DOHA: Qatar’s chief negotiator has criticised the glacial pace of ceasefire talks in Gaza, warning lives are at risk as fighting continues. “This is an urgent matter,” said Mohammed Al-Khulaifi. “We’re definitely frustrated by the slowness… there are lives at stake.” The January-brokered truce by Qatar, Egypt, and the US
SEOUL: Former Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae Myung has surged past the 50 per cent mark in voter support ahead of South Korea’s June 3 snap presidential election, according to a Realmeter poll released yesterday. The election follows the Constitutional Court’s ousting of ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol over a
MANILA: The Philippines and US yesterday began Balikatan—three weeks of joint drills simulating full-scale war, amid rising tensions with Beijing. Seventeen thousand troops are taking part, with advanced US weapons like the NMESIS anti-ship missile system deployed near Taiwan’s southern edge. Live-fire exercises are being held in northern Luzon. This
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis died yesterday at the age of 88, just a day after making a surprise appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said. “With deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a statement on
WASHINGTON, United States (US): US President, Donald J. Trump, on Thursday warned that Washington could walk away from efforts to broker peace in Ukraine unless Moscow and Kyiv make swift progress. “If one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to take a pass,” Trump told
JERUSALEM: The new United States (US) ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, prayed at the Western Wall on Friday, delivering a handwritten message from US President, Donald Trump, calling for peace. Huckabee, a former Republican governor and vocal supporter of Israel, presented his diplomatic credentials a day earlier to President Isaac
MANILA, Philippines: Scores of penitents whipped themselves bloody under a scorching Philippine sun while others were nailed to crosses in a polarising Good Friday tradition, drawing the most extreme of Catholic devotees. The macabre spectacle, officially frowned upon by the Church, attracts thousands of Filipinos – and a smattering of
ROME: Pope Francis visited Rome’s Regina Coeli prison on Thursday, continuing his Easter tradition despite recent health struggles. The 88-year-old Pontiff, recovering from pneumonia, skipped the customary foot-washing ceremony on doctors’ advice but offered blessings to around 70 inmates and staff. “I can’t do what Jesus did on Holy Thursday
ACCRA: Ghana has banned foreigners from trading in its local gold market starting May 1, aiming to curb illegal mining, stabilise the cedi, and boost reserves. All foreign traders must exit by April 30. Only state-run Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) may now regulate and sell artisanal and small-scale gold. The
NEW YORK: US immigration agents on Monday arrested Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia student and legal permanent resident, during his citizenship interview in Vermont. Mahdawi, a Palestinian from the West Bank, co-founded a pro-Palestinian group on campus with Mahmoud Khalil, another student the Trump administration is seeking to deport. His lawyers