International

10-07-2026 BEIRUT/ JERUSALEM: A number of Lebanon’s Christian villages released a statement on Monday, refuting claims by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they had requested Israeli annexation. “Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against Hezbollah, Hezbollah …

10-07-2026 NEW DELHI/ SRINAGAR: Feroz Aslam* sports an abashed smile whenever he hears the clink of a teacup on a saucer. He cannot see, but he knows it is his father. “For the past 10 years, it has been my parents ailing themselves who have been serving me food,” the …

10-07-2026 MUSCAT: A tanker caught fire off the coast of Oman on Monday night after being struck by an “unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). Separately citing two unnamed US officials, news outlet Axios reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard …

10-07-2026 TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says negotiations on a final deal will not begin if threats continue, after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington will reach an agreement with Tehran or “finish the job”. The UK’s maritime agency says an “unknown projectile” has hit a tanker off …

10-07-2026 JERUSALEM/ WEST BANK: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared that Israel has launched a “revolution in settlement” expansion, which he says will see illegal outposts extended beyond the occupied West Bank into the Negev and Galilee. The far-right minister’s post on the social media platform X follows the …

10-07-2026 KYIV/ MOSCOW: A Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv has killed at least 14 people and damaged more than a dozen residential buildings in the second large-scale assault on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week. The attack early on Monday morning wounded at least 46 people, …

09-07-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: The world’s biggest seller of website addresses says a court order in India could make the internet less safe. GoDaddy is fighting new rules meant to stop fake sites impersonating famous brands. It warns the cure could expose millions of legitimate site owners, and not …

09-07-2026 CAIRO: Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert. The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools. Separately, 18 ancient tombs were discovered at Marina el-Alamein, near Alexandria, …

09-07-2026 QUEENSLAND: Six pieces of suspected space debris found washed up on north Queensland beaches could be “space balls” that are often left over from rocket launches, according to one expert. The Australian Space Agency confirmed on Sunday it was working to determine the nature and origin of the mysterious …

09-07-2026 JERUSALEM: The son of a prominent Palestinian doctor abducted and held by Israel without charge has issued an urgent appeal for his father’s release, warning that his health has sharply deteriorated after more than 555 days in prison, as a rights group warned that his life was in danger. …