23-01-2025 WASHINGTON: The bishop at President Donald J. Trump’s inaugural prayer service on Tuesday was imploring him to “have mercy” on gay, lesbian and transgender children, as well as undocumented immigrants. “I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” asked Bishop Mariann …
Read More »Israeli forces launch major operation in Jenin
23-01-2025 JENINE: Nine Palestinians have been killed and 35 injured by Israeli forces during a major operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry says. Palestinian media reported that there were a series of air strikes as a large number of troops moved in to the …
Read More »Trump defends release of Capitol riot leaders from prison
22-01-2025 WASHINGTON: On the first full day of his presidency, Donald Trump defends his decision to release two high-profile prisoners jailed over the Capitol riot. Former Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes were freed after the president issued nearly 1,600 pardons and commutations in …
Read More »Macron warns Europe it can’t depend only on US weapons
22-01-2025 PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that the billions of euros of taxpayer money spent on Europe’s military budgets should not be used to buy only American weapons, pushing for more investment in home-grown defence industries. Speaking minutes before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who …
Read More »Trump withdraws from Paris climate agreement
22-01-2025 WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump once again withdrew the United States from the Paris climate deal on Monday, removing the world’s biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade. The move places the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as …
Read More »Taliban minister calls for girls’ high schools to open
22-01-2025 KABUL/ KANDAHAR: The Taliban’s acting deputy foreign minister called on his senior leadership to open schools for Afghan girls, among the strongest public rebukes of a policy that has contributed to the international isolation of its rulers. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, who previously led a team of negotiators at …
Read More »Zimbabwe lithium prices to justify $270m project with China
22-01-2025 HARARE: Zimbabwe’s state-owned Kuvimba Mining House expects to finalize this month a deal agreed with two Chinese companies as it sticks with its $270 million lithium project on the basis lithium prices will recover, its CEO said on Monday. Analysts expect robust sales of electric vehicles (EV) in China …
Read More »India allows 1m tons of sugar exports to support local prices
22-01-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: India on Monday allowed exports of 1 million metric tons of sugar during the current season to September 2025 to help mills of the world’s second biggest producer export surplus stocks and help prop up local prices. The decision could put further downward pressure …
Read More »Tanzania confirms Marburg virus outbreak after denial
22-01-2025 DODOMA: Tanzania’s president has announced an outbreak of Marburg virus, an Ebola-like virus, just a week after her health minister denied that there were any cases in the country. President Samia Suluhu Hassan said at a press conference on Monday that health authorities had confirmed one case of Marburg …
Read More »Gaza rescuers reckon with scale of destruction
22-01-2025 GAZA STRIP: On the first full day of peace in Gaza on Monday, rescue workers and civilians began to reckon with the sheer scale of the destruction to the Strip. Gaza’s Civil Defence agency, the strip’s main emergency response service, said it feared there were more than 10,000 bodies …
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