International

01-01-2024 PYONGYANG/ SEOUL: North Korea vowed to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones, and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024 as leader Kim Jong Un said US policy is making war inevitable, state media reported on Sunday. Kim lashed out at Washington in lengthy remarks wrapping up five …

01-01-2024 NIAMEY: The Prime Ministers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali affirmed their commitment to a shared future under an alliance that has seen the three junta-led countries distance themselves from the larger West African political bloc since their coups. The three neighboring states are all ruled by military officers …

01-01-2024 CAROLINA/ GEORGIA: The legal landscape surrounding abortion has been roiled by uncertainty since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. Abortion providers and reproductive rights groups have brought a slew of lawsuits seeking to invalidate new …

01-01-2024 KYIV: Russia unleashed its biggest air attack of the war on Ukraine on Friday, killing 31 civilians, wounding more than 160 others and hitting cities and infrastructure across the country, officials said. NATO member Poland said a Russian missile appeared to have flown into its airspace for some 40 …

01-01-2024 DUBAI/ LONDON: At least four tankers transporting diesel and jet fuel from the Middle East and India to Europe are taking the longer route around Africa to avoid the Red Sea, ship tracking data show. Diversions around the Cape of Good Hope can lengthen tanker voyages to Europe by …

31-12-2023 BEIJING: China’s government called the frontrunner for Taiwan’s next president “confrontational” and a destroyer of peace after he spoke at a presidential debate and said the island’s sovereignty and independence belong to its people. The Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections are happening at a time of fraught relations …

31-12-2023 LONDON: British shopper numbers at stores on Boxing Day rose from a year earlier, especially in London, research data showed on Wednesday, marking a strong start to the post-Christmas bargain-hunting spree. Research group MRI Software said footfall rose 4% across all UK retail destinations on Dec. 26. Known in …

31-12-2023 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Massive waves and coastal flooding are wreaking havoc for a third day in many of California’s coastal communities, where extreme conditions have forced water rescues, washed away cars and injured a handful of enthralled onlookers. The unusually large surf often towering over 20 feet has prompted beach …

31-12-2023 GAZA CITY: Israeli bombardments have destroyed 70 percent of Gaza homes, says the government’s media office. The Israeli war cabinet will meet to discuss captive-prisoner exchanges as Netanyahu vows to continue the war. US President Joe Biden’s administration again bypasses Congress on weapons sales to Israel. In Gaza, at …

31-12-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD: India has formally requested that Pakistan extradite the 2008 Mumbai attacks suspect Hafiz Saeed for trial in India, according to New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs. “We have conveyed a request along with relevant supporting documents to the government of Pakistan,” ministry …