Category: World

DOHA: Gaza mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week’s ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Palestinian territory, Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said. Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar just hours after the… Continue reading Qatar pushes Israel-Hamas truce talks amid Gaza ceasefire momentum

NAIROBI: The African Union said on Saturday a peace deal signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda was a “significant milestone” in bringing peace to the deeply troubled region. For more than 30 years the eastern DRC has been riven by conflict, which has intensified in recent years with the advance of an… Continue reading African Union hails DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal as milestone

THE Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted”, while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch. Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval… Continue reading Israel says missile from Yemen’s Houthis “most likely” intercepted amid rising tensions

SHANGHAI: Heavy rain struck China’s southwestern Guizhou province again on Saturday, half-submerging the already flood-stricken riverside city of Rongjiang for a second time this week and prompting the evacuation of residents to higher ground. Located at the confluence of three rivers and home to 300,000 residents, Rongjiang was inundated earlier this week by record downpours… Continue reading Heavy rain floods Guizhou again as Rongjiang faces second deluge

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court on the last day of rulings for its current term gave Donald Trump his latest in a series of victories at the nation’s top judicial body, one that may make it easier for him to implement contentious elements of his sweeping agenda as he tests the limits of presidential power.… Continue reading US Supreme Court backs Trump in key ruling on injunctions

TOKYO: The rate of depressive symptoms was lower among working-age people who consume a Japanese-style diet including rice, miso soup and fish, the first study of its kind recently showed, Kyodo News Agency reported. The Japan Institute for Health Security assessed the benefits of a traditional ‘Japanese-style diet’ comprising of soy products, cooked vegetables, mushrooms,… Continue reading Japanese diet may reduce depression risk, study finds

BEIJING: The former head of China Eastern Airlines is under investigation over corruption allegations, two Chinese anti-graft bodies said Saturday. Liu Shaoyong, who headed the airline from 2009 until his resignation in 2022, is being investigated for “serious violations of discipline and law”, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission said… Continue reading Former head of major Chinese airline under graft investigation

COLOGNE: A German court has ruled that Aldi Süd can no longer sell its “Dubai chocolate” bars after confirming the product was manufactured in Turkey, not Dubai. The Higher Regional Court in Cologne delivered the final verdict on Friday, overturning previous lower court decisions. The legal dispute arose when a confectionery importer challenged Aldi Süd’s… Continue reading German court rules Dubai chocolate must originate from Dubai

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed media reports that said his administration had discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program. CNN reported on Thursday and NBC News reported on Friday that the Trump administration in recent days had explored possible economic incentives for Iran… Continue reading Trump dismisses reports US is weighing up to $30 billion civilian nuclear deal for Iran

NEW YORK: Sean “Diddy” Combs’s lawyer aimed Friday to skewer the credibility of the music mogul’s accusers, saying in closing arguments they were out for money while rejecting any notion he led a criminal ring. But in their rebuttal — the trial’s final stage before jurors are tasked with deciding the verdict — prosecutors tore… Continue reading ‘Not a god’: arguments end in Combs trial ahead of jury deliberations

BANGKOK: Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as her government faces rising anger over a border row with Cambodia. The rally, the largest anti-government protest since her Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023, increases pressure on Paetongtarn, 38, who is… Continue reading Thai protesters call for Prime Minister Paetongtarn’s resignation

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid distribution sites, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out, local… Continue reading Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza shootings, paper says

HOLLYWOOD’S home state of California will more than double annual tax incentives for film and television production to $750 million under a measure passed by the Democratic-led legislature on Friday. The increase from the current $330 million was approved as part of a broader tax bill that is expected to be signed into law by… Continue reading California legislature acts to keep film and TV production at home

WASHINGTON: Two U.S. lawmakers on Friday asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether devices sold by Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus in the United States pose security concerns, according to a letter seen by Reuters. WHY IT MATTERS Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs a House of Representatives committee on China, and the panel’s top… Continue reading Lawmakers want US Commerce Department to probe Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus

BEIJING: The threat of mass shutdowns across the automotive supply chain is fading as Chinese rare earth magnets begin to flow, though automakers and suppliers say production plans still face uncertainties and a continued risk of shortages. European suppliers have received enough licences to avoid the widespread disruptions predicted earlier this month but hundreds of… Continue reading China’s rare earths are flowing again, but not freely

THE president of the University of Virginia, James Ryan, resigned on Friday under pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration over the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies. In a letter to the UVA community, Ryan said he had made the “excruciating decision” to step down after concluding that resisting Trump officials’ demands would put the… Continue reading University of Virginia president resigns under pressure from Trump on DEI policies

OPENAI has recently begun renting Google’s artificial intelligence chips to power ChatGPT and its other products, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Friday. The ChatGPT maker is one of the largest purchasers of Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs), using the AI chips to train models and also for inference computing, a process… Continue reading OpenAI turns to Google’s AI chips to power its products, source says

RIPPLE LABS will withdraw its cross appeal against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in a prolonged legal battle tied to the sale of its XRP tokens, the crypto firm’s CEO said on Friday. “We’re closing this chapter once and for all,” Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse said in a post on X, adding that… Continue reading Ripple to drop cross appeal against US SEC in crypto lawsuit, CEO says

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he will “get the conflict solved with North Korea.” At an Oval Office event where he highlighted his efforts to resolve global conflicts, Trump was asked whether he had written a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as was reported this month. Trump did not directly… Continue reading Trump says he will ‘get the conflict solved with North Korea’

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Friday he believes it is possible that a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants will be reached within a week. Trump, at an Oval Office event celebrating a Congo-Rwanda accord, told reporters that he believes a ceasefire is close. He said he had been… Continue reading Trump says Gaza ceasefire is possible within a week

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major victory on Friday in a case involving birthright citizenship by curbing the ability of judges to impede his policies nationwide, changing the power balance between the federal judiciary and presidents. The 6-3 ruling, authored by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, did not let Trump’s… Continue reading Supreme Court in birthright case limits judges’ power to block presidential policies

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada on Friday over its tax targeting U.S. technology firms, saying that it was a “blatant attack” and that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges U.S.-Canada relations back into chaos after a period… Continue reading Trump cuts off US trade talks with Canada, shattering optimism over tariff deals

WASHINGTON: The Republican-led U.S. Senate rejected a Democratic-led bid on Friday to block President Donald Trump from using further military force against Iran, hours after the president said he would consider more bombing. The Senate vote was 53 to 47 against a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for more hostilities against… Continue reading US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump’s Iran war powers

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, on Friday, dropped plans to lift sanctions on Iran and said he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to worrisome levels. Trump reacted sternly to Khamanei’s first remarks after a 12-day conflict with Israel that ended when the United… Continue reading Trump says he would consider bombing Iran again, drops sanctions relief plan

CAIRO: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to prepare an enforcement plan against Iran following their 12-day air war, Katz said on Friday in a statement. The plan “includes maintaining Israel’s air superiority, preventing nuclear advancement and missile production, and responses to Iran for supporting terrorist activities against Israel”, Katz added.

SEAN “Diddy” Combs’ defense lawyer urged a jury on Friday to find the former hip-hop mogul not guilty in his sex trafficking trial, saying prosecutors are trying to criminalize his unusual sexual preferences. The lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said during his closing argument in Manhattan federal court that over the past two months prosecutors had presented… Continue reading Diddy’s lawyer claims prosecutors target his private sex life in trial

LONDON: A man who killed a 14-year-old boy in London during a rampage with a sword was on Friday jailed for a minimum of 40 years. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, nearly decapitated schoolboy Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute series of attacks in Hainault, east London, in April last year, in which he also assaulted several… Continue reading UK man gets 40 years for London sword rampage killing teen

CAIRO/LONDON: Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure. Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist… Continue reading Hamas struggles with tribal defiance and Iran uncertainty in Gaza

THE goal of ending extreme poverty around the globe remains elusive partly due to compounding challenges faced by economies in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) including food insecurity and weak government capacity, a report from the World Bank showed. The report released on Friday by the Washington-based lender calls on a scaling up of international… Continue reading World Bank urges aid for conflict-hit economies amid US aid cuts

BERLIN: German prosecutors said Friday they had filed charges against a Syrian youth and alleged Islamic State group supporter linked to a 2024 attack plot on a Vienna concert by US pop megastar Taylor Swift. The suspect, only partially named as Mohammad A., was accused of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation and of preparing a… Continue reading Syrian youth charged in Germany over Taylor Swift concert terror plot

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is readying a package of executive actions aimed at boosting energy supply to power the U.S. expansion of artificial intelligence, according to four sources familiar with the planning. Top economic rivals U.S. and China are locked in a technological arms race and with it secure an economic and military edge. The… Continue reading Trump plans executive orders to boost AI in China tech race

YEREVAN: A scuffle broke out in Armenia on Friday between clergymen and police, part of an escalating standoff between the influential Church and the Caucasian nation’s authorities. Two sides have been at loggerheads since Catholicos Garegin II — the church’s spiritual leader — began calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over Armenia’s military… Continue reading Armenia church-police clash escalates over political tensions

TOKYO: Japan’s agriculture minister said Friday the country would oppose any call by the European Union to add eels to an endangered species list that would limit trade in them. Eel is eaten worldwide but is particularly popular in Japan, where it is called “unagi” and traditionally served grilled after being covered in a sticky-sweet… Continue reading Japan opposes EU push to protect eels as endangered species

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats, one of the city’s last remaining opposition parties after a five-year political crackdown by Beijing, said on Friday that it will disband. The party was founded in 2006 and was once considered the radical faction in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. It was known for its boisterous street-level… Continue reading Hong Kong opposition party League of Social Democrats to disband

BERLIN: German MPs agreed Friday to suspend family reunification rights for refugees without asylum status as conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government pursues a crackdown on immigration. Under the legislation approved by the Bundestag, the process by which family members of refugees with subsidiary protection can apply to come to Germany will be suspended for two… Continue reading Germany limits family reunification for refugees in new immigration policy

JERUSALEM: Defence Minister Israel Katz told media that Israel would have killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the war between the two countries if the opportunity had presented itself. “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,“ Katz told Israel’s public radio station Kan Thursday evening, adding that… Continue reading Israel would have killed Iran’s Khamenei if given chance: minister

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply scaled back planned welfare cuts on Friday to quell a rebellion by lawmakers in his governing Labour Party, the latest U-turn to dent his authority just a year after winning power. Planned changes to make it tougher to collect some disability and sickness benefits would now apply only… Continue reading Starmer scales back UK welfare cuts amid Labour rebellion