International

15-06-2024 MAKKAH: More than 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims have gathered in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca for the start of Hajj, taking place this year against the harrowing backdrop of Israel’s continued onslaught on the Gaza Strip. The annual pilgrimage began on Friday with crowds of robed worshippers circling the Kaaba, the …

15-06-2024 UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has demanded that Sudanese paramilitary forces call off their eight-week siege of el-Fasher, a city in the Darfur region where fighting has sparked fears of a possible genocide. Sudan’s army has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than a …

15-06-2024 DYBAI/ SANA’A: Two cruise missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels have struck a bulk cargo carrier in the Gulf of Aden, severely injuring one of the crew. The M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, and Polish-operated ship, “reported damage and subsequent fires on board. The crew continues to fight the …

15-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: An Indian Air Force flight has brought back the bodies of 45 workers who were killed in a fire in Kuwait. The fire broke out on Wednesday at a residential building in Mangaf city where 176 Indian workers lived. Kuwaiti authorities said 50 …

15-06-2024 BEIJING: A prominent female #MeToo activist in China has been handed a five-year jail sentence for “subversion against the state”. Sophia Huang Xueqin was convicted and sentenced on Friday, nearly 10 months after she went on trial. Labor activist Wang Jianbing, who stood trial with Huang, was sentenced to …

15-06-2024 PUGLIA: The G7 has agreed to use frozen Russian assets to raise $50bn (£39bn) for Ukraine to help it fight invading Russian forces. US President Joe Biden said it was another reminder to Russia “that we’re not backing down” but in Moscow President Vladimir Putin said the move was …

15-06-2024 PRETORIA: A coalition deal has been confirmed that will see Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as president. The leader of the second largest party, which is part of the deal, calls this a ‘new chapter’ for the country. The new MPs have been sworn in after the 29 May election. That …

14-06-2024 CITY OF VICTORIA: Hong Kong has cancelled the passports of six pro-democracy activists who are in exile overseas under its newly-enacted domestic security law, calling them “lawless wanted criminals”. The government said that in addition to the cancellation of the “absconders’” travel documents, the six were also banned from …

14-06-2024 APULIA/ PUGLIA: Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are meeting for a three-day summit to discuss global affairs in the southern Italian region of Puglia (Apulia). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects “important decisions” …

14-06-2024 UNITED NATIONS: A record-breaking 120 million people have been forced to flee their homes by war, violence and persecution, the 12th year in a row the number has increased, the UN refugee agency said. The global displaced population is now equivalent to that of Japan, the agency said. New …