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21-12-2024 KOLOMBO: More than 100 Rohingya refugees from war-torn Myanmar have been rescued while adrift on a fishing trawler off the Indian Ocean island nation by Sri Lanka’s navy, bringing them safely to port. The 102 people, including 25 children, were taken to Sri Lanka’s eastern port of Trincomalee, a …

21-12-2024 LONDON/ WASHINGTON: The prime minister is expected to name Lord Peter Mandelson – one of the best known figures in British politics as the UK’s next ambassador to the US. The Labour grandee served in multiple ministerial roles under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before taking up a life …

21-12-2024 GAZA STRIP: At least 77 Palestinians have been killed and 174 wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza, according to the latest daily update by the besieged territory’s Health Ministry. A new report titled “Gaza death trap” by Doctors Without Borders says there are “clear signs of ethnic cleansing” by …

21-12-2024 NEW YORK: A funny thing happened on the way to a bipartisan agreement to fund US government operations and avoid a partial shutdown this week. Conservatives in Congress encouraged by tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk balked. Republicans tried to regroup on Thursday afternoon, offering a new, slimmed-down package to fund …

21-12-2024 KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government says it has agreed in principle to resume the search for a passenger jet that vanished 10 years ago in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 while on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 …

21-12-2024 DAMASCUS/ WASHINGTON: US diplomats are in the Syrian capital Damascus where they plan to meet representatives from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group now in charge but which Washington still designates as a terrorist organization. The visit follows those of delegations in recent days from the UN and other …

21-12-2024 PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has been heckled during his visit to cyclone-hit Mayotte. After facing boos and calls to resign from locals demanding more aid in devastated areas, Macron responded by telling locals: “I’m not the cyclone. I’m not responsible.” He arrived in the French Indian Ocean territory …

21-12-2024 WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has voted against a Donald Trump-backed funding measure, bringing a government shutdown this weekend a step closer. A revised spending plan failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed in the lower chamber of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill on Thursday …

20-12-2024 DAMASCUS: While the international community is setting conditions for the new rulers in Syria, the leading rebel group has taken a conciliatory approach, similar to one the Taliban adopted in Afghanistan, to seek international recognition, say analysts. Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat …

20-12-2024 BEIJING: China and India took a further step towards easing their long-running border dispute on Wednesday, with senior officials holding formal talks for the first time in five years and committing to finding mutually acceptable solutions. The meeting in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India’s National …