03-08-2025 DAMASCUS/ BEIRUT: Syria has pledged to investigate clashes in the southern province of Sweida which killed hundreds of people last month, the second major episode of sectarian violence since the ouster of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. In a decree dated July 31, justice minister Muzher al-Wais said a …

03-08-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India is engaged in trade talks with the United States, an Indian government source with knowledge of the discussions said on Friday, a day after US President Donald Trump signed an order imposing a 25% tariff on New Delhi’s exports. Trump set steep import duties …

03-08-2025 BOGOTA: Colombian former President Alvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and a fraud charge. The 73-year-old is the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted of a crime. He has also been barred from public office and fined …

03-08-2025 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to “be positioned in the appropriate regions” in response to “highly provocative” comments by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Trump said he acted “just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words …

03-08-2025 JAKARTA/ MEDAN: Indonesia has begun releasing hundreds of inmates from prison, including people convicted of political offences, after parliament approved the first stage of President Prabowo Subianto’s wide-ranging clemency plan, reportedly aimed at building national solidarity. A first group of 1,178 inmates were to be released on Friday after …

03-08-2025 GAZA STRIP: Gaza faces a grave risk of famine, with one in three people going days without food, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned. UNICEF on Friday urged the international community to act swiftly as conditions continue to deteriorate due to Israel’s genocidal war. “Today, more than 320,000 …

02-08-2025 GAZA STRIP: Starvation is spreading across the Gaza Strip, and the only organization on the ground mandated to provide food aid stands accused of grave rights violations and the targeting of civilians. The controversial United States and Israel-backed GHF took over aid distribution in Gaza in May, after Israel …

02-08-2025 WASHINGTON: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have held the first meeting of a joint oversight committee, taking a step towards implementing a peace deal even as other commitments are yet to be fulfilled. The African Union, Qatar and the United States joined the committee meeting …

02-08-2025 WASHINGTON: Differences between the US and India cannot be resolved overnight to arrive at a trade deal, a senior US official told reporters late on Thursday, citing geopolitical disagreements. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Washington was still negotiating with India on trade after announcing earlier that day the …

02-08-2025 TOKYO/ MOSCOW: Japan’s weather office has lifted a tsunami advisory imposed a day earlier, becoming one of the last countries to rescind the emergency order after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded hit Russia’s Far East. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a statement lifting the advisory on …