International

Tokyo: A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga, prompting an initial tsunami warning that was later lifted for the Pacific island country. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit about 100 kilometres northeast of the main island in the early morning hours of...

Colombo: Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) Sunday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Sri Lanka this week. Modi will begin a two-day visit to Sri Lanka April 4. “This visit represents a cherished milestone in the timeless relationship between our...

Mardan: In a first-of-its-kind operation, the Pakistan military carried out drone strikes to target suspected militant hideouts in Babozai village in Katlang tehsil of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) province's Mardan district, killing at least 11 militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and, reportedly, nine civilians. Following...

Bangkok: Emergency rescue teams Sunday began trickling into the area of Myanmar hardest hit by a massive earthquake that killed more than 1,600 people. Their efforts were hindered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the...

Islamabad: The World Bank has approved a USD 300 million loan for Pakistan to combat air pollution in its Punjab province, according to a media report Sunday. The loan provided under the International Development Association (IDA) for the Punjab Clean Air Programme (PCAP) was approved...

San Francisco: Protesters against billionaire Elon Musk's purge of the US government under President Donald Trump demonstrated outside Tesla dealerships throughout the US and in some cities in Europe Saturday in the latest attempt to dent the fortune of the world's richest man. The protesters...

Cairo: The Hamas militant group said Saturday it has accepted a new Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar, but Israel said it has made a counter-proposal in “full coordination” with the third mediator, the United States. Egypt early in the week made a...

Nuuk: The Danish foreign minister Saturday scolded the Trump administration Saturday for its “tone” in criticising Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the US. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen made the...

Jerusalem: Hamas's armed wing has released a video showing an Israeli hostage, Elkana Bohbot, pleading for his release. Bohbot, who was abducted from a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, appears in the footage calling on the Israeli government to...

Bangkok: Myanmar's ruling military announced on state television Saturday that the confirmed death toll from a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake has risen to 1,644, as recovery teams continue to retrieve bodies from the rubble of numerous collapsed buildings near the country’s second-largest city. The new total...