International

26-03-2026 JERUSALEM/ BEIRUT: The Israeli military says plans for the expansion of ground and air attacks against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have been approved, amid fears in Lebanon that Israel is preparing a large-scale ground invasion of the country. Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia …

26-03-2026 NEW YORK: The Earth’s climate is further out of balance than at any time in recorded history, the UN’s weather agency has warned. The World Meteorological Organization says that our planet is gaining much more heat energy than it can release, driven by emissions of warming gases such as …

26-03-2026 TOKYO: Stock markets in the Asia Pacific have fallen sharply amid US President Donald Trump’s ultimatum warning Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the annihilation of its energy infrastructure. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s KOSPI plunged 4 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively, in early …

26-03-2026 PARIS: The Socialist Party’s Emmanuel Gregoire has won the Paris mayoral race, as the results of nationwide municipal elections showed gains for the traditional left and right, and a major win for the far right in the city of Nice. Sunday’s run-off votes in more than 1,500 communes saw …

25-03-2026 THE HAGUE: Judges have cleared the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, of all wrongdoing after an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, Middle East Eye reports. A report by Middle East Eye published on Saturday said a panel of three judges submitted a confidential report …

25-03-2026 HAVANA: More than 10 million people have had power cut to their homes and businesses across Cuba after the country’s national electrical grid collapsed for the second time in a week. Cuba’s energy ministry said “a total disconnection of the National Electrical System has occurred”, in a statement posted …

25-03-2026 TEHRAN/ JERUSALEM: An Iranian missile strike has hit the town of Dimona in southern Israel, near to a nuclear facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was not aware of any damage to the nuclear research facility located about eight miles (13km) outside Dimona. Iranian state TV …

25-03-2026 WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran’s power plants if freedom of navigation is not fully restored at the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, a dramatic escalation as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues for a fourth week. The statement on Saturday came as …

25-03-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India will revoke temporary fare caps it had imposed on domestic air tickets in December, ‌according to a government order reviewed by media, a move to ease the financial burden on airlines facing higher costs from disruptions due to the Iran war. The caps, set …

25-03-2026 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has given Iran’s military attache and embassy staff 24 hours to leave the kingdom due to “repeated Iranian attacks” on its territory. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday that it had declared personae non gratae the “military attache of the …