International

25-10-2024 WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK: An Iranian hacking group is actively scouting US election-related websites and American media outlets as Election Day nears, with activity suggesting preparations for more “direct influence operations,” according to a Microsoft blog published on Wednesday. The hackers dubbed Cotton Sandstorm by Microsoft and linked to Iran’s …

25-10-2024 BEIRUT/ JERUSALEM: Israeli strikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday and Hezbollah said it fired precision guided missiles for the first time at Israeli targets, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured the region, pushing for a halt to fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon. The strikes on …

25-10-2024 Bureau Report +Agencies NEW DELHI/ BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Wednesday to boost communication and cooperation between their countries and resolve conflicts to help improve ties that were damaged by a deadly military clash in 2020. The two leaders met on …

25-10-2024 ABUJA: Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has dropped a money-laundering case against a top cryptocurrency executive to allow him to get medical treatment abroad. Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen, was arrested on a business trip to Nigeria in February and later charged alongside his company Binance with laundering $35.4m (£28m) which …

25-10-2024 TBILISI: Three days before Georgians vote in an election billed as a decisive moment in their country’s future, the founder of the governing Georgian Dream party has told thousands of supporters “we choose peace, not war”. After 12 years in government, Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream faces a close race …

25-10-2024 ANKARA: At least five people have been killed and 22 injured in an attack at the headquarters of an aviation company near the Turkish capital Ankara, authorities have confirmed. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that two attackers, a woman and a man, have been “neutralized”, adding that the attack …

25-10-2024 JERUSALEM: As someone who served four Israeli prime ministers and was deputy head of the country’s National Security Council, Eran Etzion’s judgement was trusted at the highest levels of the state. A longstanding critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he is also someone whose years of public service earned …

24-10-2024 BEIJING/ NEW DELHI: China has confirmed reaching a deal with India over their disputed border in the Himalayan region, a day after New Delhi said it had struck an agreement with Beijing for military patrols along the frontier but the announcement on Tuesday did not explain whether the pact …

24-10-2024 GAZA STRIP/ BEIRUT: Israeli tanks have bombed a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, killing at least seven Palestinians, the Wafa news agency reports. The attack comes as Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahiya say they saw bodies lying in the streets and Israeli soldiers detaining and beating men. Footage verified …

24-10-2024 TOKYO/ ODAWARA: Karen Makishima is the only female running for Japan’s ruling party in her 20-seat prefecture for the Oct. 27 general election, reflecting the tough battle women face in breaking into the country’s male dominated politics. Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has promised to narrow one of the …