19-03-2025 PRETORIA: A group of scientists due to work together for months at a remote Antarctic research station has been rocked after a member of the team was accused of physical assault. A team of nine researchers were due spend the Antarctic winter at the South African-run base, which sits …

19-03-2025 BERLIN: What happens today, here in Berlin, will impact the entire future of Europe’s defence and its ongoing support for Ukraine. Germany’s Parliament, the Bundestag, is voting on whether to take the brakes off defence spending. This could pave the way for a massive uplift in military investment just …

19-03-2025 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump says “many elements” of a peace agreement in Ukraine have been agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, ahead of their much anticipated phone call. Trump posted on Truth Social that he will speak with Putin on Tuesday morning. He said that while there …

19-03-2025 GAZA STRIP/ JERUSALEM: The Israeli military says it is carrying out “extensive strikes” in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting that more than 400 Palestinians have been killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was attacking what it called “terror targets” belonging to Hamas. The …

18-03-2025 LONDON: A “significant number” of countries are willing to provide peacekeeping troops in Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday. Britain and France have spearheaded efforts to offer a peacekeeping plan for Ukraine after U.S. …

18-03-2025 KIGALI: Rwanda says it has cut diplomatic ties with Belgium and ordered all of the European country’s diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, drawing a swift response from Brussels. In a statement on Monday, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation accused Belgium of “consistently” …

18-03-2025 GAZA STRIP/ JERUSALEM: Drinking water, food, and medicine are running out fast with UNICEF saying it’s critical for Israel to open up Gaza immediately with hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children “struggling to survive”. Yemen’s Houthis report new raids on the Red Sea port of Hodeidah as the death …

18-03-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: The dramatic political developments in Bangladesh that led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina being ousted last year have thrown up many surprises including Dhaka’s growing closeness with one-time foe Pakistan. Last month, after decades of troubled relations, the two countries began directly trading for the …

18-03-2025 TAIPEI CITY: A Chinese influencer living in Taiwan must leave the island within days or be deported, Taiwanese authorities said, after she posted videos supporting the idea of China taking the island by force. The move comes at a time of heightened cross-strait tensions and increasing suspicions of Chinese …

18-03-2025 SANA’A” Yemen’s Houthi rebels say there have been fresh US strikes against them, with the number of dead rising to 53, including five children. Targets in the Al Jaouf and Hudaydah areas were hit early on Monday, according to the rebel group, while the US Central Command said its …