10-08-2025 BEIRUT: The United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, along with ending Israel’s military operations in the country and the withdrawal of its troops from five positions in south Lebanon, according to a copy of a Lebanese cabinet agenda …

10-08-2025 PARIS: A massive wildfire that has scorched through 16,000 hectares (39,537 acres) of forest and villages in southern France since Tuesday has now been contained, local authorities said yesterday. Firefighters will remain deployed in the area in the coming days to secure the site and prevent flare-ups, they added …

10-08-2025 LUSAKA: Zambia’s government said on Friday it was concerned about the “unnecessary financial strain” that would be caused by a new rule requiring its citizens to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to obtain some types of US visas. Starting August 20, President Donald Trump’s administration will require visa …

10-08-2025 MESSINA, ITALY: Italy’s decision to approve the construction between Sicily and the mainland of what would be the world’s longest single-span bridge has set the stage for a legal battle that could further delay a project first conceived by the ancient Romans. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government gave …

10-08-2025 WASHINGTON/ LONDON: From punishing Brazil to trying to curb imports of fentanyl, US President Donald Trump has wielded the threat of tariffs as an all-purpose foreign policy weapon. With a Friday deadline for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or have its oil customers face secondary tariffs, Trump …

10-08-2025 HONG KONG/ TAIPEI: The exercise presented a fraught scenario; China’s military had blockaded Taiwan by air and sea, and Southeast Asian countries were grappling with how to evacuate as many as 1 million of their nationals trapped on the besieged island. Over two days in April at a Singapore …

10-08-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: New Delhi has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India’s first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Donald Trump dragged ties to their …

10-08-2025 SEVENOAKS: Britain and the United States may disagree about how to address the crisis in Gaza but they share common goals in the region, US Vice President JD Vance said at the start of a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in southern England. Vance, who has previously …

09-08-2025 WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has called on the head of US chipmaker Intel to resign “immediately”, accusing him of having problematic ties to China. In a social media post, Trump said Lip-Bu Tan was “highly conflicted”, apparently referring to his alleged investments in companies that the US says are …

09-08-2025 SYDNEY:  An Australian state lawmaker and convicted rapist, who is in jail awaiting his sentence, quit his seat Friday moments before a vote scheduled by his former colleagues to eject him. Gareth Ward, an independent member of parliament in New South Wales State, earlier refused to resign despite his …