Flash floods due to unusually heavy seasonal rains kill at least 68 people in Afghanistan
Islamabad: Flash floods from heavy seasonal rains have killed at least 68 people in Afghanistan, Taliban officials said Saturday, adding the death toll was based on preliminary reports. Afghanistan has been witnessing unusually heavy seasonal rains. In the hard-hit western province of Ghor, 50 people were reported dead, said Abdul Wahid Hamas, spokesman for the […]
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim shooting down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone as footage shows wreckage
Dubai: Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Friday claimed to have shot down an American drone, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper drone. Early Saturday, a vessel also came under attack in the Red Sea. The two incidents likely represent just the latest attacks by the Houthis […]
Violence in Bishkek: Indian mission asks Indian students to stay indoors
New Delhi: India on Saturday asked its students in Bishkek to stay indoors after the Kyrgyz capital city reported fights between some locals and foreigners. The Indian embassy in the Central Asian country said it is in touch with the Indian students and the situation is “calm” now. The mission asked Indian students in the […]
South Africa urges UN’s top court to order cease-fire in Gaza to shield citizens in Rafah
The Hague: South Africa urged the United Nations’ top court on Thursday to order a cease-fire in Gaza during hearings over emergency measures to halt Israel’s military operation in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah. It was the third time the International Court of Justice held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa […]
French police fatally shoot a man suspected of planning to set fire to a synagogue
Paris: French police shot and killed a man armed with a knife and a metal bar who is suspected of having set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen early on Friday, authorities said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the social media site X that the armed individual was “neutralised”. “In […]
Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on
Beirut: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past seven months, but the one on […]
UN reports improved prospects for the world economy and forecasts 2.7% growth in 2024
United Nations: The United Nations reported improved prospects for the world economy since its January forecast on Thursday, pointing to a better outlook in the United States and several large emerging economies including Brazil, India and Russia. According to its mid-2024 report, the world economy is now projected to grow by 2.7 per cent this […]
The top UN court is holding hearings on the Israeli military’s incursion into Rafah
The Hague: The United Nations’ top court opens two days of hearings on Thursday into a request from South Africa to make sure Israel halts its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population has sought shelter. It is the fourth time South Africa has asked the […]
France imposes emergency in Pacific territory of New Caledonia as violent unrest turns deadly
Paris: France imposed an emergency Wednesday in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia for at least 12 days, boosting security forces’ powers to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence. Armed clashes and other violence that erupted Monday following protests over voting reforms have left four people dead, […]
Palestinians across the Middle East mark their original ‘catastrophe’ with eyes on the war in Gaza
Jerusalem: Palestinians across the Middle East on Wednesday are marking the anniversary of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel with protests and other events across the region at a time of mounting concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” refers to the 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were […]