International

    Russia calls for jointly combating terrorism with India, other nations

    New Delhi: Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said on Saturday that his country is committed to fighting terrorism together with India and other nations, as he highlighted the strong statement of support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The remarks came after a dastardly terror attack near Moscow on March 22 left more than 140 people dead and several injured as terrorists, reportedly dressed in camouflage uniforms, stormed the Crocus City Hall, opening fire and setting off explosives. “Russia is committed to decisively fight the menace of terrorism together with India and other countries bilaterally and multilaterally,” Ambassador Alipov said in a post on X. “Strong statements of support to Russia and rejection of terrorism in all manifestations were made by Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of political parties, ministers, senior officials and public activists,” he added. He also “highly appreciated” the sentiments towards the victims, their kin, and the Russian…
    International

    Israel’s war on Gaza live: Tanks ‘crushed bodies’ at al-Shifa Hospital

    Palestinians who fled the ongoing Israeli siege of al-Shifa Hospital say Israeli tanks and armoured bulldozers drove over at least four bodies and ambulances. Israeli forces have also surrounded al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in southern Gaza. Israel informed the UN it would no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to north Gaza, where 70 percent of people face an extreme level of food scarcity. Mediation efforts to end the bloodshed in Gaza appear to be struggling, with a Hamas official telling Al Jazeera that Israeli negotiators have rejected their latest proposals for a ceasefire. At least 32,226 Palestinians have been killed and 74,518 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens taken captive.
    International

    Russia-Ukraine war live: Border shelling intensifies after Putin reelected

    Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will not be intimidated as he cements his grip on power in a landslide election victory. Allies such as China were quick to congratulate Putin but Western countries denounced what they called an illegal election. Ukraine says residents are being evacuated from border settlements in the northeastern region of Sumy due to increased Russian shelling. Russia claims downing eight Vampire, two Alder and one Grad multiple-launch rocket system shells over its Belgorod region.
    International

    Half-a-dozen people killed in Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan

    Kabul: Pakistani military aircraft carried out airstrikes in the Barmal district of Paktika province and the Afghan Dubai area of Sepera district in Khost province. Tragically, these strikes targeted civilian homes, resulting in the loss of six lives and destruction of property, a spokesperson for Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement. Reports indicate that six individuals, including three women and three children, lost their lives in Paktika, while two women perished in Khost due to a collapsed house. “Last night at around 3 o’clock in the Barmal district of Paktika province and in Afghan Dubai area of Sepera district of Khost province, Pakistani planes bombed the houses of civilians, as a result, 6 people including 3 women and 3 children were martyred and a house destroyed in Paktika, as well as, two women were martyred due to the collapse of a house in Khost province,” the statement said. Notably, the purported…
    International

    US Senator asks social media companies about preparations for elections in India

    Washington: An influential American Senator on Friday asked the US social media companies as to what preparations they have made for elections in India, where social media platforms, including Meta-owned WhatsApp, have a long track record of amplifying misleading and false content. The letter, written by Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence and Rules Committees, which has oversight over US elections, comes on the eve of the announcement of elections in India by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The letter by Bennet to the leaders of Alphabet, Meta, TikTok, and X is addressed to seeking information from these companies about their preparations for elections in various countries, including India. “The dangers your platforms pose to elections are not new – users deployed deepfakes and digitally altered content in previous contests – but now, artificial intelligence (AI) models are poised to exacerbate risks to both the democratic process…
    International

    Gaza ceasefire on cards as Israel likely to agree release of Palestinian prisoners

    Tel Aviv: A six-week ceasefire is on the cards in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel after both sides communicated to the mediators on stepping down from their earlier demands. While Hamas has agreed to climb down from the demand for a permanent end of the war to a pause for six weeks, Israel has almost agreed to release 1000 Palestinian prisoners including 100 charged with grievous crimes including murder. There were a series of meetings in Doha, Cairo, and Paris in the last two days with different negotiators brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas Sources in Israeli intelligence agencies told IANS that Qatar has communicated to the Hamas leadership that it would “not hesitate to deport them from Qatar if they do not come down from unreasonable demands”. According to sources, the strong position taken by Qatar and Egypt to prevent any Gazan refugees on its soil if…
    International

    Imran Khan’s party to merge with SIC if election commission approves latest intra-party polls

    Islamabad: A top leader of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan’s party has said that his party would merge with the Sunni Ittehad Council if the election commission accepted its recent intra-party polls and returned its iconic poll symbol, a media report said on Friday. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Asad Qaiser in an interview with DawnNewsTV said if the party got back its cricket bat electoral symbol after the recent organisational polls, then both parties would merge and “remain as PTI”. The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) is a political alliance of Islamic political and Barelvi religious parties in Pakistan. It was joined by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party-backed independents who won the February 8 elections. When asked whether PTI-backed candidates who joined the SIC would remain in it, Qaiser said, “Yes, we will remain but we will also merge with it.” He explained that if the party got back its electoral symbol after the…
    International

    Vessel struck in Red Sea as Houthis promise attacks on more shipping lanes

    A merchant vessel has been damaged in a missile strike in the Red Sea off Yemen, marine security monitors said, as the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels threatened to expand their attacks on shipping which have disrupted global trade. The crew was not injured and the vessel continued its journey, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and security firm Ambrey, after the incident west of the rebel-held port of Hodeidah on Friday. The British Navy’s UKMTO said the ship reported being “struck by a missile”. “The vessel has sustained some damage,” the UKMTO said, and described the crew as being “safe”. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, which comes as its leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the group’s operations targeting vessels will escalate to prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. “Our main battle is…
    International

    Earthquake of magnitude 5.3 jolts Afghanistan

    Kabul: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted Afghanistan on Wednesday, the National Center for Seismology reported. In a post on X, the NCS wrote, “Earthquake of Magnitude:5.3, Occurred on 13-03-2024, 20:54:10 IST, Lat: 36.28 & Long: 70.25, Depth: 146 Km, Region: Afghanistan” No reports of material damage or casualties have surfaced yet. Further details are awaited.
    International

    SpaceX’s mega rocket blasts off on a third test flight from Texas

    Mexico City: SpaceX‘s mega rocket blasted off on another test flight Thursday, aiming to make it halfway around the world this time. The first two flights last year lasted mere minutes before blowing up over the Gulf of Mexico. Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, soared from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border and headed out over the gulf. No people or satellites were on board. The rocket and futuristic-looking spacecraft towers 397 feet (121 meters), easily exceeding NASA’s past and present moon rockets. SpaceX’s Elon Musk was shooting for a shorter, hourlong flight on the latest demo, with the Indian Ocean as the spacecraft’s finish line. He noted that the company made thousands of upgrades and fixes to improve the odds. NASA watched with keen interest: The space agency needs Starship to succeed in order to land astronauts on the moon in the next two or…

    International

    • Mar- 2024 -
      14 March
      1,694

      Mrunal Thakur to speak at UN panel on human cost of conflict-related sexual violence

      Mumbai: Actress Mrunal Thakur, who is known for ‘Sita Ramam’, ‘Hi Nanna’, ‘Dhamaka’, and others, is set to participate in a panel discussion titled ‘Human Cost of Conflict Related Sexual Violence’. The panel is set to be hosted at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, and the actress will attend the event virtually owing to her work commitments. Mrunal’s work in ‘Love Sonia’ brought her a lot of acclaim, as the film sheds light on the grim reality of human trafficking. The panel aims to explore the global context and impact of sexual violence in conflict zones, including its links with human trafficking. Mrunal’s presence adds significant weight to the discussion, given her portrayal of the harrowing experiences faced by…

      Read More »
    • 14 March
      491

      ‘Death trap’: Israeli forces kill six aid seekers in Gaza City

      Israeli forces have shot dead at least six Palestinians and wounded 83 in Gaza City as they were waiting for food and humanitarian supplies at the Kuwait Roundabout, an area where large groups of people gather for arriving aid trucks. The attack on Thursday took place hours after at least five people were killed by an Israeli air strike on a food distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza, run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is the main humanitarian agency in Gaza. There has been an uptick in fatal assaults by Israeli troops on crowds of starving civilians lining up for aid in recent weeks. On Monday night, Israeli forces killed…

      Read More »
    • 13 March
      310

      UK grants asylum to Palestinian citizen of Israel in ‘seismic’ U-turn

      London, United Kingdom – The United Kingdom has granted asylum to a Palestinian citizen of Israel, ruling that he would likely be persecuted if he returned – a decision the refugee’s legal team has described as “seismic”. Hasan’s lawyers told an immigration tribunal that he faced an “enhanced risk of persecution” in Israel, given his Palestinian ethnicity, Muslim faith, anti-Zionist beliefs, and history of pro-Palestinian activism in the UK. Hasan, who has lived in the UK for most of his life – more than 20 years according to his lawyers, first sought asylum in 2019. The decision for his case was initially delayed, likely by the coronavirus pandemic and successive lockdowns, his lawyers said. In 2022, the Home Office rejected Hasan’s…

      Read More »
    • 12 March
      401

      Israel’s war on Gaza live: 400 aid seekers killed in two weeks

      At least eleven people were killed when Israeli forces again targeted aid seekers in Gaza. The Government Media Office says that more than 400 aid seekers have been killed since the “flour massacre” in late February. The WHO chief says an aid mission managed to reach al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, bringing food and medical supplies, as the Health Ministry says 2,000 medical workers in the north face famine. Israel has carried out strikes in the vicinity of Lebanon’s Baalbek, nearly 100km (62 miles) from the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel imposes restrictions on West Bank worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, as 35,000 gather for prayers on the first day of Ramadan. At least 31,184 Palestinians have been killed…

      Read More »
    • 12 March
      316

      6 Pakistani men arrested near Gujarat coast with Rs 450 crore-worth drugs

      Six Pakistani nationals on a boat carrying Rs 450 crore drugs were arrested near Gujarat’s Porbandar, officials said on Tuesday.  Acting on a tip-off, officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Indian Coast Guard and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) caught the Pakistani nationals when they were trying to enter the Indian territory last night. This is the second big drugs consignment seized off Gujarat’s coast in the last 30 days. On February 28, at least 3,300 kg of drugs from a boat manned by suspected Pakistani crew members was seized off the coast of Gujarat. The international market value of these drugs was more than Rs 2,000 crore. It is the biggest seizure of narcotics in the Indian subcontinent. The Indian Coast…

      Read More »
    • 2 March
      672

      After Macron touted troops to Ukraine, Putin warns West of nuclear war risk

      President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons if Western powers send soldiers to within striking distance of Russia. His comments on Thursday, in a state of the nation address, were the kind of remarks usually uttered by Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally who served as Russia’s president from 2008-2012 and prime minister until becoming a top security official in 2020. Throughout the conflict in Ukraine, Medvedev has warned of nuclear action and penned countless social media posts showering Western leaders and nations with slurs and threats. “Medvedev used to write posts about the riders of the apocalypse in the style of [US filmmaker Quentin] Tarantino, and Putin brought his threats back to the limits of sanity,” Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kushch told…

      Read More »
    • Feb- 2024 -
      26 February
      858

      ‘Deepening occupation’: Turkey condemns Israel on last day of ICJ hearing

      Turkey has joined a large number of countries that have condemned Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz was the first representative to speak on the last day of the hearings on Monday, capping a weeklong event that saw 52 countries and several international organisations testify to Israel’s occupation of Palestine. He said the long-running conflict could have been settled by now if international and human rights laws were upheld by Israel and its Western allies, and emphasised how the United Nations Security Council has failed to protect the unalienable rights of the Palestinians. He said the “deepening occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territories” and the failure of its…

      Read More »
    • 26 February
      731

      US airman sets himself on fire outside Israel embassy to protest ‘genocide’

      An active member of the United States military has set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, according to officials, in an apparent act of protest against Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. Aaron Bushnell, 25, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday with “critical life-threatening injuries”, according to the US capital’s fire department. The agency said emergency responders rushed to the scene just before 1pm (18:00 GMT) in response to a “call for person on fire outside the Israeli embassy”. They arrived to find that officers from the US Secret Service had already extinguished the fire. The US Air Force confirmed the incident involved an active duty airman. ‘Free Palestine!’ US media reports said Bushnell livestreamed himself…

      Read More »
    • 26 February
      791

      Earthquake fever grips Turkey’s Istanbul amid fears of ‘the big one’

      Istanbul, Turkey – Earthquake fever has gripped Istanbul since last year’s disaster in southern Turkey, as residents in Europe’s most populous city fear they could face similar devastation. The city lies near the North Anatolia faultline, a geological danger that has seen Istanbul hit by at least 34 strong earthquakes over the last 2,000 years. Smaller tremors can be felt by people in Istanbul every year – an ominous reminder of the danger that lurks beneath their streets. For many, witnessing the stark devastation caused to swaths of Turkey last February added to their anxiety over the inevitable but unpredictable arrival of “the big one”. Istanbul’s official population is 16 million, but estimates based on household water consumption by the Istanbul…

      Read More »
    • 26 February
      810

      Palestinian PM Mohammed Shtayyeh submits resignation, a move that could open door to reforms

      Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh says his government is resigning, in a move that could open the door to U.S.-backed reforms in the Palestinian Authority.  President Mahmoud Abbas must still decide whether he accepts Mr. Shtayyeh’s and his government’s resignation, tendered on February 26.  But the move signals a willingness by the Western-backed Palestinian leadership to accept shake-up that might usher in reforms seen as necessary to revitalize the Palestinian Authority.

      Read More »
    Previous page Next page
    Back to top button