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 …

14-08-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said India’s electoral system suffers from “serious discrepancies” and he pledged to continue challenging its integrity through public mobilization and potentially the courts. Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that controls the main opposition Congress party, last week accused authorities …

14-08-2025 GAZA STRIP: More than 100 organizations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the “weaponisation of aid” into Gaza, as “starvation deepens”. Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are “not authorized” to deliver aid, unless they …

14-08-2025 WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump has warned of “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to end the war in Ukraine following the two leaders’ upcoming summit in Alaska. Trump made the comments on Wednesday after holding a virtual meeting with European leaders, including Ukrainian President …