International

25-05-2025 DHAKA: On the surface, it was a routine closed-door meeting between Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and the chiefs of the country’s three armed forces, to discuss law and order but the May 20 meeting came amid what multiple officials familiar with the internal workings of …

25-05-2025 ISTANBUL/ DAMASCUS: Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top officials in Istanbul as Western sanctions on Syria are lifted. The two leaders were pictured by Turkiye’s state media shaking hands after an official reception and joining for a meeting at the …

25-05-2025 ISLAMABAD/ KABUL/ BEIJING: As Pakistan remained embroiled in a war of words with its archrival India, following a dramatic exchange of missiles and drones nearly two weeks ago, it this week advanced diplomatic efforts with two other neighbors: China and Afghanistan, which could lead to the formal resumption of …

25-05-2025 DHAKA/ NAYPYIDAW: At least 427 Rohingya, Myanmar’s Muslim minority, may have perished at sea in two shipwrecks on May 9 and 10, the United Nations said, in what would be another deadly incident for the persecuted group. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement on …

25-05-2025 PARIS: French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival. “We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,” a …

25-05-2025 UNITED NATIONS/ GAZA STRIP: Palestinians in Gaza are enduring “what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict,” says the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warning that Israel’s escalating military campaign and prolonged blockade have pushed the population to the brink of famine. “For nearly 80 days, Israel …

24-05-2025 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said he is recommending a 50% tariff on all goods from the European Union being imported to the United States. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” he wrote in a post on social media on Friday. He said the new tariffs will …

24-05-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, upping the rhetoric in a standoff over water access triggered by a deadly attack in Indian Kashmir. Pakistan’s chief legal officer, in an interview …

24-05-2025 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: US President Donald Trump’s administration has blocked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In a post on X on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Trump administration was “holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating …

24-05-2025 GAZA STRIP: Israeli strikes have killed at least 85 people in Gaza since the early hours of Thursday, medical sources tell media, and casualties are continuing to mount amid unrelenting bombardments. Gaza’s Health Ministry says 29 children and elderly people who died in recent days in Gaza have been …