Category: World

U.S. President Donald Trump is removing Billy Long as the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will temporarily serve as acting commissioner, a White House official and a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The New York Times, which first reported the news, said Long, a former congressman… Continue reading Trump fires IRS commissioner, Bessent named acting head

LONDON: The White House plans to clarify what its official called misinformation about import tariffs for gold bars amid uncertainty, which saw some industry players pausing deliveries of bullion to the United States. According to a ruling on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service’s website on Friday, Washington may place the most widely… Continue reading White House to clarify tariffs for gold bars as industry stops flying bullion to US

WASHINGTON: Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Friday during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that would boost bilateral economic ties after decades of conflict. The deal between the South Caucasus rivals – assuming it holds – would be a significant accomplishment for the Trump administration that is sure to rattle… Continue reading Trump announces peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia

The Trump administration on Friday ordered a comprehensive review of Harvard University’s federally funded research programs, and threatened to take title to or grant licenses from the school’s lucrative portfolio of patents. In a letter to University President Alan Garber and obtained by Reuters, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick accused Harvard of breaching its legal and… Continue reading Harvard patents targeted by Trump administration

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end of the war in Ukraine on August 15 in Alaska, Trump said on Friday. Trump made the announcement on social media after he said that the parties, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, were close to a ceasefire deal that… Continue reading Trump and Putin to discuss Ukraine peace deal in Alaska

WASHINGTON: American astronaut Jim Lovell, commander of the failed 1970 mission to the moon that nearly ended in disaster but became an inspirational saga of survival and the basis for the hit movie “Apollo 13,“ has died at the age of 97, NASA said on Friday. Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks played Lovell in director Ron… Continue reading Jim Lovell, commander of NASA’s Apollo 13 moon mission, dies at 97

A U.S. Army veteran accused of fatally shooting four people at a bar in the small Montana town of Anaconda earlier this month has been caught after a week-long manhunt, Governor Greg Gianforte said on Friday. The suspect, Michael Brown, 45, was captured “near the search area in Anaconda” around 2 p.m. local time on… Continue reading Suspect in killing of four at Montana bar caught

SEVENOAKS: U.S. Vice President JD Vance said his country has no plan to recognise a Palestinian state, an issue he plans to discuss with British foreign minister David Lammy in a meeting on Friday. “We have no plans to recognize a Palestinian state. I don’t know what it would mean to really recognize a Palestinian… Continue reading US VP Vance says US has no plans to recognise Palestinian state

MANERI: Kameshwari Devi was on her way back from a temple near her village in the Indian Himalayas when a wall of water, rocks and mud tore down the mountain, destroyed her home and killed her son. Three days after the tragedy hit Dharali village in Uttarakhand state, Devi and other residents who survived the… Continue reading In Indian Himalayan village ravaged by flood, locals bemoan rescue delays

GENEVA: Nations worldwide voiced strong opposition to Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, warning it would deepen the conflict and increase civilian suffering. The UN human rights chief Volker Turk called for an immediate halt to the plan, stressing the need for unrestricted humanitarian aid and hostage releases. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer… Continue reading Global outcry over Israel’s Gaza control plan amid conflict fears

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are preparing for a summit aimed at ending the Ukraine war, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion. Trump has prioritised peace efforts since taking office, though previous diplomatic attempts have failed to produce results. Both sides confirm summit preparations are underway, with a potential meeting… Continue reading Putin-Trump summit details on Ukraine peace talks

JERUSALEM: Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan on Friday to take control of Gaza City, a move expanding military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory despite growing criticism at home and abroad over the almost two-year-old war. Far-right allies in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza as… Continue reading Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City amid global outcry over war

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping on Friday ordered “all-out” rescue efforts in China’s arid and mountainous northwest after flash floods caused by exceptionally heavy rain killed 10 people and left 33 missing. Torrential downpours began around 6 p.m. on Thursday and unleashed flash floods in Gansu province’s Yuzhong, stranding some 4,000 people, state broadcaster China Central… Continue reading Xi orders ‘all-out’ rescue as floods kill 10 in northwest China

BERLIN: The German government will not approve any exports to Israel of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday in response to Israel’s plan to expand its military operations there. The release of the Israeli hostages and negotiations for a ceasefire are Germany’s… Continue reading Germany halts military exports to Israel, urges ceasefire in Gaza

PARIS: World food commodity prices rose in July to their highest in over two years, as a jump for vegetable oils and record levels for meat outweighed falling cereal, dairy and sugar prices, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said. The FAO Food Price Index, which serves as a global benchmark for food commodity… Continue reading World food prices at 2-year high on rising meat and edible oils, FAO says

GAZA: Basem Alhabel stood amongst the ruins of Gaza, with people flat on the floor all around him as bullets flew, and filmed himself using sign language to explain the dangers of the war to fellow deaf Palestinians and his followers on social media. Alhabel, 30, who describes himself as a “deaf journalist in Gaza”… Continue reading Deaf Palestinian uses social media to highlight Gaza’s struggles through sign language

TESLA will streamline its AI chip research to focus on its development of inference chips used to run AI models and make real-time decisions, CEO Elon Musk said, after a media report he had ordered the closure of the in-house Dojo supercomputer team. Bloomberg News on Thursday cited people familiar with the matter as saying… Continue reading Tesla to streamline its AI chip design work, Musk says

TOKYO: Record rainfall hit parts of southern Japan on Friday, as authorities urged residents to evacuate and warned of possible landslides. The deluge follows a period of punishing heat in many parts of Japan, with a national record temperature of 41.8C set this week. Television footage showed brown, fast-flowing water overflowing its banks to inundate… Continue reading ‘Never seen before’ rains lash southern Japan

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is navigating one of the most challenging stretches of his 11 years in office. A contentious ceasefire with archenemy Pakistan, renewed scrutiny over his age and a diplomatic chill with the United States despite much-publicised rapport with President Donald Trump have converged to test his leadership like never… Continue reading Buffeted by Trump and vote-rigging charges, India’s Modi starts to push back

LONDON: The Israeli government’s plan for a full-scale military takeover of Gaza will cause more deaths and suffering and must be halted immediately, the United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said on Friday. The plan runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an… Continue reading Israeli plan for Gaza takeover must be halted immediately, UN rights chief says

HELSINKI: Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on Friday she hoped U.S. President Donald Trump will move forward with imposing sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. “I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions,“ Valtonen said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview.… Continue reading US should impose sanctions on Russia, Finland’s Valtonen says

LONDON: U.S. Vice President JD Vance kicks off a trip in the United Kingdom with a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday that will bring renewed scrutiny of Vance’s sharp criticism of Britain and its governing Labour Party. Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected to land in… Continue reading US VP Vance to kick off UK visit with transatlantic tensions high

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday said Israel’s decision to take control of Gaza City was wrong and urged the government in Jerusalem to reconsider. “The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately,“ he said in a statement. “This action will… Continue reading UK PM Starmer says Israel’s decision on Gaza City is wrong

INTEL Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan on Thursday said the chipmaker is engaging with the U.S. administration to clarify concerns and ensure accurate information is provided after President Donald Trump demanded his immediate resignation earlier in the day. Trump called the CEO “highly conflicted” due to his ties to Chinese firms, raising doubts about plans to… Continue reading Intel CEO responds after Trump demands resignation

SYDNEY: Australia has urged Israel “not to go down this path”, after Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of Gaza. “Australia calls on Israel to not go down this path, which will only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,“ Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Friday. Wong said… Continue reading Australia warns Israel against Gaza military takeover

THE United States has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million over allegations of drug trafficking and links to criminal groups, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday. In a video posted to X, Bondi accused Maduro of collaborating with prominent criminal groups such… Continue reading US doubles reward for Venezuela’s Maduro to $50m

TOKYO: The U.S. government on Thursday promised to amend a presidential executive order to remove overlapping tariffs on Japanese goods, Tokyo’s trade negotiator said, after talks in Washington to fix what he called a “regrettable” error. In those discussions in Washington, Ryosei Akazawa urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure… Continue reading US pledges tariff fix to avoid double duties on Japanese goods

WASHINGTON: A Washington lobbying firm has signed an agreement worth $3 million a year with Myanmar’s Ministry of Information to help the long-time military-ruled country rebuild relations with the United States. According to documents submitted under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the DCI Group signed the agreement with the ministry on July 31,… Continue reading Myanmar hires US lobbyists for $3m yearly to mend US relations

MUMBAI/CHENNAI: Ever since Donald Trump’s tariff salvo on India this week, garment maker Pearl Global – whose U.S. client list includes Gap and Kohl’s – has been receiving midnight panic calls with an ultimatum: share the tariff hit or move production out of India. To calm U.S. customers’ nerves, Pearl Global has offered to shift… Continue reading India garment makers hit by Trump tariffs as US buyers shift production

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will host the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia for an “an official peace signing ceremony” at the White House on Friday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. will also be signing bilateral economic agreements with the two countries. – Reuters

SYDNEY: An Australian woman who murdered three of her in-laws with a meal of toxic mushrooms also allegedly tried to murder her husband using poisoned pasta, a chicken curry and a sandwich wrap, evidence showed on Friday after a judge allowed its disclosure. A jury last month found Erin Patterson lured her mother-in-law Gail Patterson,… Continue reading Australian woman accused of poisoning husband with multiple meals

U.S. President Donald Trump is using tariffs as a foreign policy tool by imposing secondary duties on Indian goods because of India’s purchase of Russian oil, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. “President Trump is using tariffs as an instrument of foreign policy, and he is putting secondary… Continue reading Trump uses tariffs as foreign policy tool against India, China

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memorandum that requires universities to collect admissions data to prove they are not engaged in efforts to shape their student bodies along racial lines, according to the White House. But the largest higher education policy and lobbying organization in the U.S. said the wording of the memo… Continue reading Trump memo requires universities to disclose race-based admissions data

TOKYO: Japan’s top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa “strongly” urged the United States to revise the presidential order on the levies at his meetings with top U.S. officials in Washington, the Japanese government said on Friday. Japan has been seeking clarification, as a lack of written confirmation of the deal it struck with the U.S. last… Continue reading Japan urges US to revise tariff order after trade talks

MOSCOW/KYIV/WASHINGTON: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Europe must be involved in the peace… Continue reading Kremlin: Trump, Putin to meet soon as Ukraine seeks EU role