14-01-2025 ABUJA: Over 40 Shia farmers have been killed in an attack by armed groups in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, according to government officials. Fighters from the Boko Haram group and ISIL (ISIS) affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP) were suspected of carrying out the attack, Borno State Governor Babagana …

14-01-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ PRAYAGRAJ: Nearly 15 million Hindus, six times the number expected, took a dip in freezing waters seeking absolution of their sins on Monday, the first day of India’s festival that could draw the world’s largest single gathering of humanity. Held every 12 years, …

14-01-2025 ISLAMABAD/ KABUL/ NEW DELHI: When the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, then-Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan famously said the Afghan group had “broken the shackles of slavery” as they returned to power for the first time since 2001. Taliban’s ascension was seen as a boost to …

14-01-2025 BEIJING: China’s exports hit a record high in 2024, state media has reported, a welcome boost for the world’s second-largest economy as United States President-elect Donald Trump’s promised tariffs threaten to dampen growth. Exports rose 10.7 percent year-on-year, customs data showed on Monday, comfortably beating economists’ forecasts. Imports, which …

14-01-2025 TEHRAN/ BERLIN: Iran has released a dual German national as its diplomats held more consultations with European counterparts on sanctions and how to manage ramped-up tensions. Iranian-German rights activist Nahid Taghavi was released from prison in Iran and is back in Germany, according to her daughter Mariam Claren, who …

14-01-2025 CARACAS: The Venezuelan government has petitioned the International Criminal Police Organization, known as Interpol, to seek the arrest of leading opposition figure abroad. Attorney General Tarek Saab announced on Monday that his office has requested an arrest warrant for Leopoldo Lopez, a former mayor and leader of the Voluntad …

14-01-2025 WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden has delivered a soaring speech defending his administration’s foreign policy, just days before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office. Monday’s address, delivered at the State Department, served as a coda for Biden’s four years in office. He had pledged to re-establish …

14-01-2025 SEOUL: Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International, has been hit with multiple lawsuits claiming its electrical equipment started one of the major wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, according to court filings. The suits, filed on Monday, appear to be the first of hundreds or …

13-01-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ PRAYAGRAJ: A six-week Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival begins in India on Monday, a Hindu sacred event that will be the world’s largest gathering of humanity as it showcases religion, spirituality, tourism and crowd management. More than 400 million people are …

13-01-2025 LOS ANGELES: The death toll from the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area has risen to 16 as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze that threatens the city’s most famous landmarks. New evacuation orders were placed as firefighters raced against time to stop the fires from spreading before potentially …