16-08-2025 KABUL: Aid agencies say more than half of Afghanistan’s population, roughly 23 million people; need humanitarian assistance. The Taliban denied using force to divert international aid in Afghanistan on Thursday, responding to a US watchdog report that said authorities used “every means at their disposal, including force,” to ensure …

16-08-2025 JERUSALEM: No further details about the plan that has been agreed to or a timeline have been released but the announcement comes days after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans for the takeover of Gaza City following an all-night session. Israel’s military has approved plans for an expanded operation in …

16-08-2025 BELGRADE: Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Serbia, smashing windows of the governing party’s headquarters in the northern city of Novi Sad, where the country’s antigovernment revolt started more than nine months ago. The protesters came out in force for a third night on Thursday, following major …

15-08-2025 LONDON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in London to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, to take stock ahead of US President Donald Trump’s key talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Zelenskiy, who was in Germany on Wednesday, has been working with …

15-08-2025 JERUSALEM/ GAZA STRIP: Israel’s military pounded Gaza City prior to a planned takeover, with another 125 people killed in the last day according to the Gaza health ministry, while militant group Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators. The 24-hour death toll was the worst in a week and …

15-08-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: India aims to allow private firms to mine, import and process uranium as part of plans to end a decades-old state monopoly over the nuclear sector and bring in billions of dollars to boost the industry, two government sources said. Prime Minister Narendra …

15-08-2025 CANBERRA/ PORT VILA: Australia and Vanuatu have agreed to a 10-year deal, aimed at strengthening security and economic ties, worth AU$500m ($328m; £241m). The so-called Nakamal agreement, the result of months of negotiations will transform Australia’s relationship with its Pacific neighbor, leaders from both countries said on Wednesday. “We …

15-08-2025 JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Gaza ceasefire efforts are now focused on a comprehensive deal to release all the remaining hostages at once. The plan previously being pushed was for an initial 60-day truce and partial release of living hostages. Hamas says a delegation of …

15-08-2025 WASHINGTON: First Lady Melania Trump has threatened to sue Hunter Biden for more than $1bn after he claimed she was introduced to her husband by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lawyers acting on behalf of the first lady, who married US President Donald Trump in 2005, described the claim as …

15-08-2025 PARIS/ BERLIN: European leaders appeared cautiously optimistic after holding a virtual meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Trump reportedly told the Europeans that his goal for the summit was to …