International

07-03-2026 BEIJING: China has cut its annual economic growth target to a range of 4.5%-5%, the lowest expansion goal since 1991 as it grapples with challenges both at home and abroad. It is the first time the target has been lowered since it was cut to “around 5%” in 2023. …

07-03-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India is in talks with the United States to secure marine cover for vessels shipping oil from the Middle East, as New Delhi seeks to shield buyers from potential supply disruptions caused by the crisis in the Gulf, a ‌government official said on Thursday. “So …

07-03-2026 TEHRAN: Explosions have been reported across Iran and Israel says it is carrying out new attacks on Tehran. The United States and Israel continue to bombard Iran, killing at least 1,230 people since Saturday, as Israeli forces also hammer Lebanon. The US Senate has blocked a resolution to curb …

07-03-2026 OCCUPIED WEST BANK/ DUMA: Since Israel and the United States began their war on Iran last week, retaliatory missiles fired at Israeli targets have been flying through the skies over the occupied West Bank but it has been Israeli settlers on the ground who have been terrorizing Palestinians in …

06-03-2026 MOSCOW: Russia said on Wednesday that France’s plan to expand its nuclear arsenal was a highly destabilizing move that posed a potential threat to ‌Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plan on Monday, saying other European countries would also be able to take part in French nuclear exercises. …

06-03-2026 BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s decision to enter the Middle East war in support of its patron Iran has opened a rift with its main political ally at home in Lebanon, leaving the group deeply ​isolated as the country lurches into another devastating conflict with Israel. The move, which caught even some …

06-03-2026 TEHRAN/JERUSALEM: Mojtaba Khamenei, the powerful son of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is alive and favored to emerge as his father’s successor, two Iranian sources told media on Wednesday. Even as new explosions rang out in Tehran, huge crowds of mourners were expected in the streets later on …

06-03-2026 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: The Indian rupee weakened past 92 per dollar for the first time on Wednesday with ‌the central bank likely curbing further losses in Asia’s worst-performing currency, as an escalating Middle East war pummeled global markets. The rupee fell to 92.3025 to the dollar, down …

06-03-2026 DUBAI/ RIYAZ: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday it has fired 230 drones at several facilities hosting US troops in the Middle East, including a base in Erbil in northern Iraq and the Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. The IRGC said the …

06-03-2026 Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ TEHRAN: It was the first working day of the week and Muhammad Raza, a 23-year-old Pakistani medical student, was assisting the doctors treating patients at Tehran University of Medical Sciences hospital in the Iranian capital. A loud explosion brought the ward to a halt. …