International

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair could take a leading role in a transitional authority for Gaza under US-led peace plans, various British media reported on Friday. It follows Blair’s involvement in discussions with the administration of US President Donald Trump and others over the post-war transitional body for the Palestinian territory, reports AFP. The plan could involve Blair leading ...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday in an angry UN address to block a Palestinian state, accusing European leaders of pushing his country into “national suicide” and rewarding Hamas. Netanyahu, in a defiant speech he said was partially broadcast on Israeli military loudspeakers in Gaza, vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas even as President Donald Trump said he ...

Authorities in India enforced security restrictions in two main districts in the remote Ladakh region on Thursday, a day after four people were killed and dozens injured when police clashed with hundreds of protesters demanding greater autonomy from the Indian government for the Himalayan territory. Officials banned assembly of more than five people in Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil districts following ...

Typhoon Ragasa has made landfall in southern China, where nearly two million people have been evacuated in preparation for its arrival. It comes after authorities said at least 17 people had been killed and more missing in Taiwan after a lake burst on Tuesday, causing severe flooding in the island’s east. Ragasa was downgraded from a super to a severe ...

Fierce winds, pounding rain and high seas battered Hong Kong on Wednesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa headed into southern China after causing a lake burst that killed at least 14 people in Taiwan. The Chinese finance hub saw scores of fallen trees with flooding in at least two seaside neighbourhoods, while buildings across the city rattled and swayed in the ...

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called Monday for all countries to follow a slew of Western countries and recognize a Palestinian state. “We call on all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards implementation of the two-state solution,” he said at a UN conference.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says that at least 1,006 people have lost their lives in torrential rains and flash flooding since June 26. Among the deaths are 568 men, 163 women, and 275 children, Pakistani news outlet Dawn reported on Monday. The highest number of fatalities was registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 504. Punjab reported 304 deaths, ...

The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada on Sunday formally recognised the state of Palestine as part of an effort to revive momentum for a two-state solution, according to a joint statement. In coordinated moves, the three Western nations issued statements in this regard two days ahead of the start of the UN General Assembly’s annual “High-Level General Debate” in New ...

Thousands of protesters gathered in Manila on Sunday to demand accountability over a massive corruption scandal involving flood control projects believed to have cost billions of dollars. Police and troops were placed on high alert to prevent violence as organizers aimed for one of the country’s largest anti-corruption demonstrations. Protesters carried Philippine flags and banners reading “No more, too much, ...

A Sudanese paramilitary group reportedly killed 43 civilians while praying inside a mosque early Friday in the besieged city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, said a local medical group. The Sudan Doctors Network said Friday on X that Muslim worshipers, including older people and children, were killed in a drone strike launched by the Rapid Support Forces, ...