International

22-05-2026 BEIJING: When Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in Beijing on Tuesday evening, his official agenda will be to join his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in commemorating a quarter-century-old agreement, the unambiguously described 2001 Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Yet, say analysts, the significance of the Xi-Putin summit, likely …

21-05-2026 TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran’s stance on one of the ​main US demands at peace talks. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s order could further frustrate US President Donald Trump and complicate …

21-05-2026 By SJA Jafri + Agencies ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with ‌Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war. The deployment, …

21-05-2026 NICOSIA: Pro-Palestinian activists say Israeli forces are intercepting a flotilla of more than 50 boats carrying aid for Gaza in international waters west of Cyprus. The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said its fleet was being boarded in what it called “another illegal, high-seas aggression” about 250 nautical miles (460km) …

21-05-2026 GAZA STRIP: Standing in a long queue under the beating sun, 14-year-old Muhammed al-Roubi was waiting to buy bread but there was a strong chance that, despite his patience, he would not get any. A flour and fuel shortage in recent weeks, brought on by Israeli restrictions on imports …

21-05-2026 PARIS: A prosecutor in France has revealed that about 10 new suspected victims have come forward in the European country’s probe into the network of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking with the RTL broadcaster, Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Sunday that about 20 suspected victims …

21-05-2026 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned Iran the “clock is ticking” as talks to bring the war to an end have stalled. “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” The …

21-05-2026 DUBAI: A drone strike has sparked a fire on the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), raising new concerns over a potential new regional escalation amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States. Authorities in Abu Dhabi said the blaze …

21-05-2026 TEHRAN: The line is crackly but the voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear and, given the circumstances, surprisingly steady. He’s on death row in western Iran. He speaks quickly as if time is running out and his message is desperate. “You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, …

20-05-2026 CAMBRIDGE BAY, NUNAVUT: Since US President Donald Trump’s barrage of threats to seize Greenland, authorities on the frozen island have been seeking help from a northern ally: Canada. A reserve unit of the Canadian armed forces called the Rangers has long maintained a year-round presence in mostly inaccessible Arctic …