International

01-01-2025 DAMASCUS: Syria’s new rulers have installed some foreign fighters including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk in the country’s armed forces as Damascus tries to shape a patchwork of rebel groups into a professional military, two Syrian sources said. The move to give official roles, including senior ones, to …

01-01-2025 BERLIN: Air taxi start-up Volocopter GmbH filed for insolvency proceedings on Monday, citing its inability to raise new funds to maintain regular operations. The Mercedes-Benz, opens new tab and Honeywell, opens new tab-backed company plans to continue business operations during the insolvency proceedings while seeking additional funding. “Despite recent …

01-01-2025 WASHINGTON: Former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral will take place on 9 January at the Washington National Cathedral, part of a national day of mourning for the longest-lived US president. Walter Mondale, who served as Carter’s vice-president, had intended to give the eulogy for his former boss, but he …

01-01-2025 GAZA STRIP: Sila was less than three weeks old when her mother Nariman realised she wasn’t moving. “I woke up in the morning and told my husband that the baby hadn’t stirred for a while. He uncovered her face and found her blue, biting her tongue, with blood coming …

01-01-2025 NEW DELHI: India has launched its first space docking mission on an Indian-made rocket, in an attempt to become the fourth country to achieve the advanced technological feat. The mission, called Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh state at 16:30 …

31-12-2024 ANKARA/ SANLIURFA: Turkey announced on Sunday a $14 billion regional development plan that aims to reduce the economic gap between its mainly Kurdish southeast region and the rest of the country. The announcement comes amid increased hopes for an end to a decades-long insurgency waged by the outlawed Kurdistan …

31-12-2024 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: Indian household spending on non-food items such as transport, garments and entertainment rose in both rural and urban areas in 2023/24 while outlays on staples like wheat and rice dropped, a government report showed on Friday. The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey for 2023/24, conducted from …

31-12-2024 GAZA STRIP: Israeli forces killed 30 Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday, including seven people in an assault on al-Wafaa Hospital in Gaza City. The nearby Ahli Hospital was also shelled. Gaza’s Government Media Office says a “significant” cold front will affect the Strip in the coming hours and days, …

31-12-2024 KABUL: In a world where crises compete for attention, Afghanistan, once at the forefront of international aid and media coverage, now sits in the shadows. This year, the global focus has overwhelmingly been on victims of wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. The multiple crises that plague Afghanistan have …

31-12-2024 ABUJA: The glitzy parade had floats and dancers from many of Nigeria’s different ethnic groups taking part. A month of celebrations in December draws many partygoers to Calabar, the capital of Cross River state and home to many Christian communities. The organizers say up to two million people attend, …