06-07-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Two key allies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have asked for about $6 billion in funds for their home states, pressuring the federal government to raise spending when it presents its budget later this month, according to a document reviewed by Reuters …

06-07-2024 BEIRUT/ JERUSALEM: The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has launched more than 200 rockets and attack drones into northern Israel, in response to the killing of one of its senior commanders. Israel’s military said one of its officers was killed in the barrage, which started a number of fires. The …

06-07-2024 LOS ANGELES: Tens of thousands of people in northern California have been told to leave their homes as wildfires grow across the state during a heatwave. About 28,000 people were under evacuation warnings or orders on Thursday after the Thompson fire broke out two days earlier, according to California …

06-07-2024 PARIS: More than 50 candidates and activists in France have come under physical attack in the run-up to Sunday’s tense final round of parliamentary elections, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said. He revealed the figure after government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot, her deputy Virginie Lanlo and a party activist were …

06-07-2024 MAURITANIA: Nearly 90 migrants bound for Europe died and dozens more are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania earlier this week, the state news agency and a local official said on Thursday, “The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people aboard a large …

06-07-2024 TEHRAN: Voting is under way to elect a new Iranian president as a hardline conservative goes head-to-head with a reformist. The run-off comes after no candidate secured a majority in the first round of the election on 28 June, which saw a historically low voter turnout of 40%. One …

06-07-2024 WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden is facing pressure from some major Democratic donors as he faces a critical few days in his campaign for re-election. A number of donors are publicly warning they will withhold funds unless Biden is replaced as the party’s candidate following his disastrous debate performance last …

05-07-2024 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has eased tourist visa requirements for Pakistani travellers with “immediate effect” wherein applicants can now submit a bank statement showing a minimum monthly credit amount of $750 or its equivalent, the Saudi Tourism Authority said on Wednesday. Pakistani tourist arrivals to Saudi grew 43% in 2023 …

05-07-2024 NEW DELHI/ BEIJING: India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday in Kazakhstan where the two agreed to step up talks to resolve issues along their border, New Delhi said in a statement. India and China share a long Himalayan border, much of it …

05-07-2024 TOKYO: It’s taken until 2024 but Japan has finally said goodbye to floppy disks. Up until last month, people were still asked to submit documents to the government using the outdated storage devices, with more than 1,000 regulations requiring their use but these rules have now finally been scrapped, …