Wednesday, 15 Jan, 2025

International

Pakistani court suspends arrest warrant for ex-PM Imran Khan

A top Pakistani court on Friday suspended an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, giving him a reprieve to travel to Islamabad and face charges in a graft case without being detained. Khan has been holed up at his home in the eastern city of Lahore since Tuesday, after

China’s Xi to visit Putin in Russia next week 

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a three-day visit to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next week, Beijing and Moscow announced Friday, with “strategic cooperation” on the agenda. “On March 20-22, 2023, at the invitation of Vladimir Putin, president of the

Cyclone Freddy death toll in Malawi hits 326

The death toll in Malawi from Cyclone Freddy has risen to 326, the country's president said Thursday, bringing the total number of victims across southern Africa to more than 400 since February. Rescuers were unearthing more bodies as the chances of finding survivors faded after

UK’s Royal Mint launches Ramadan gold bar with Kaaba design

The Royal Mint, the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins, has launched a gold minted bullion bar for the Muslim community depicting the Kaaba, the holiest site for millions of Muslims. Created in consultation with the Muslim Council of Wales, and

Pak high court bars police operation to arrest ex-PM Khan until Friday

A Pakistani high court ordered police on Thursday to postpone an operation to arrest Imran Khan for another day, defusing a surge in violence that saw supporters of the former prime minister fighting pitched battles with security forces. Khan’s aide Fawad Chaudhry said the Lahore

Iran says 110 arrested over suspected schoolgirl poisonings

Iranian police said Wednesday that 110 suspects have been arrested in connection with the suspected poisoning of thousands of girls in schools across the country. Students say they have been sickened by noxious fumes in incidents dating back to November that have mainly occurred in

Taiwan ally Honduras seeks diplomatic switch to China

Taiwan is in danger of losing one of its few formal allies, Honduras, as the Central American nation seeks official relations with China. Honduran President Xiomara Castro said the pivot aims to expand foreign engagements. Taiwan promptly cautioned Honduras against falling into

Clashes continue in Pakistan as police try to arrest Imran Khan

Clashes between Pakistan's police and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan have persisted outside his home in the eastern city of Lahore, a day after officers went to arrest him for failing to appear in court on graft charges. The police operation triggered clashes

Storm Freddy: Malawi declares state of disaster as more than 200 killed

More than 200 people are now confirmed dead in Malawi after Tropical Storm Freddy ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month. Huge amounts of brown water have cascaded through neighbourhoods, sweeping away homes. Malawi's commercial hub, Blantyre, has recorded

US drone crashes after encounter with Russian jet

A Russian fighter jet has collided with a US drone, causing the unmanned US aircraft to crash into the Black Sea, the American military says. The incident highlights the increasing risk of direct confrontation between Russia and the US over the Ukraine war. The US says the drone was

North Korea fires ballistic missile, South says

North Korea test-launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Tuesday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missiles were fired at the "East Sea," referring to the body of water also known

US, Britain unveil nuclear-powered submarine plan for Australia

The leaders of the United States, Australia and Britain revealed details of a plan to offer Australia nuclear-powered attack submarines.  In a joint statement on Monday, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Heavy losses reported as battle for Bakhmut rages

Ukraine and Russia have reported inflicting heavy losses as the battle for Bakhmut rages on. Moscow has been trying to take the eastern Ukrainian city for months in a grinding war of attrition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had suffered more than 1,100

Myanmar army accused of killing over 30 at monastery

More than 30 people have been killed in a monastery in Myanmar's southern Shan State, an insurgent group said. Troops shelled the Nan Nein village on Saturday, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) said. Myanmar has seen a growing number of deadly battles between its

Poisonings in Iran increase distrust of the regime

The Iranian authorities have promised that whoever is behind the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls will be mercilessly punished — but the government has lost all credibility with the people. "We're getting reports from Iran almost every day about more schoolgirls being

Israel sees one of its biggest-ever protests

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken part in what some are calling the biggest protest in the country's history. Protests against government plans for a radical overhaul of the judicial system have been running for 10 weeks. Record numbers of demonstrators turned out in

France Senate approves Macron's unpopular pension reforms plan

France's Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, has voted to approve a controversial reform to the country's pension system, a cornerstone of Emmanuel Macron's second term as president. Senators passed the reforms late on Saturday by 195 votes to 112, bringing the package

Blast in Afghanistan’s Balkh province kills one, injures 5

A blast hit the capital of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Saturday, police said, killing one person and wounding five a few days after the death of the province’s governor in an explosion claimed by the militant group Islamic State. “A blast has taken place

Doctors remove Vodka bottle from 26-year-old man's stomach in Nepal

A 26-year-old man in Nepal had to undergo surgery to get a Vodka bottle removed from his stomach, according to a media report on Friday. Rautahat police have arrested one person in connection with an incident wherein a man was detected with a vodka bottle in his stomach during a

Italy launches rescue for hundreds of refugees on boats

The Italian coastguard has launched multiple rescue operations to save hundreds of refugees packed aboard boats off the Calabria region, less than two weeks after at least 73 people drowned in a shipwreck. “The rescue operations … are particularly complex due to the large