International

10-03-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies SYDNEY: Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia’s Queensland state were without power on Sunday after ex-tropical cyclone Alfred brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings. Some 316,540 people were without power in Queensland’s southeast where the Gold Coast city was the worst-hit …

10-03-2025 TEHRAN: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iran will not be bullied into negotiations, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to the country’s top authority urging Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal. In an interview with Fox Business, Trump …

10-03-2025 JERUSALEM/ CAIRO: Israel and Hamas signaled on Saturday they were preparing for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations, as mediators pushed ahead with talks to extend the fragile 42-day truce that began in January. Hamas said there were “positive indicators” for the start of the ceasefire’s second-phase talks but …

10-03-2025 UNITED NATIONS/ JUBA: South Sudan has seen an “alarming regression” as clashes in recent weeks in the country’s northeast threaten to undo years of progress towards peace, the United Nations commission on human rights for the country has warned. The statement on Saturday from Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the …

10-03-2025 DAMASCUS: Syria’s interim government has sent reinforcements to coastal cities in the country’s northwest where security forces have been engaged in heavy battles with fighters loyal to former ruler Bashar al-Assad. The violence, which has reportedly killed hundreds of people, including many civilians, presents the most serious challenge yet …

10-03-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ HAMPI, KARNATAKA: Two women were gang-raped and a man was killed in an attack near a popular UNESCO World Heritage site in southern India, according to police. The two women, an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay operator were stargazing with three male …

10-03-2025 VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia and bronchitis for more than three weeks, has shown a “good response” to treatment, the Vatican has said. “The clinical condition of the Holy Father in recent days has remained stable and, consequently, indicates a good response to the treatment,” …

10-03-2025 BRUSSELS: Leading European nations have said they support an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion (£41 billion) and avoid displacing Palestinians from the territory. The plan, drawn up by Egypt and endorsed by Arab leaders, has been rejected by Israel and by US …

09-03-2025 TEHRAN: Iran says it has yet to receive a letter from President Donald Trump after the US leader said he had sent one seeking talks with the country’s leadership about its nuclear program. “We have not received such a letter so far,” a spokesman for Iran’s embassy said on …

09-03-2025 NEW DELHI: India has signed a $248 million contract with Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport to acquire more powerful engines for its Soviet-era battle tanks, the Indian Defence Ministry said on Friday. The T-72 tank, first introduced in India in the 1970s, is the mainstay of the Indian Army’s …