Thursday, 16 Jan, 2025

International

Slovenia formally recognizes a Palestinian state

Slovenia has followed suit of Spain, Ireland and Norway by recognising the state of Palestine, breaking with the long-held view of Western powers that Palestinians can gain statehood “only as part of a negotiated peace with Israel”. With the latest addition, 146 of the 193

UN condemns mass public flogging in Afghanistan

The United Nations on Wednesday slammed a mass flogging of dozens of people in Afghanistan, and called on the Taliban authorities to end the practice. About 63 people were publicly lashed in the northern Saripul province on Tuesday, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

UAE president meets Afghanistan delegation in Abu Dhabi

The leader of the United Arab Emirates met Tuesday with an official in the Taliban government. The meeting comes as countries debate on how to deal with the Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 and since have barred girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and

Four killed, dozens injured in Czech train crash

Four people have been killed and more than two dozen injured after a passenger train crashed into a goods train in the Czech city of Pardubice, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the capital Prague. The head-on collision took place after 11pm (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday, as the train

Putin warns Russia could provide weapons to strike West

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could arm countries with a view to attacking Western targets. Mr Putin made the statement while criticising the West's delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine. Several countries including the United States have given

Ban fossil fuel ads to save climate, says UN chief

The world's fossil fuel industries should be banned from advertising to help save the world from climate change, the head of the United Nations said on Wednesday. UN Secretary General António Guterres called coal, oil and gas corporations the “godfathers of climate

Israel launches new military operation in central Gaza

The Israeli military says it has taken “operational control” over eastern areas of Bureij refugee camp and the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, as dozens of Palestinians were reported killed. On Wednesday morning, the military said troops backed by air strikes had

President Murmu accepts PM Modi's resignation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tendered his resignation along with the Council of Ministers to President Droupadi Murmu. "The President has accepted the resignation and requested Shri Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers to continue till the new government

Iran’s top diplomat confirms talks with US

Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri said on Monday his government was engaged in negotiations with arch-foe the United States hosted by the Gulf sultanate of Oman. Asked about the issue at a news conference during a visit to Beirut, Bagheri said “we have always

Germany considers expelling Afghans after knife attack

Germany said on Tuesday it was considering allowing deportations to Afghanistan, after an asylum seeker from the country injured five and killed a police official in a knife attack. Officials had been carrying out an “intensive review for several months… to allow the

Macron to meet Zelensky in Paris on Friday

French President Emmanuel Macron will host Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday in Paris for talks on the war-battered nation’s needs, the Elysee palace announced. “As Russian strikes intensify on the front line and against energy infrastructure, the two

At least 15 killed in Israeli attack on central Gaza refugee camps

At least 15 people have been killed in Israeli ground and air attacks on the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza, a Palestinian health official has said. “More than 15 martyrs and dozens of injuries reached the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the last several

Sunak and Starmer clash over tax in first debate

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have faced off in the first TV debate of the general election, with heated exchanges over tax, the NHS and immigration. The Conservative and Labour leaders got scrappy at times, forcing the host of the ITV event to intervene and urge the pair to

Biden announces asylum restrictions to ‘control border’

President Joe Biden has issued sweeping new executive actions aimed at curbing record migrant arrivals at the US-Mexico border that have left him politically vulnerable in an election year. Under the new actions, officials can quickly remove migrants entering the US illegally without

Modi’s BJP loses majority in India election, needs allies for gov’t

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its national majority after suffering major losses in key states, marking a dramatic shift in a political landscape it has dominated for the past decade. The BJP emerged, comfortably, as the country’s

Narendra Modi Claims Third Election Victory

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed victory for a third term on Tuesday, he said in a statement on social media. "People have placed their faith in NDA (National Democratic Alliance) for a third consecutive time", Modi wrote on social media platform X. "This

Modi will be PM with help of allies, INDIA bloc pulls off stunning fightback

The BJP will form the next government but it has squeaked home by a much smaller majority than it was hoping for. It took hits in two of the county’s biggest states – Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. In Bengal, where the polls appeared to be going the BJP’s way there was a

12 dead in South African flooding

Twelve people have died in flooding caused by torrential rain on South Africa's eastern coast, local authorities said on Monday. In Eastern Cape province, "the death toll is currently sitting at seven," a spokesperson from Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, at the heart of

Saudi: Nearly 1mln foreign Haj pilgrims arrive

Nearly one million foreign pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming annual pilgrimage of Hajj. By the end of Sunday, a total of 935,966 Hajj pilgrims arrived through all the Kingdom’s air, land and sea ports, according to the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat).

US urges UN Security Council to back Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan

The United States on Monday announced a draft Security Council resolution supporting the Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan outlined by Joe Biden last week, urging Hamas to accept it. “Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan,” said US