International

Four people died and at least 19 more were missing after a boat ferrying them across a swollen river capsized in India-held Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said. Rescuers in rubber boats joined by marine commandos were scrambling to find survivors as hundreds of worried and mourning family members gathered at the riverbanks after the accident. The missing included several children …

Australia’s prime minister on Tuesday suggested a visiting Frenchman who heroically fended off a knife-wielding Sydney mall attacker using only a bollard could be offered citizenship. Damien Guerot has been dubbed “bollard man” and a “hero” of Saturday’s attack that killed six people, including a Pakistani, and wounded a dozen more. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese singled Guerot out for praise on Tuesday, thanking …

At least 29 Maoist insurgents were killed in a shootout with security forces on Tuesday, police told AFP, one of the deadliest days in the long-running conflict. The guerrillas were killed in a remote part of the central state of Chhattisgarh, which has seen a number of deadly assaults on Maoist forces this year. The insurgents, who are known as Naxalites and …

Torrential rains and high winds lashed parts of the Gulf on Tuesday as the death toll from storms in Oman rose to 18, many of them children. Flights were cancelled in Dubai, the region’s financial hub, while schools were shut in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.     Flooding hit many areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE …

PARIS: Astronomers identified the largest stellar black hole yet discovered in the Milky Way, with a mass 33 times that of the Sun, according to a study published on Tuesday. The black hole, named Gaia BH3, was discovered “by chance” from data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, said an astronomer from the National Centre for Scientific Research …

COPENHAGEN: A fire ripped through Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange, one of the Danish capital’s most famous landmarks, on Tuesday, engulfing its spire which collapsed in a scene reminiscent of the 2019 blaze at Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral. Emergency services, employees from the Danish Chamber of Commerce, including its CEO Brian Mikkelsen, and even passers-by were seen carrying large paintings away from …

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun via video teleconference on Tuesday, the Pentagon said, in the first substantive talks between the superpowers’ defence chiefs in nearly 18 months. The United States has been working to strengthen defence cooperation with its allies in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence, but also wants …

JERUSALEM: Israel and Iran traded threats on Tuesday after Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its arch-foe sharply heightened regional tensions as the Gaza war ground on with no truce in sight. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Iran would not get off “scot-free” after Iran launched a barrage of over 300 missiles, drones and rockets at Israel at the …

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Tuesday said that his visit to Pakistan would deliver “significant benefits” in the upcoming months by realising the potential of untapped economic development. The Saudi diplomat was addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar after a meeting between the two at the Ministry of Foreign …

LONDON: Prince Harry will not be allowed to appeal the downgrading of his personal security when he visits Britain, a court ruled on Monday. The youngest son of King Charles III took legal action after the British government told him in 2020 that he would no longer be given the “same degree” of publicly-funded protection when he is in the …