Friday, 2 January 2026

Author: AFP

Three arrested over murder of popular Indian rapper

NEW DELHI: Indian police have arrested three men accused of murdering hip-hop star Sidhu Moose Wala, seizing a cache of weaponry including a grenade launcher from the suspects. Moose Wala — also known by his birth name Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu — was shot dead in his car in the northern

EasyJet exercises option to buy 56 Airbus A320neo jets

LONDON: British low-cost airline EasyJet on Tuesday exercised options to purchase 56 fuel-efficient single-aisle A320neo aircraft from European aerospace giant Airbus. EasyJet said in a statement it had obtained steep discounts for the jets, which are worth $6.5 billion at list prices and are due for delivery between 2026 and

Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson bows out of Indian presidential race

NEW DELHI: The grandson of India’s independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has dropped out of the race to become president after his name was proposed by an alliance of opposition parties. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, 77, a diplomat turned politician said he had declined the request of the 17-party alliance to be their

Widodo replaces Trade Minister over cooking oil crisis

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo replaced his Trade Minister today over a cooking oil crisis that has roiled global markets, saying “the people need someone experienced”. Despite being the world’s biggest palm oil producer, Indonesia has been dealing with domestic shortages and sharp price increases for months as the Ukraine

Sri Lanka saves scarce gas for cremations

COLOMBO: Bankrupt Sri Lanka will reserve a portion of its scarce fuel supplies for the cremation of Buddhists, whose funeral rites have been disrupted during a dire economic crisis. The island nation’s 22 million people have faced months of food, petrol and medicine shortages after traders ran out of money

2 Iranian aerospace officials killed in country

TEHRAN: Two Iranian aerospace officials have been martyred while on mission in separate incidents inside the country, the armed forces said Monday. Ali Kamani, a member of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, was martyred in Khomein in central Markazi province on Sunday, Fars news agency said quoting a Guards statement.

‘Lightyear’ banned in 14 markets after same-sex kiss controversy

Los Angeles, United States: Disney’s latest animation “Lightyear,” which features a same-sex kiss, has been denied release in more than a dozen mainly Muslim countries, a source close to the company told AFP on Tuesday. Countries across Asia and the Middle East have refused to give Pixar’s Toy Story spinoff

Sandstorm brings Iraq to standstill, grounds flights

BAGHDAD: Iraq temporarily closed Baghdad airport Monday as choking clouds of dust blanketed the capital, the latest crippling sandstorm in a country that has warned climate change poses an existential threat. It is the tenth duststorm since mid-April to hit Iraq, which has been battered by soil degradation, intense droughts

Indonesians mourn governor’s son found dead in Swiss river

BANDUNG, Indonesia: Tens of thousands of people filled streets in the city of Bandung today to mourn a governor’s son, who was found dead in a Swiss river last week after a search that captivated Indonesia. The disappearance of Emmeril “Eril” Kahn Mumtadz last month gained national attention, with Indonesians

China exports rebound in May as virus controls ease

BEIJING: China’s exports rebounded strongly in May, data showed Thursday, with factories restarting and supply chains untangling as Shanghai slowly emerged from a gruelling lockdown. The city of 25 million underwent a stuttered lockdown from late March and was then fully sealed off for around two months, as China tightly