Hostage families call for a cease-fire deal pushed by Biden. Israel says conditions must be met
Tel Aviv: Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas called for all parties to immediately accept a proposal detailed by US President Joe Biden to end the nearly 8-month-long war and bring their relatives home, but Israel’s government said conditions for a cease-fire still must be met. Biden outlined a three-phase deal Friday proposed by […]
The ANC party that freed South Africa from apartheid loses its 30-year majority
Johannesburg: The African National Congress party lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result Saturday that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. With nearly 99% of votes counted, the once-dominant ANC had received just […]
US defence secretary says war with China neither imminent nor unavoidable, stressing need for talks
Singapore: United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding “miscalculations and misunderstandings.” Austin’s comments at the Shangri-La […]
12 killed in airstrikes in central Gaza as strikes targeting Houthi rebels kill 16
Jerusalem: At least a dozen people were killed in two airstrikes Friday in central Gaza. Two children and four women were among the dead. Palestinians in the border city of Rafah have reported heavy fighting in recent days as Israel’s military widened its offensive in the south, seizing control of the entire length of Gaza’s […]
Israel confirms its forces are in central Rafah in expanding offensive in the southern Gaza city
Jerusalem: The Israeli military confirmed Friday that its forces are operating in central parts of Rafah in its expanding offensive in the southern Gaza city. Israel launched its ground assault into the city on May 6, triggering an exodus of around 1 million Palestinians out of the city and throwing UN humanitarian operations based in […]
UN refugee chief says 114 million have fled homes because nations fail to tackle causes of conflict
United Nations: The number of people fleeing their homes because of war, violence and persecution has reached 114 million and is climbing because nations have failed to tackle the causes and combatants are refusing to comply with international law, the UN refugee chief said Thursday. In a hard-hitting speech, Filippo Grandi criticized the UN Security […]
Donald Trump becomes first former US president to be convicted of felony in hush money trial
Washington: Donald Trump has been found guilty of all 34 charges of falsifying business records by a grand jury in New York, an unprecedented and historic verdict that makes him the first former president in American history to be convicted of a felony, as he makes a bid to return to the White House in […]
UN chief cites the promise and perils of dizzying new technology as ”AI for Good” conference opens
Geneva: The UN telecommunications agency has kicked off its annual AI for Good conference, hoping to guide business, consumers and governments on ways to tap the promise of the new technology but avoid its potential perils. OpenAI chief Sam Altman, whose company created ChatGPT, is among the tech leaders to join the Geneva gathering on […]
Massive international police operation takes down ransomware networks, arrests 4 suspects
The Hague (Netherlands): Police coordinated by the European Union’s justice agency have taken down computer networks responsible for spreading ransomware via infected emails, in what they called the biggest ever international operation against the lucrative form of cybercrime. The European Union’s judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, said Thursday that police arrested four “high value” suspects, took […]
2 soldiers are killed in a West Bank car-ramming attack, Israeli military says
Jerusalem: The Israeli military said Thursday that two soldiers were killed in a car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank. Violence in the West Bank has surged throughout the war in Gaza as Israel raids Palestinian towns in the territory to crack down on militancy, with incursions resulting in the deaths of more than 500 […]
