Saturday, 18 Jan, 2025

International

Qatar frees eight ex-Indian navy officers previously on death row

A Qatari court has released eight former Indian naval officers previously on death row for unspecified charges. Seven of the men have already returned to India, Delhi's foreign ministry said on Monday. In January, authorities said their death penalty had been converted into

Myanmar foists mandatory military service on youth

Myanmar’s junta has declared mandatory military service for all young men and women, state media said, as it struggles to contain armed rebel forces fighting for greater autonomy in various parts of the country. All men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 must serve for up to two

Six-year-old Gaza girl found dead days after plea for help

A six-year-old girl who went missing in Gaza City last month has been found dead, along with several of her relatives and two paramedics who tried to save her, after they appear to have come under fire from Israeli tanks. Hind Rajab was fleeing the city in a car with her aunt, uncle

US lawmakers advise Biden against recognising Pakistan elections results

Several lawmakers of the United States, on both sides of the aisle, have urged President Joe Biden's administration not to recognise election results in Pakistan until alleged irregularities are investigated. "Claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated,"

Gaza death toll passes 28,000 as 117 more killed in 24 hrs

Gaza’s health ministry says 117 Palestinians have been killed and 152 wound during the past 24 hours. As Israel intensifies its attacks on Rafah, people are now escaping to the central part of the Gaza Strip about 20km (eight miles) away. Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian

Hungarian President resigns over child abuse pardon scandal

The president of Hungary has resigned live on television over a decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up a child sexual abuse case. It was revealed last week Katalin Novak had given clemency to a man jailed for forcing children to retract sexual abuse claims against a director

Pakistan army urges unity as ex-PMs both declare election win

Pakistan's powerful army chief has urged the country to leave "anarchy and polarisation" behind as two ex-prime ministers declared victory in an election that has defied expectations. With most results in, independent candidates linked to jailed former PM Imran Khan have

Grand Mosque bans large bags, some food items in Saudi 

The Grand Mosque in Mecca has introduced new regulations aimed at ensuring the safety and comfort of Umrah pilgrims while performing their circumambulation rituals and the Sa'i between Safa and Marwa. Saif Al Salami, Supervisor of the Grand Mosque Gates Department, announced that

Netanyahu orders military to plan evacuations from Rafah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to prepare to evacuate civilians from the southern Gazan city of Rafah ahead of an expanded offensive against Hamas. Some 1.5 million Palestinians are in Rafah to seek refuge from Israeli combat operations in the rest

Pakistan elections shows Imran Khan's support is solid

Today's results are both clear and complicated. Independent candidates - many of whom would have run under the banner of the PTI party but were prevented from doing so - have taken the largest number of seats. However the PML-N, led by pre-election frontrunner Nawaz Sharif, can

Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif each claim edge in Pakistan election

With most of the results now declared in Pakistan's general elections, no political force has a clear majority. Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is claiming victory in Thursday's poll, as independent candidates linked to him have won most seats so far. But another

Nawaz Sharif addresses crowd claiming 'election victory'

Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) candidate for premiership, is addressing a crowd in Lahore's Model Town after his party claimed to have won the general elections.  However, as the results trickle in, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidates

27,947 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7

A total of 27,947 Palestinians have been killed and 67,459 have been injured in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday. Some 107 Palestinians were killed and 142 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added. At

PTI-backed candidates spring surprise in Pakistan elections

Jailed former premier Imran Khan's party-backed independent candidates seemed to have sprung a surprise as the results of the general elections in Pakistan started trickling in on Friday following unusual delays, leading to allegations of rigging. Votes are being counted in

Israeli destruction to make Gaza 'buffer zone' a 'war crime': UN

Israel's reported ongoing destruction of all buildings along the border inside Gaza with the aim of creating a "buffer zone" is a war crime, the United Nations rights chief warned on Thursday. In a statement, Volker Turk pointed to reports that the Israeli military is

US drone strike kills Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad

A senior commander of an Iran-backed militia has been killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad. A leader of Kataib Hezbollah and two of his guards were in a vehicle when it was targeted in the east of the Iraqi capital. All three of them died. The Pentagon said the commander was

Azerbaijan votes in presidential election

The vote at the presidential election started in Azerbaijan, for the first time taking place on the territories that were occupied by Armenia for more than 30 years. More than 6,500 polling stations, including abroad, opened at 8 am local time (0400GMT) on Wednesday, and the voting

Netanyahu rejects Hamas's proposed terms

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Hamas's proposed ceasefire terms - saying "total victory" in Gaza is possible within months. He was speaking after Hamas laid out a series of demands in response to an Israel-backed ceasefire proposal. Mr

Montreal man charged with threatening to kill Canada PM Trudeau

Police in Canada have charged a Montreal man with threatening to kill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in social media posts on X, formerly Twitter, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Wednesday. The man, 30, faces a criminal charge of uttering threats and will appear at the

World's first year-long breach of key 1.5C warming limit

For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5C across an entire year, according to the EU's climate service. World leaders promised in 2015 to try to limit the long-term temperature rise to 1.5C, which is seen as crucial to help avoid the most damaging impacts. This first