International

KATHMANDU: Internet providers in Nepal cautioned on Friday that the Himalayan republic is faced with widespread outages. They raised alarm bells on Friday over overdue payments to Indian enterprises, a day after service disruptions affected the daily lives of millions of people. Numerous private internet companies witnessed their customers being ‘forced offline’ on Thursday night, when their upstream partners in …

WASHINGTON: Google and the US Justice Department lock­ed horns in court on Friday, over claims that the Alphabet unit unlawfully schemed to dominate search advertising. This occured during closing arguments in a case that the government contends has the potential of shaping the future of the internet. District Judge in Washington, Amit Mehta grilled both sides with questions, probing whether …

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court prosecutors warned on Friday against “individuals who threaten to retaliate” against the tribunal or its staff, saying such actions might constitute an “offence against its administration of justice”. The ICC did not say if the comment related to its investigation into possible war crimes by Israel or Palestinian groups in Gaza and the West Bank. …

OTTAWA: Canadian police charged three people on Friday with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the province of British Columbia in June 2023, Canadian media said, citing court documents. Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. The news broke days after the White House expressed concern …

Hamas says it is considering in a “positive spirit” a Gaza truce deal, while the UN warned rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory would require efforts not seen since World War II. After months of stop-start negotiations, Hamas has sounded an optimistic tone about the latest hostages-for-ceasefire proposal, raising hopes an agreement may soon be reached — even as medics in the …

WASHINGTON: Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger’s junta to expel U.S. forces. The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last …

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Haseena Wajid has advised Developing-8 (D-8) Muslim countries to make mutual trade easier between them and introduce a common currency like Euro in the European Union. A delegation of eight Muslim countries led by Turk deputy minister of commerce called of the Bangladeshi prime minister at her residence in Dhaka. The D-8 group comprises of …

The United States State Department said that Washington’s support, for Pakistan’s efforts to stabilise its economy including reaching a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was “unwavering”. “When it comes to efforts to stabilise its economy, we support those efforts, including reaching an agreement with the IMF,” said the department’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller. “Our support for Pakistan’s economic success …

Turkey stopped all exports and imports to and from Israel as of Thursday, the Turkish trade ministry said, citing “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in the Palestinian territories. “Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” Turkey’s trade ministry said in a statement. “Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows …

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday visited the country’s south where floods and mudslides caused by torrential rains have killed 29 people, with the toll expected to rise. Authorities in Rio Grande do Sul have declared a state of emergency as rescuers continue to search for dozens of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges …