11-06-2024 CAIRO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has visited Egypt as he attempts to build regional support for a draft Gaza peace deal recently unveiled by President Joe Biden. The top American diplomat is on his eighth visit to the Middle East since the start of the war in …

11-06-2024 BRASILIA: Firefighters are battling wildfires in Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland. The Pantanal is home to jaguars, giant anteaters and giant river otters. Close to 32,000 hectares have already been destroyed by the fires in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, local media report. Climate experts …

11-06-2024 JERUSALEM: The dramatic rescue of four Israeli hostages in Gaza amid efforts to try to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire has raised questions over the impact it could have on reaching a deal, as mediated talks show no sign of a breakthrough. As images of …

11-06-2024 PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron has called snap parliamentary elections later this month in the wake of a big victory for his rival Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the European Parliament vote. The far-right party is on course to win 32% of the vote, exit polls say, more than …

10-06-2024 NEW YORK: India beat Pakistan by six runs in the T20 World Cup 2024 Group A match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Pakistan bowled out India for 119 in 19 overs as Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf took three wickets each. Rishabh Pant top-scored …

10-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi was sworn in as India’s prime minister on Sunday for a third term, after a shock election setback that will test his ability to ensure policy certainty in a coalition government in the world’s most populous nation. President Droupadi Murmu administered …

10-06-2024 RIYADH/ MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia announced Saturday that security forces had removed hundreds of thousands of unauthorized pilgrims from Makkah before the upcoming annual Hajj pilgrimage. Saudi officials have revealed that managing the crowd during Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, is a significant concern as …

10-06-2024 BEIJING/ LONDON: China has arrested a married couple accused of spying for Britain. The Chinese Ministry of State Security, in a statement issued on Monday, said the recruitment of the couple, allegedly by British intelligence agency MI6, remains under investigation. The case is the latest alleged espionage episode to …

10-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family that governed India for decades in the wake of independence, has been nominated to lead India’s opposition in parliament following an election result that pulled his party back from the political wilderness. A meeting of the …

10-06-2024 GAZA CITY/ JERUSALEM/ BEIRUT: Tensions and tit-for-tat attacks are escalating between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Since October 8, Hezbollah has engaged Israel in a low-level conflict to impede Israel’s war on Gaza, which has already killed more than 36,000 people. Civilians have been evacuated from villages on …