obsession with winning the Nobel Peace Prize next month may have hit a hitch — the stubborn independence of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which insisted to AFP that it cannot be swayed. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made it clear he wants the prestigious accolade, which his… Continue reading Trump’s push for peace prize won’t sway us, says Nobel committee

MOSCOW: Russia on Friday said it downed 221 Ukrainian drones, one of the highest tallies in the war, as Moscow and key ally Belarus began major military drills, rattling the West. Moscow’s defence ministry said its alert systems had “intercepted and destroyed” the drones overnight, over half of which flew over the regions of Bryansk… Continue reading Russia says downed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight

KATHMANDU: At least 51 people were killed during violent anti-corruption protests in Nepal this week, police said Friday in an updated toll, as the full scale of chaos that toppled the government emerges. Talks continue between the president, protest representatives, key potential figures who may lead an interim administration and the army — which has… Continue reading Death toll from Nepal protest violence rises to 51: police

OREM: Investigators searching for the man who killed right-wing activist Charlie Kirk appealed for the public’s help Thursday, with no one in custody more than a day after a murder that has rocked America’s fractious politics. Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who harnessed surging youth support for US President Donald Trump, was… Continue reading Investigators plead for public’s help in Charlie Kirk killing

SACRAMENTO: United States (US) investigators on Thursday offered a reward of US$100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk, as they widened the search for the gunman, reported Xinhua. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released two images of the “person of interest.” Kirk,… Continue reading FBI offers US$100,000 reward for tips in Charlie Kirk shooting