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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 …

09-03-2025 SYDNEY: A tropical storm is expected to make landfall on Australia’s eastern coast on Saturday morning as tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and more than 230,000 households left without power. Initially called Cyclone Alfred, the weather front was downgraded to a tropical low with winds set …

09-03-2025 JUBA: Several people have died in South Sudan after an attempt by the UN to evacuate members of the national army came under fire, the UN has said. One crew member died when a UN helicopter was shot at, a statement from its mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, said. …

09-03-2025 COLUMBIA: A South Carolina man convicted of bludgeoning his ex-girlfriend’s parents to death has become the first US death row inmate to be executed by firing squad in the last 15 years. Brad Sigmon was shot to death just after 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Friday by three …

09-03-2025 WARSAW: Work is under way to make all men in Poland undergo military training, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. In a speech to the Polish parliament, Tusk said the government aimed to give full details in the coming months. Efforts are being made to “prepare large-scale military training for …

09-03-2025 WASHINGTON/ MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump has said he is “strongly considering large-scale sanctions” and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and peace deal with Ukraine is reached. Trump said he was contemplating the move because “Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now”. Trump’s comments marked …

09-03-2025 DAMASCUS: Syrian security forces are alleged to have executed dozens of people belonging to the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia, according to a war monitoring group. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said 162 civilians have been killed in “field executions” in the region, …

08-03-2025 Bureau Report SYDNEY: Forecasters say Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s wayward behavior en route to the south-east Queensland coast is creating “considerable uncertainty” in predicting where and when the system could make landfall. Alfred performed another pirouette on Thursday evening, looping around on its path and further delaying its progress towards …