NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday his powder keg move to strip the disputed Kashmir region of its autonomy was necessary to stop “terrorism”, as Pakistan voiced further outrage and the UN chief urged “maximum restraint”. Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government imposed direct rule on the Indian held portion
MECCA (Saudi Arabia): More than two million Muslims begin the annual hajj yesterday as the Saudi hosts seek to deter politicisation of the pilgrimage against a backdrop of simmering Gulf tensions. The hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, is one of Islam’s five pillars and must be undertaken
PAILIN (Cambodia): Former Khmer Rouge cadres and relatives paid their final respects to “Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea yesterday, ahead of a cremation ceremony in Cambodia for the man considered the chief ideologue of the murderous regime. Nuon Chea, once the most trusted deputy of leader Pol Pot, died Sunday
BERLIN: Niko Kovac’s Bayern Munich launch their 2019/20 season as German Cup title holders in the first round this weekend, but the traditional season curtain-raiser will be overshadowed this year by a string of scandals rocking football in Germany. While coaching prodigies Julian Nagelsmann and David Wagner make their dugout
LONDON: Kevin De Bruyne can’t wait to play a key role in Manchester City’s bid for a third successive Premier League title as the Belgian star finally returns to peak form and fitness. Pep Guardiola’s side start their title defence at West Ham on Saturday with De Bruyne providing a
NEW YORK: Troy Merritt matched the Liberty National course record with a nine-under par 62 to grab a one-stroke lead after Thursday’s opening round of the US PGA Northern Trust tournament. On a day when Masters champion Tiger Woods struggled to a 75 and shared 116th among 120 starters, it
London’s Tate Modern gallery was evacuated on Sunday after a child fell “from a height” and was airlifted to hospital. A teenager was arrested over the incident, police said, without giving any details of the child’s condition. The doors of the contemporary art museum were initially locked as emergency services
Egypt displayed the gilded coffin of Tutankhamun, under restoration for the first time since the boy king’s tomb was discovered in 1922. The restoration process began in mid-July after the three-tiered coffin was transferred to the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor,
In the early days of Hong Kong’s protests, Jonathan put out a call on a messaging app seeking fellow medics to aid demonstrators — within a day, 4,000 people had volunteered. Nurses, doctors, medical students and ordinary people with first aid training all clamoured to join what has become a
FRANKFURT AM MAIN: German network operator Deutsche Telekom yesterday confirmed its 2019 outlook after almost doubling profits in the second quarter, as its American mobile arm again saw surging customer numbers. In April-June, Telekom booked an increase in net profit of 91 percent year-on-year, to 944 million euros. The comparison
