Category: World

NEW YORK: Jurors reported getting closer to a verdict Monday in the sex crimes retrial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, despite tensions raising the risk of a deadlocked jury and a mistrial. “We’re making good progress,“ Judge Curtis Farber read in a final note from jurors wrapping up the third day of closed-door deliberations… Continue reading Jurors making ‘good progress’ towards Weinstein retrial verdict

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Monday that new US-Iran talks this week could make clear if a nuclear deal is possible to avoid military action, as Tehran readies a counter-proposal on a potential agreement. Trump spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said the US leader informed that he had made… Continue reading Trump warns of decision time as Iran prepares nuclear counter-proposal

GAZA CITY: The Gaza civil defence agency said that 10 people were killed and more than 30 wounded Monday when Israeli troops fired at people trying to enter food distribution centres. The Israeli military acknowledged that it had fired “warning shots” during incidents near food centres. There have been a series of deadly incidents since… Continue reading Gaza civil defence reports 10 deaths near aid centre

WASHINGTON: Michelle Bowman was sworn in as the US Federal Reserve’s vice chair for supervision on Monday, with her appointment seen as a signal towards lighter regulation under US President Donald Trump. The development comes after her confirmation last week by the US Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s Republican party. The central bank said… Continue reading Michelle Bowman sworn in as US Fed vice chair for supervision

JERUSALEM: President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that Washington had delivered a “reasonable offer” to Tehran to limit its nuclear programme, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister spoke this evening with Mr. Trump” and the president informed him “that the United States had transmitted a reasonable offer… Continue reading Trump says he made ‘reasonable offer’ to Iran: Israel PM’s office

WASHINGTON: A Chinese man pleaded guilty on Monday to exporting guns and ammunition to North Korea, the Justice Department said. Shenghua Wen, 42, who was living illegally in the United States after overstaying his student visa, was charged with violating long-standing US sanctions against North Korea. Wen, arrested in California in December, was paid $2… Continue reading Chinese man pleads guilty to exporting arms to N. Korea

FUNK master and innovator Sly Stone, whose music drove a civil rights-inflected soul explosion in the 1960s, sparking influential albums but also a slide into drug addiction, has died, his family said Monday. He was 82. The multi-instrumentalist frontman for Sly and the Family Stone — rock’s first racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup — “passed away… Continue reading Funk-rock pioneer Sly Stone dead at 82

BOGOTÁ: Colombia’s leftist leader claimed Monday that a gravely injured presidential candidate’s security detail was “strangely reduced” before he was shot, stoking suggestions of an elaborate plot. Conservative senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head at close range by a 15-year-old alleged hitman while campaigning Saturday in Bogota. The brazen attack has… Continue reading Colombia president hints at conspiracy after candidate shot

LOS ANGELES: US President Donald Trump on Monday ordered active-duty Marines into Los Angeles, vowing those protesting immigration arrests would be “hit harder” than ever. The extraordinary mobilization of 700 full-time professional military personnel — who join hundreds of National Guard troops already there — looked likely to further stoke tensions in a city with… Continue reading Trump deploys Marines as tensions rise over Los Angeles protests

VILNIUS: A Lithuanian court on Monday sentenced a Georgian national for stealing rare editions of Russian literary classics, accusing him of belonging to a group behind a spate of similar thefts across Europe. Mikheil Zamtaradze was sentenced “for stealing, as part of an organised group, 19th-century publications valued at 606,000 euros that have high cultural… Continue reading Lithuania sentences thief of rare Russian books

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is determined to repatriate the remains of its people taken abroad during the colonial era and those who died in exile as anti-apartheid activists, the culture minister said Monday. The government was in contact with foreign institutions over the return of remains of indigenous people, including from the KhoiSan group who are… Continue reading S. Africa wants return of apartheid-, colonial-era remains

JERUSALEM: Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called on Monday for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government no longer represented most Israelis. “Today the government of Israel doesn’t represent the vast majority of Israelis,“ said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army… Continue reading Israeli left-wing leader says war must end, government ‘doesn’t represent’ the people

LONDON: TikTok plans to raise its investment in the UK, its biggest community in Europe, with the creation of 500 more jobs, the Chinese-owned social media giant announced Monday. The news coincided with the start of London’s Tech Week, which sees British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcoming some of sector’s biggest firms. “TikTok’s UK workforce… Continue reading TikTok says to increase investment in Britain

RIGA: Latvia said on Monday it had initiated a criminal case against lawmaker Aleksejs Roslikovs for backing Russia, an “aggressor state”, and fomenting hatred in the country. The State Security Service (VDD) intelligence agency said this followed a June 5 parliamentary debate when Roslikovs, a member of the Russian-speaking minority, was removed from the chamber.… Continue reading Latvia probes MP over Russian language rights row

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is withholding the results of a survey of crop-destroying wildlife, including monkeys and peacocks, because data collected from some farmers appeared unrealistic, a minister said on Monday. Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakodi said authorities had begun a review of the nationwide survey conducted on March 15, the first of its kind, because… Continue reading Monkey business delays Sri Lanka’s wildlife survey

MADRID: Spain’s top prosecutor moved closer on Monday to facing trial over a legal leaks case that has embarassed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after a court ruled he may have breached judicial secrecy. Alvaro García Ortiz is suspected of leaking secret case files concerning the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the powerful conservative leader of… Continue reading Spain’s top prosecutor closer to trial over leak linked to PM

TUNIS: Hundreds of people, mainly Tunisians, launched on Monday a land convoy bound for Gaza, seeking to “break the siege” on the Palestinian territory, activists said. Organisers said the nine-bus convoy was not bringing aid into Gaza, but rather aimed at carrying out a “symbolic act” by breaking the blockade on the territory described by… Continue reading Tunisia activists launch Gaza-bound convoy in ‘symbolic act’

NEW DELHI: India deployed coastguard aircraft and a warship on Monday after a Singapore-flagged container ship caught fire off the southern coast, the defence ministry said. Photographs taken by a coastguard plane showed a thick plume of billowing black smoke and containers that had been seemingly hurled up by a powerful explosion on board. “Fire… Continue reading India navy deploys after fire onboard container ship

JERUSALEM: Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Shas party on Monday threatened to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government by backing a motion for early elections amid a row over military service. Netanyahu’s coalition, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history, is at risk of collapsing over a bill that could reverse the long-standing exemption from the… Continue reading Israel ultra-Orthodox party threatens government over draft law

MOSCOW: Moscow wants to enhance its military ties in Africa, the Kremlin said Monday, after reports that the Russian paramilitary group Wagner was leaving Mali. Diplomatic and security sources told AFP on Sunday that Wagner, Russia’s best-known mercenary group, was no longer present in Mali and its units there have been taken over by the… Continue reading Russia says aims to boost military ties in Africa after Wagner exits Mali

NAIROBI: Kenya’s police chief said Monday that a man who died in custody over the weekend had been arrested for making a complaint against a senior officer. Albert Ojwang, 31, was found unconscious in a cell in Nairobi police station on Saturday and later pronounced dead in hospital. The police said he hit his own… Continue reading Kenya police say death-in-custody victim criticised officer online

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s exports to the United States hit a record high in May, official data showed Monday, as the self-ruled island seeks to strike a deal with Washington to avoid hefty tariffs. US President Donald Trump slapped a 32 percent toll on Taiwanese products in April. It was later paused for 90 days, but a… Continue reading Taiwan exports to US hit record high as tariff threat looms

LONDON: K Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged to boost “homegrown talent for the AI age” by teaming up with tech giants to train 7.5 million workers in artificial intelligence skills. Speaking at the start of London’s Tech Week, with a line-up of speakers including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Starmer said: “In this global… Continue reading UK to boost ‘homegrown talent’ in new AI skills drive

BEIJING: China’s consulate in Los Angeles told its citizens in the area on Monday to strengthen personal security, after unrest in America’s second-biggest city. “Chinese citizens in the region (should) strengthen personal security measures, stay away from gatherings, crowded areas, or places with poor public security, and avoid going out at night or travelling alone,“… Continue reading China tells citizens in LA to boost personal security over unrest

ISTANBUL: Turkey slammed Israel for intercepting a Gaza-bound boat carrying activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg early on Monday, describing it as a “heinous attack”. “The intervention by Israeli forces on the ‘Madleen’ ship.. while sailing in international waters is a clear violation of international law,“ it said, describing it as a “heinous attack” by… Continue reading Turkey slams Israel for intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat

KYIV: Russia fired a record 479 drones at Ukraine in an overnight aerial barrage, Kyiv’s air force said on Monday, the latest massive attack as Moscow rejects calls for a ceasefire. The attack caused damage in several Ukrainian regions, though there were no reports of people killed or mass casualties. “Enemy air strikes were recorded… Continue reading Russia fired record 479 drones at Ukraine overnight

LONDON: NATO head Mark Rutte will on Monday call for a “quantum leap” in defence capacities including a “400-percent increase” in air and missile defence which “protects” the alliance against Russia. “We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,“ the NATO secretary general… Continue reading NATO chief to urge 400-percent rise in alliance’s air defence

MOSCOW: Work at an electronics factory in Russia’s Chuvashia region, some 600 kilometres east of Moscow, was briefly suspended on Monday after a Ukrainian drone attack, local officials said. Moscow said falling debris from intercepted drones fell on the facility, while Ukraine claimed a direct hit on the site. “This morning, Ukrainian attempts to use… Continue reading Ukrainian drones force suspension of Russian electronics factory

NAIROBI: Susan Wangari has lost count of the morgues, hospitals and police stations she has visited in search of her son, who went missing at the height of Kenya’s mass protests last June. She last saw Emmanuel Mukuria, 24, on the morning of June 25, 2024, the day that thousands of Kenyan youths thronged the… Continue reading Better if he was dead’: Kenyan mother’s search for son year after protests

BEIJING: China’s export growth slowed to a three-month low in May as U.S. tariffs slammed shipments, while factory-gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years, heaping pressure on the world’s second-largest economy on both the domestic and external fronts. U.S. President Donald Trump’s global trade war and the swings in Sino-U.S. trade ties… Continue reading China’s May exports slow, deflation deepens as tariffs biteS

TOKYO: Several Japanese Self-Defense Force members were injured on Monday in an explosion at an ammunition storage area inside the U.S. military’s Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, southern Japan, defence ministry officials said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, one of the officials said. The facility is used to temporarily store unexploded ammunition.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown… Continue reading Trump travel ban in effect, citizens from 12 nations barred from US

LOS ANGELES: California National Guard troops were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday to help quell a third day of protests over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement, a step the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, called unlawful. Police were making more arrests after at least 10 on Sunday and 29 the previous… Continue reading California governor calls Trump National Guard deployment in LA unlawful

JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the… Continue reading Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg, ministry says

SEOUL: A Seoul court said on Monday it will indefinitely postpone a trial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022. South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making “false statements” during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the… Continue reading South Korea President Lee’s election law violation hearing postponed indefinitely, court says

NICE: A global summit on the dire state of the oceans kicks off Monday in France, with calls to ban bottom trawling and bolster protections for the world’s overexploited marine areas. World leaders attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice have been told to come up with concrete ideas — and money — to tackle… Continue reading UN summit to tackle ’emergency’ in world’s oceans

BRASÍLIA: Brazil’s right wing former president Jair Bolsonaro will appear at the Supreme Court Monday, facing charges of trying to stage a coup to retain power after losing the 2022 elections. In February, prosecutors accused the 70-year-old far-right leader, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, of leading a “criminal organization” plotting to overturn the… Continue reading Bolsonaro to appear in Brazil court over attempted coup charges

WASHINGTON: After a round of talks in Geneva last month, the United States and China will sit down at the negotiating table in London on Monday to attempt to preserve a fragile truce on trade, despite simmering tensions. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the… Continue reading US, China seek to extend trade truce with London talks