17-02-2025 DAMASCUS: Mouldy half-finished food on bunk beds, discarded military uniforms and abandoned weapons, these are the remnants of an abrupt retreat from this base that once belonged to Iran and its affiliated groups in Syria. The scene tells a story of panic. The forces stationed here fled with little …
Read More »China seeks stronger cooperation with Germany & EU
16-02-2025 BEIJING: China considers Germany and the European Union as a whole as strategic partners, and it wants stronger cooperation with them in the spirit of free trade and multilateralism, the Chinese foreign minister told the German chancellor on Saturday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Chancellor Olaf Scholz China was …
Read More »Families heartbreak after deadly Delhi railway station crush
16-02-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: On Sunday morning, the New Delhi Railway Station in India’s capital looked much like it always does; bustling, with its many platforms full of eager, impatient passengers waiting to catch their trains but on Saturday night, a deadly crush reportedly caused by overcrowding …
Read More »Dozens killed in Mali illegal gold mine collapse
16-02-2025 BAMAKO: More than 40 people, mostly women, were killed after an illegal gold mine collapsed in Mali on Saturday. The collapse took place near Kenieba, in Mali’s western, gold-rich Kayes region. The victims had climbed into open-pit areas left by industrial miners to look for scraps of gold when …
Read More »Zelensky calls for creation of an ‘army of Europe’
16-02-2025 KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of an “army of Europe” to guard against Russia as he suggested the US may no longer come to the continent’s aid. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he also said that Ukraine would “never accept deals made behind …
Read More »Israel releases prisoners after Hamas frees hostages
16-02-2025 JERUSALEM/ GAZA: Hamas has released three Israeli hostages, after days of fears over future of the Gaza ceasefire. The hostages are now back in Israel. Israel is releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners in return – a few went to the West Bank, the majority are now arriving in Gaza. Hamas …
Read More »Malaysia’s economy grows 5.1% in 2024 on domestic demand
16-02-2025 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s economy grew 5.1 percent in 2024, as strong domestic demand and investment offset a downturn in the commodities sector, according to the Southeast Asian country’s central bank. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5 percent in the October-December quarter, Bank Negara Malaysia said on Friday, down from …
Read More »TikTok returns to US after Trump delays ban
16-02-2025 WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK: TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the United States after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a ban on the popular social media app, operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance. The app’s fate had been up in the air …
Read More »Afghan families in Pakistan caught in crackdown
16-02-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: When Salima Ahmad* noticed a three-day gap between the expiry of her family’s visas and the date on a document proving that they had applied for renewals, her heart filled with dread. An Afghan citizen living in Pakistan since 2022, Ahmad feared that …
Read More »‘Scores of children raped by armed men in eastern DRC’
16-02-2025 KINSHASA/ NEW YORK: Scores of children caught up in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been subjected to sexual violence including rape by armed men, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. The targeting of children has soared to unprecedented levels in recent weeks, …
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