International

24-12-2024 WELLINGTON: New Zealand has rejected a proposal by the Cook Islands, a self-governing nation in free association with the larger Pacific country, to allow the creation of its own passports and citizenship but said it could discuss independence. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters …

24-12-2024 PARIS: France is holding a day of national mourning after Cyclone Chido devastated its Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte earlier this month. French President Emmanuel Macron led Monday’s tribute by holding a minute’s silence for the storm’s victims. He called for the nationwide remembrance during his visit to the …

24-12-2024 RIYADH: The Saudi authorities, I am told, are currently working flat out to collate everything they have on the Magdeburg market suspect, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, and to share it with Germany’s ongoing investigation “in every way possible”. Inside the imposing sand colored and fortress-like walls of the Saudi Ministry of …

24-12-2024 NEW YORK: A man has been arrested in New York in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday’s incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against …

24-12-2024 BRASILIA: Ten members of a family have died after a private plane crashed into the city of Gramado in southern Brazil. Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, who was piloting the plane, was killed in the crash alongside his wife, three daughters and other family members, a statement from his …

24-12-2024 WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has demanded Panama reduce fees on the Panama Canal or return it to US control, accusing the central American country of charging “exorbitant prices” to American shipping and naval vessels. “The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair,” he told a crowd of …

24-12-2024 GAZA STRIP: At least 28 people, including children, have died in a wave of Israeli military strikes throughout the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. A school sheltering displaced families was among the facilities struck, killing eight people including four children over the weekend, the agency said. …

24-12-2024 ROME: Rome’s world-famous Trevi Fountain has re-opened after a three-month restoration. Built in the 18th Century by Italian architect Nicola Salvi on the façade of the Poli Palace, the historic fountain is one of the city’s most visited spots. Between 10,000 and 12,000 tourists used to visit the Trevi …

24-12-2024 MAPUTO: Cyclone Chido has killed 94 people in Mozambique since it made landfall in the east African country last week, local authorities have said. The country’s National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management (INGD) said 768 people were injured and more than 622,000 people affected by the natural disaster …

23-12-2024 Bureau Report ISLAMABAD: Chinese enterprise ADM Group has announced an investment of $350 million in Pakistan’s electric vehicle (EV) sector, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday. As part of the initiative, the Chinese firm will establish more than 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the South Asian country, the …