Category: World

BEIRUT: Lebanon said one person was killed on Saturday in an Israeli strike in the country’s south, the latest deadly raid despite a ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah. An “Israeli enemy drone strike on a vehicle” in Bint Jbeil “killed one person and wounded two others”, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a statement… Continue reading Lebanon says 1 killed in Israeli strike on south

ISTANBUL: Turkey arrested three more opposition mayors early on Saturday as part of an investigation into alleged graft, officials from the main opposition CHP said. The early morning arrests were the latest move in a growing number of probes targeting elected officials of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) as the government of President Recep Tayyip… Continue reading Turkey arrests three more opposition mayors: party

WASHINGTON/KYIV: U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine would need Patriot missiles for its defenses, after speaking with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, and voiced frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure to end the fighting. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had a good call with Zelenskiy, repeating that he was “very… Continue reading Trump says Ukraine will need Patriot missiles for its defense, chides Putin

KYIV: Ukraine’s special forces struck Russia’s Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region on Saturday, hitting a glide bomb store and a trainer aircraft, the Ukrainian military said in a statement on social media. The military said that other aircraft were also likely hit, without giving details. “This airfield is the home base of enemy… Continue reading Ukraine says it hit Russian military airfield

KABUL: Russia’s decision to formally recognise the Taliban government has been seen as an opening for a stronger economy by some Afghans, while others were sceptical that it would improve their lot. Russia became the first country to acknowledge the Taliban authorities on Thursday, after a gradual building of ties that included removing their “terrorist… Continue reading Afghans both hopeful, disappointed after Russia’s Taliban recognition

TOKYO: Japan’s government on Saturday warned of more possible strong earthquakes in waters southwest of its main islands, but urged the public not to believe unfounded predictions of a major disaster. Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicentre of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main… Continue reading Japan braces for more quakes, authorities dismiss doomsday hype

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he will start talking to China on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal. He said the United States “pretty much” has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app. “I think we’re gonna start Monday or Tuesday…talking to China, perhaps… Continue reading Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location. Trump said he would… Continue reading Trump says Iran has not agreed to inspections, give up enrichment

MORRISTOWN, UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump said Friday that he had signed 12 trade letters to be sent out next week ahead of an impending deadline for his tariffs to take effect. “I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably 12,“ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that the… Continue reading Trump says ‘probably 12’ tariff letters being sent out Monday

MORRISTOWN, UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump said Friday he was “very unhappy” about his telephone call with Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine, saying the Russian leader just wanted to “keep killing people.” “It’s a very tough situation. I told you I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants… Continue reading Trump ‘very unhappy’ with Putin on Ukraine, hints at sanctions

DHARAMSHALA: The elderly Dalai Lama on Saturday said that he hopes to live for another 40 years until he is about 130 years old, days after he sought to allay speculation over his succession by saying he would reincarnate upon his death. The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader was speaking during a ceremony organised by his… Continue reading Dalai Lama says he hopes to live for another 40 years

PARIS: The River Seine was to reopen to swimmers on Saturday in Paris after a century-long ban on taking a dip in the waterway, offering locals in the French capital and tourists a welcome respite after a week of scorching temperatures. Parisians and visitors looking to cool off this summer can dive in — weather… Continue reading River Seine welcomes Paris swimmers after century-long ban

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Mark Snow, a composer of music for television — including the distinctively eerie theme for “The X Files” — has died at age 78, his agent confirmed. A cause of death was not provided, but Hollywood trade publication Variety said Snow died Friday at his residence in the northeastern state of… Continue reading Mark Snow, composer of ‘X Files’ theme, dead at 78

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry Donald Trump’s hardline trade policies, but are struggling to bridge divides over crises roiling the Middle East. Emerging nations representing about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output are set to unite over what… Continue reading BRICS nations to denounce Trump tariffs

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met at the Elysee Palace to discuss strengthening multilateralism and addressing global challenges. Macron emphasised the shared responsibility of France and China as permanent UN Security Council members in fostering stability amid growing unpredictability. Macron expressed France’s commitment to deepening ties with China, particularly… Continue reading China and France pledge multilateralism to stabilise global uncertainty

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan – REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool ANKARA: Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and stressed the need to end the suffering of Palestinian civilians amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign. The statement came during a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. Saudi Foreign… Continue reading Saudi Arabia demands Gaza ceasefire, Palestinian state on 1967 borders

LONDON: A new bill aimed at stopping animal smuggling and cruelty has passed the UK House of Commons with cross-party support. The legislation, introduced by Liberal Democrat MP Danny Chambers, seeks to reduce the number of animals entering the UK for non-commercial purposes while banning the import of puppies and kittens under six months old… Continue reading UK lawmakers pass bill to ban imports of young puppies and kittens

LONDON: Pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action’s co-founder on Friday lost a bid to pause the British government’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, with the group losing an urgent appeal meaning it will be banned from midnight. Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London’s High Court to stop the… Continue reading UK’s Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group

CAIRO/TEL AVIV: Hamas said it had responded on Friday in “a positive spirit” to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal, which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump earlier announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire… Continue reading Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in ‘a positive spirit’

CARDIFF: British rock band Oasis reunited in Cardiff on Friday as the Gallagher brothers put more than 16 years of acrimony behind them to deliver a hit-paced set that took thousands of fans back to the optimism and swagger of the 1990s. The Manchester band defined the “Britpop” revival of guitar music, before tensions between… Continue reading British rock band Oasis reunite in Cardiff to thrill fans

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts at the White House on Friday, staging an outdoor ceremony on the Fourth of July holiday that took on the air of a Trump political rally. With military jets flying overhead and hundreds of supporters in attendance, Trump signed… Continue reading In July 4 ceremony, Trump signs tax and spending bill into law

Torrential rains unleashed deadly flash floods along the Guadalupe River in south-central Texas on Friday, killing at least 13 people and initially leaving nearly two-dozen girls missing from a riverfront summer camp, local authorities said. The U.S. National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill… Continue reading Texas flash flooding kills at least 13 people

BERLIN: The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel becomes further entrenched. Israel launched the first of its military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with… Continue reading IAEA inspectors leave Iran safely after conflict, seek monitoring resumption

BERLIN: Germany’s economy ministry presented a draft law on Friday that would accelerate the expansion of geothermal energy projects, as Berlin aims to phase out the use of fossil fuels in heating systems by 2045. Germany possesses some of Europe’s largest geothermal reserves, which could cover more than a quarter of its annual heating demand,… Continue reading Germany proposes new law to boost geothermal energy expansion

BRUSSELS/PARIS: The European Union will cut imports of Ukrainian wheat and sugar by up to 80% to address the concerns of its farmers, according to quotas announced on Friday, that are likely to drive Ukraine growers to sell more to markets in Asia and Africa. In a show of solidarity following the start of the… Continue reading EU slashes Ukrainian wheat and sugar imports by 70-80% under new quotas

TEL AVIV/CAIRO: At least 15 Palestinians were killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to local health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Hamas to respond to his “final proposal” for a ceasefire in Gaza in the next 24 hours. Health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern… Continue reading Gaza ceasefire talks intensify as Trump awaits Hamas response

JAKARTA: Indonesia has offered to cut duties on key imports from the United States to “near zero” and to buy $500 million worth of U.S. wheat as part of its tariff talks with Washington, its lead negotiator and a wheat industry association said on Friday. Chief economics minister Airlangga Hartarto, who is Indonesia’s lead negotiator,… Continue reading Indonesia offers US tariff cuts, $500m wheat deal in trade talks

THE Czech Republic is facing an extraordinary situation due to a major power outage and everyone is working to restore electricity supplies, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Friday on social media platform X. The Czech police has said earlier there was no evidence of cyber or terrorist attack so far. – Reuters

BRUSSELS: The European Union’s landmark rules on artificial intelligence will be rolled out according to the legal timeline in the legislation, the European Commission said on Friday, dismissing calls from some companies and countries for a pause. Google owner Alphabet, Facebook owner Meta and other U.S. companies as well as European businesses such as Mistral… Continue reading EU confirms no delay for AI Act rollout despite industry pushback

BANGKOK: Thailand has not yet reached a conclusion on trade talks with the United States and will work on a new proposal, the finance minister said on Friday. Speaking while travelling back from Washington from negotiations with the United States, Pichai Chunhavajira said the team emphasised the importance of achieving a sustainable, win-win agreement. Washington… Continue reading Thailand-US trade talks continue as deadline looms, says minister

PRAGUE: A major power outage that hit parts of the Czech Republic on Friday, briefly halting underground trains in the capital Prague, was probably the result of a technical outage, with no signs of a cyber or terrorist attack, authorities said. The incident is likely to add to concerns about the resilience of Europe’s power… Continue reading Major power outage hits Czech Republic

GENEVA: The U.N. human rights office said on Friday it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups including the U.N. The GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get supplies into… Continue reading UN reports 613 killed at Gaza aid sites near humanitarian convoys

NEW DELHI: China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions during Pakistan’s deadly conflict with its neighbour in May, the deputy chief of India’s army said on Friday, calling for urgent upgrades to the country’s air defence systems. The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four-day fighting – their worst… Continue reading China aided Pakistan with live intel in India conflict, says army official

SHANGHAI/BEIJING: Sweltering heat enveloped China’s eastern seaboard on Friday, as a high-pressure system settled over the country’s most populous region, baking key agricultural and manufacturing hubs along the Yangtze River and raising fears of droughts and economic losses. Large swathes of China’s economic heartland are set to roast in temperatures of 37-39 degrees Celsius (99-102… Continue reading Eastern China heatwave threatens crops and industry with 40°C temperatures

SHANGHAI: China spared major cognac producers Pernod Ricard, LVMH and Remy Cointreau from new duties of up to 35% on EU brandy on Friday, easing trade tensions with Brussels as Beijing seeks to resolve a separate row over tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. China will levy duties of up to 34.9% for a period of five… Continue reading China spares major cognac makers from EU brandy dumping duties

ATHENS: Firefighters battled for a third day on Friday to put out a wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that has razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to leave the area. Around 130 firefighters, 48 vehicles and six helicopters were deployed in the effort, working with gale-force wind… Continue reading Greece fights Crete wildfire amid Europe heatwave, tourists evacuated

HELSINKI: Finnish police said on Friday a man held over a stabbing attack in the southwestern city of Tampere on Thursday in which four people were injured told them he had no racist or political motive for the deed and had attacked people randomly. Police said the suspect, who was arrested shortly after the deed… Continue reading Finnish police arrest 23-year-old in Tampere mall stabbing case