International

25-12-2023 JERUSALEM: The Israeli military has vowed to continue its operation in Gaza, but admitted it is “protracted” and “difficult”. A spokesman said over the weekend it was expanding its “ground operations in the southern and northern Gaza Strip”. Meanwhile, the US said Joe Biden spoke to the Israeli PM …

24-12-2023 By SJA Jafri ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan bail in a case related to a leak of state secrets, but it was not clear how he could be released while serving a three-year sentence for corruption and facing other charges. The 71-year-old …

24-12-2023 MELBOURNE/ PERTH: Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been charged by the International Cricket Council for wearing a black armband in support of civilians in Gaza during the first Test against Pakistan. Khawaja, 37, did not wear shoes bearing the words “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human …

24-12-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: The Indian government has said that the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) projection of the country’s debt exceeding 100 percent (%) of the GDP by 2027-28 is “misconstrued”. The Finance Ministry said the IMF projection was “a worst-case scenario and is not fait accompli”. …

24-12-2023 LONDON: British equities logged solid weekly gains heading into the Christmas holidays on Friday amid rising hopes that major central banks, including the Bank of England, could consider interest rate cuts next year. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) edged 0.04% higher, extending gains to a fourth week, while FTSE …

24-12-2023 TEHRAN:  An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said the Mediterranean Sea could be closed if the United States and its allies continued to commit “crimes” in Gaza, Iranian media reported on Saturday, without explaining how that would happen. Iran backs Hamas against Israel and it accuses the United States of …

24-12-2023 WASHINGTON/ HOUSTON/ MEXICO CITY: The United States on Friday reopened two rail crossings between Texas and Mexico vital for exports, five days after their closure in response to increased migrant traffic, and new US data showed migrant numbers at the southern US border remained high last month. US Customs …

24-12-2023 PRAGUE: Bells rang across the Czech Republic on Saturday and flags flew at half-mast as the country mourned victims of the country’s worst mass shooting that killed 14 at a Prague university on Thursday. Archbishop Jan Graubner served a mass at the main St. Vitus cathedral at the Prague …

24-12-2023 JERUSALEM/ GAZA CITY: Israeli forces fought Hamas militants on Saturday in northern Gaza, where it is seeking full control so it can focus on the south, a day after the UN Security Council called for more aid for the Palestinian enclave but stopped short of demanding a ceasefire. Thick …

23-12-2023 TOKYO: Japan is going through a “once in a generation” political crisis, analysts say, as the government fights to clean up its image in the face of a corruption scandal. Four cabinet ministers from the long-term ruling party have resigned in the past fortnight, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida …