International

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday summoned Leba­non’s ambassador to the kingdom to protest “insulting” remarks by his country’s foreign minister, who appeared to blame Gulf states for the rise of the militant Islamic State group. Saudi Arabia seems to have taken a step back from its former ally, angered by the influence of Hezbollah, which is backed by Riyadh’s rival …

MAHUVA: At least 27 people died and almost 100 were missing on Tuesday after a monster cyclone slammed India, compounding the country’s woes as it recorded a new record number of coronavirus deaths in 24 hours. The colossal swirling system dubbed Cyclone Tauktae is the latest in what experts say is a growing number of increasingly severe storms in the …

Saudi Arabia is “hopeful” after exploratory talks with its nemesis Iran, its foreign minister told AFP, in a rare comment on delicate discussions whose details have been closely guarded. The official-level meetings aim to restore relations severed five years ago between the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Shia Islamic Republic of Iran. “We have initiated some exploratory talks. They are at …

Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people across the Gaza Strip and destroyed the home of a large extended family early on Wednesday. The military said it widened its strikes on targets to the south amid continuing rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled territory. Residents surveyed the piles of bricks, concrete and other debris that had once been the home of …

SIBLEY: An evacuation order remained in place on Monday for part of a northwest Iowa town as firefighters worked to extinguish a burning train after a weekend derailment. About 47 cars derailed on Sunday afternoon near Sibley, including several cars that were carrying hazardous materials. The resulting fire created a thick plume of black smoke but no injuries were reported. …

New Delhi: Rockets fired by Palestinians against Israel are part of a “resistance” which is supported by international law, a group of writers and artistes led by Arundhati Roy and Nayantara Sahgal has declared, The Hindu said on Monday. In a statement, the collective accused Israeli government of killing Palestinian children and blamed Israeli settlers for illegally trying to snatch Palestinian land. …

AHMEDABAD: A major cyclone packing ferocious winds and threatening a destructive storm made landfall in western India on Monday, disrupting the country’s response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak. At least 12 people died over the weekend and on Monday in torrential rains and winds as Cyclone Tauktae, according to press reports the biggest to hit western India in 30 years, …

A 73-year-old from Pakistan who is the oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre was notified on Monday that he has been approved for release after more than 16 years in custody at the US base in Cuba, his lawyer said. Saifullah Paracha, who has been held on suspicion of ties to Al Qaeda but never charged with a …

India’s total Covid-19 caseload surged past 25 million on Tuesday as a powerful cyclone complicated the health crisis in one of the states where the disease is spreading most quickly. Covid-19 tests were administered to 200,000 people evacuated from coastal districts of the western state of Gujarat before the cyclone struck late on Monday and efforts were being made to try to …

The UN Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday amid a flurry of urgent diplomacy aimed at stemming Israel air strikes that have killed more than 200 Palestinians. A fireball accompanied by a plume of black smoke erupted over a Gaza building early on Tuesday after the latest Israeli strike, an AFP journalist reported. Despite growing calls for …