06-08-2025 WASHINGTON: The United States could require up to $15,000 bonds for some tourist and business visas under a pilot program launching in two weeks. The Department of State notice released on Monday said the effort aims to deter those who overstay their visas. The 12-month pilot program, which will …
Read More »Far-right figure Tommy Robinson arrested in UK
06-08-2025 LONDON: Police in the United Kingdom have arrested the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson on suspicion of assault, following an attack last month at London’s St Pancras station. The far-right campaigner, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested at about 6.30pm (17:30 GMT) on Monday evening at …
Read More »Trump pledges to ‘substantially’ raise US tariffs on India
06-08-2025 WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump says he will “substantially” raise tariffs on India, intensifying the row between the two countries after years of rapprochement. Trump accused India in a social media post on Monday of buying and reselling “massive amounts” of Russian oil “for big profits”. “They don’t …
Read More »600+ Ex-Israeli Security Chiefs beg Trump to end Gaza war
06-08-2025 JERUSALEM/ WASHINGTON: More than 600 former Israeli security chiefs have urged United States President Donald Trump to bring an end to Israel’s war on Gaza as deaths of dozens of Palestinians from Israeli-induced starvation have caused global outrage. The appeal was made in a letter sent to Trump on …
Read More »Philippines, India hold first joint sail in South China Sea
05-08-2025 MANILA: India and the Philippines have staged their first joint sail and naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea. The two-day joint military deployment that kicked off on Sunday is likely to anger China, which claims nearly the entire key waterway and has separate territorial disputes with the …
Read More »Thailand’s soaring captive lion population
05-08-2025 BANGKOK: Behind a car repair business on an unremarkable Thai street are the cherished pets of a rising TikTok animal influencer: Two lions and a 200kg (440lb) lion-tiger hybrid called “Big George”. Lion ownership is legal in Thailand, and Tharnuwarht Plengkemratch is an enthusiastic advocate, posting updates on his …
Read More »India’s imports of Russian oil ‘not acceptable’: US Officials
05-08-2025 Bureau Report + Agencies WASHINGTON/ NEW DELHI: A top United States official has accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying oil from Moscow, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on New Delhi to cut off its energy imports from Russia. “What he (Trump) said very …
Read More »Texas Democrats flee state to block redistricting
05-08-2025 WASHINGTON/ HOUSTON: Democratic state lawmakers have fled Texas to try to stop a vote on a new congressional map that would heavily favor Republicans. The proposed redistricting, unveiled by Texas’s majority Republicans last week and backed by President Donald Trump would create five new Republican-leaning seats in the US …
Read More »Netanyahu asks Red Cross to help hostages in Gaza
05-08-2025 JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of not wanting a ceasefire deal and requested that the International Red Cross bring food and medical care to hostages held in Gaza, after public fury ignited over propaganda videos showing two emaciated Israeli captives. Tens of thousands of protestors …
Read More »Boeing workers go on strike after rejecting contract
05-08-2025 VIRGINIA: More than three thousand Boeing defence workers went on strike on Monday, in a fresh blow to the embattled aviation giant. It comes after union members at operations in Missouri and Illinois, who build F-15 fighter jets and other military aircraft, voted against the firm’s latest offer over …
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