International

26-01-2026 NAIROBI: As Kenya prepares for its next general election, due in less than 20 months’ time, 2026 will prove to be a critical year. With local and global restraints on political violence being hollowed out at the very time when trust in the credibility of the election system is …

26-01-2026 PARIS: The French navy has diverted an oil tanker, suspected of being part of Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet”, ‍towards the port of Marseille-Fos for further investigation, according to reports. The office of the ​prosecutor in the southern French city of Marseille, which handles matters related to ‌maritime law and …

26-01-2026 TEHRAN: The Iranian state has rejected a resolution by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council that strongly condemned the “violent crackdown on peaceful protests” by security forces that left thousands dead. After a detailed meeting and discussions in Geneva on Friday, 25 members of the council, including France, Japan …

26-01-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India and the European Union are expected to announce the conclusion of protracted negotiations for a free trade pact on Tuesday, two Indian and EU government sources said. The deal will open the way for reduced tariffs on European cars and wine and an expanded …

26-01-2026 BEIJING: China’s most senior general is under investigation, China’s defence ministry said on Saturday, in the highest-profile purge to date of senior military leadership just as Beijing modernizes its forces and tries to further project its might. Zhang Youxia serves as second-in-command under President Xi Jinping as vice-chairman of …

26-01-2026 MONTREAL: United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff against Canada if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney moves ahead with an announced trade deal with China. In a statement shared on Truth Social on Saturday morning, Trump said Carney is “sorely mistaken” if he …

25-01-2026 By SJA Jafri KARACHI: The death toll in a fire which engulfed a shopping centre in Pakistan has climbed to 71, police have confirmed. Police say 77 people are currently reported as missing by their families following the fire at Gul Plaza, in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, on Saturday …

25-01-2026 DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: Europe may have rallied to see off President Donald Trump over Greenland, but its leaders recognize the confrontation is unlikely to be the last in dealings with his increasingly strident version of the United States. The stakes could hardly be higher, given the $2 trillion trading relationship …

25-01-2026 WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from British politicians after claiming that NATO forces stayed away from the front line during the war in Afghanistan. The US president made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, a US broadcaster, where he again questioned the value …

25-01-2026 DAMASCUS: The Syrian government says it has taken over control of al-Aqtan prison, a facility in the northeastern city of Raqqa housing a number of ISIL (ISIS) detainees, following the withdrawal of Kurdish-led SDF fighters under a ceasefire agreement. The Interior Ministry said in a statement on Telegram on …