Category: World

Pope Francis passed a quiet night in hospital, the Vatican said Sunday, after revealing that the 88-year-old was responding well to treatment for pneumonia. “The night was calm, the pope is resting”, the Vatican said in its brief morning update on the Argentine, who has been in a special papal suite at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14. The head of the Catholic Church has suffered several respiratory crises since his admission, but has not had any for several days now, with the Vatican describing his condition as “stable”. It…

Read More

The Trump administration on Saturday revoked a waiver that permitted Iraq to make payments to Iran for electricity, aligning with President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Tehran, according to a US State Department spokesperson. The decision to let Iraq’s waiver lapse upon its expiration “ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” the spokesperson said, adding that Trump’s campaign on Iran aims “to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups.” Trump restored “maximum pressure” on…

Read More

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to engage in a constructive dialogue with the United States representatives in Saudi Arabia next week over ways to end the war with Russia. Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has paused US military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence-sharing with Kyiv. He has accused Zelensky of not being serious about reaching a peace agreement with Russia, which invaded Ukraine three years ago and has seized about 20% of its territory. “Ukraine has been seeking peace from the…

Read More

Gusts and torrential rain have blacked out more than 300,000 properties and swamped parts of Australia’s east coast, officials said Sunday, with one driver confirmed dead and a dozen troops injured in the wild weather. After days hovering off the coast as a category 2 tropical cyclone and battering a 400-kilometre stretch of coastline, Alfred weakened into a tropical depression before making landfall on Saturday evening. But as the remnants of the cyclone moved inland, hundreds of thousands of people remained without power on Sunday, and video images showed knee-high…

Read More

COLUMBIA: South Carolina executed a convicted murderer by firing squad on Friday, the first use of the method in the United States in 15 years. Brad Sigmon, 67, chose to be killed by a firing squad, saying he feared the alternatives of the electric chair or lethal injection would risk a slower and more torturous death. Sigmon was pronounced dead at 6:08pm ET, according to Chrysti Shain, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Sigmon was convicted of beating to death his ex-girlfriend’s parents, William and Gladys Larke,…

Read More

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has dismissed reports that his senior adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, clashed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a White House meeting, insisting there was no dispute despite claims of tensions over government cost-cutting measures. According to The New York Times, Musk argued with Rubio and separately with Transport Secretary Sean Duffy during a cabinet meeting chaired by Trump on Thursday. Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a drive to slash costs and cut jobs across government departments, reportedly leading to tensions…

Read More

WASHINGTON: As trade tensions between the US and Canada intensify, President Donald Trump has warned that new tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber could be introduced within days, just after a previous wave of levies aimed at enforcing what he calls fairer trade practices. Since taking office in January, Trump has unleashed a series of tariffs and threats targeting US allies and adversaries, including duties of up to 25 per cent on imports from Canada and Mexico. On Thursday, he provided the vital trading partners with a temporary reprieve, exempting…

Read More

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump on Friday hosted top cryptocurrency players at the White House, a political boost for an industry that has struggled to gain legitimacy – and where the Republican president faces conflict of interest concerns. US crypto investors were major supporters of Trump’s presidential campaign, contributing millions of dollars towards his victory in hopes of ending the deep scepticism of Democrat Joe Biden’s administration towards digital currencies. “I think it’s safe to say the administration wants to end the war on crypto. We promise to do that,” the president’s…

Read More

UNITED NATIONS: Women’s rights regressed in a quarter of countries around the world last year, according to a report published by UN Women on Thursday, due to factors ranging from climate change to democratic backsliding. “The weakening of democratic institutions has gone hand in hand with backlash on gender equality,” the report said, adding that “anti-rights actors are actively undermining long-standing consensus on key women’s rights issues.” “Almost one-quarter of countries reported that backlash on gender equality is hampering implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action,” the report continued, referring…

Read More

A new travel ban under President Donald Trump could take effect as early as next week, potentially restricting entry into the US for individuals from Pakistan and Afghanistan, sources said. The decision is based on a government assessment of security and vetting concerns, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The well-informed sources, who requested anonymity, said other countries could also be on the list but did not know which ones. The move harkens back to the Republican president’s first-term ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy…

Read More