International

22-04-2026 WELLINGTON: New Zealand has declared a state of emergency in its capital city Wellington as torrential rain and flash flooding drenched the country’s North Island. Footage online shows vehicles submerged, trees uprooted and houses hit by landslides. Wellington received a record 77mm (3in) of rain in less than an …

22-04-2026 DUBAI: Global oil prices have jumped after US President Donald Trump said its navy had intercepted and seized an Iran-flagged cargo ship. The Brent crude benchmark oil price jumped 5% to around $95 (£70) a barrel, reversing the slump on Friday when Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would …

22-04-2026 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ SEOUL: India and South Korea said on Monday that they would boost their economic ties by expanding cooperation in energy, critical minerals, shipbuilding, semiconductors and ‌steel as they seek to double their trade to $50 billion by 2030. New Delhi and Seoul also …

22-04-2026 BAGHDAD: It’s been more than five months since Iraq’s parliamentary elections, but the Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary bloc of Shia parties, has failed to choose its prime ministerial candidate amid internal power struggles. The incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is eyeing a second term, is facing …

22-04-2026 LONDON: Twelve British universities paid a private firm run by former military intelligence officials to “spy” on student protesters and academics, including those who have expressed solidarity with Palestine, it can be revealed. A joint investigation by media and Liberty Investigates has uncovered evidence that Horus Security Consultancy Limited …

21-04-2026 LUANDA: Pope Leo says he was not seeking to debate Donald Trump when he criticized “tyrants” for spending billions on wars in a speech earlier this week. The pontiff said the remarks, delivered days after a high-profile spat with the US president, had been written a fortnight earlier “well …

21-04-2026 CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, has publicly denied all allegations against him in his first statement after being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder last week. The Victoria Cross recipient, released on bail on Friday, said he was “proud of my …

21-04-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ TEHRAN: India summoned Iran’s ambassador in New Delhi for a meeting with the foreign secretary following a shooting incident earlier in the day involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. According to the statement, …

21-04-2026 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: Iran says it will not open the Strait of Hormuz unless the US stops blockading its ports. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh says no date has been set for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US and slams Washington’s refusal to abandon its “maximalist” …

21-04-2026 SOFIA: Bulgarians have started voting in the eighth parliamentary election in five years after mass protests brought down the previous Conservative-led government in December. Polling stations opened at 7am local time (0400 GMT) and are due to close at 1700 GMT, according to media. Sunday’s vote is significant as …