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21-05-2025 BRUSSELS/ LONDON: The European Union and the United Kingdom have announced coordinated packages of sanctions against Russia in a bid to ramp up pressure on President Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine, as diplomatic momentum to reach a ceasefire accelerates. The packages, which were unveiled Tuesday, will …

21-05-2025 TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has derided demands from the United States that it halt nuclear enrichment as negotiations between the two countries hang in the balance. “Saying things like ‘We will not allow Iran to enrich uranium’ is nonsense. No one [in Iran] is waiting for …

21-05-2025 CAMBRIDGE: The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said it is terminating $60m in federal grants to Harvard University, further escalating an ongoing feud between the Ivy League institute and President Donald Trump’s administration over alleged anti-Semitism, presidential control and the limits of academic freedom. …

21-05-2025 GAZA STRIP: Israeli forces bombard Gaza, killing at least 73 people since midnight, including attack on displacement shelter in Gaza City that killed 22, including children. The leaders of Canada, France and the UK threaten to take “concrete action” against Israel if it does not end its renewed offensive …

20-05-2025 MOSCOW/ WASHINGTON: Russia’s prosecutor general said on Monday it had banned human rights group Amnesty International Limited as an “undesirable organization”, accusing it of backing Ukraine against Russia. Founded in 1961 and headquartered in London, Amnesty International campaigns for human rights across the world, including on behalf of those …

20-05-2025 JERUSALEM/ KHAN YOUNIS: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued a major evacuation warning for southern Gaza, telling tens of thousands of residents in the area around the city of Khan Younis to leave. The IDF says it is preparing to launch an “unprecedented attack” against Hamas in the …

20-05-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: Small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers are boycotting Turkish products ranging from chocolates, coffee, jams and cosmetics to clothing amid growing anger at Turkey’s support for Pakistan in a confrontation with India. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed public solidarity with Pakistan, …

20-05-2025 WASHINGTON: Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, a statement from his office said on Sunday. The discovery was made on Friday after he reported urinary symptoms which led doctors to find a small nodule on his prostate. …

20-05-2025 TEHRAN: Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the United Kingdom’s charge d’affaires over what it called “suspicious and unwarranted” arrests of several Iranian nationals. The UK earlier this month accused several Iranian nationals of offences without offering evidence, wilfully refrained from informing Iran’s embassy in time, and prevented …

20-05-2025 VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV has held “cordial” talks with US Vice-President JD Vance, according to the Vatican. It comes a day after Vance, a practicing Catholic joined other dignitaries and thousands of worshipers at the Pope’s inaugural mass on Sunday. After Pope Leo became the first American to …