30-04-2025 MADRID/ LISBON: Major power outages across large areas of Spain and Portugal, as well as parts of southern France, knocked out traffic lights and disrupted public transportation and airport operations on Monday. Officials did not say what caused the outages, but several denied any foul play. “Grid operators in …

30-04-2025 THE HAGUE: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has opened hearings to gauge Israel’s responsibility for the humanitarian crisis engulfing Gaza during its war against Hamas. The hearings, which began on Monday in The Hague and will run throughout the week, follow a request last year from the United …

30-04-2025 MOSCOW: Russia has declared a 72-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to coincide with its most sacrosanct national holiday marking the World War II defeat of Nazi Germany, Victory Day, calling on Kyiv to agree to the pause. Ukraine was quick in its response, which came soon after the Russian …

30-04-2025 BEIRUT: Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has called on Lebanon’s government to work harder to end Israel’s daily attacks in the country, a day after an Israeli air strike targeted the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut for the third time since a ceasefire was agreed late last November. Qassem …

30-04-2025 OTTAWA: Canadians wait to see which candidate will lead their country, and tackle US tariffs and the high cost of living, as the federal election draws to a close. Polls first closed at 8.30pm Newfoundland Time (23:00 GMT) in the far east of Canada and will continue westward until …

29-04-2025 ISLAMABAD: Tensions between India and Pakistan have soared since the April 22 attack on tourists in the scenic resort town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which at least 26 people were killed. Both countries have announced a series of tit-for-tat measures, raising fears of a wider confrontation. After …

29-04-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Police have detained 1,024 Bangladeshi migrants including women and children in a sweeping crackdown in the western state aimed at deporting people living there illegally. The central government often describes undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants as “infiltrators”, accusing them of posing a threat …

29-04-2025 JERUSALEM/ GAZA STRIP: Israeli forces have killed at least 71 Palestinians in the past 24-hour reporting period, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A Palestinian envoy accuses Israel of using humanitarian aid as a “weapon of war” during International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings as Gaza faces mass …

29-04-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ NEW DELHI/ SRINAGAR: Pakistan’s defence minister said on Monday that a military incursion by neighboring India was imminent in the aftermath of a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, as tensions rise between the two nuclear-armed nations. The militant attack killed …

29-04-2025 VATICAN CITY: Cardinals will meet next month in a secret conclave to elect the next pope, the Vatican has said. The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel on 7 May and will involve some 135 cardinals from across the world. It follows the death of Pope Francis …