International

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that normalising relations with Saudi Arabia would be a “giant leap” towards ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. “We want normalisation and peace with Saudi Arabia. We view that as perhaps a giant leap towards ending the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Netanyahu said, speaking during a meeting in Jerusalem with US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. …

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to move ahead with the sale of a modernisation package for Turkiye’s existing F-16 aircraft, after leaders of US congressional committees gave informal approval, sources familiar with the matter said. A larger agreement, Nato member Turkiye’s request to buy billions of dollars’ worth of F-16s, remains in limbo amid continuing opposition in …

NEW YORK: A US judge on Monday rejected former president Donald Trump’s request to delay a scheduled April 25 trial over whether he defamed former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll by denying he raped her. Last week, Trump’s lawyers urged US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in federal court in Manhattan to grant a four-week “cooling-off” period to at least May 23 …

DHAKA: Hundreds of Bangladeshis gathered on an open field in Dhaka on Monday to pray for rain after the metropolis of 20 million people recorded its hottest day in almost 60 years. Police said more than 500 worshippers congregated on the Aftabnagar playing ground, where popular TV cleric Shaikh Ahmadullah led the prayers. “They held the prayers for rains. They …

KHARTOUM: Fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Sudan has killed around 200 people and wounded 1,800, left hospitals damaged and medical supplies and food in short supply on Monday after three days of urban warfare. The European Union ambassador to Sudan was attacked in his home in Khartoum, the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said. “A few hours ago, …

About 300 people lined up at Apple’s store in Mumbai on Tuesday, as fans took selfies with Chief Executive Tim Cook who inaugurated the first retail store run by the company in India, underscoring the importance of its market. People gathered from across the nation, hoping to be among the first to enter the store in an opening event featuring …

China’s foreign minister told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts his country is ready to help facilitate peace talks, state media Xinhua reported Tuesday. The separate phone calls between Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the Israeli and Palestinian top diplomats come amid recent moves by Beijing to position itself as a regional mediator. Qin encouraged “steps to resume peace talks,” and …

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are in the process of restoring diplomatic ties and reopening embassies, two officials said, more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha that had shattered the Western-allied Gulf Arab bloc. “At present, the activation of diplomatic ties, which will include the reopening of embassies, is under process between both …

WARSAW: Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, a European Commis­sion spokesperson said on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector. After Russia’s invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the …

TAIPEI: China said on Sunday it had launched a satellite into orbit, with authorities in Taiwan saying rocket debris had fallen into the sea where Beijing announced a no-sail zone this week. Maritime authorities in China’s eastern Fujian province this week banned ships from an area north of Taiwan from 9am to 3pm on Sunday due to “possible falling rocket …