International

NAIROBI: UN delegates on Thursday withdrew a motion calling for more research into technologies that aim to fight climate change by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space, amid concerns about health and environmental risks. Some who opposed the draft resolution at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) were also worried that the use of solar radiation modification (SRM) might let …

At least eight people were injured when a suspected homemade bomb exploded during lunch hour at a cafe in India’s technology hub of Bengaluru on Friday, authorities said. The blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in the east of the city occurred just after 1pm when crowds from nearby offices were lined up for a quick meal. “It seems someone kept a …

Global condemnation flowed on Friday after Israeli forces in war-ravaged Gaza opened fire as Palestinian civilians scrambled for food aid during a chaotic incident which the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said killed more than 100 people. The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of desperate Gazans surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, …

A massive fire in Bangladesh that raged through a six-storey building home to restaurants where many families with children were dining has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, the health minister said on Friday. Fire authorities said a gas leak or a stove could have caused Thursday’s blaze in the capital, which spread quickly after breaking out in …

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to refrain from recognising a new government in Pakistan until allegations of election rigging are thoroughly investigated. The lawmakers, all Democrats like President Biden, in their joint letter, expressed concerns about pre- and post-poll rigging in Pakistan’s recent parliamentary elections. They have called for a transparent …

GAZA: Desperate for food amid the looming famine, hundreds of Palestinians flocked to an aid distribution point early on Thursday morning, only to be met with live fire by Israeli troops. At least 104 people are said to have been killed in what has been described as a massacre, while the health ministry said around 760 people were wounded in …

MOSCOW: Pro-Russian rebel officials in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria appealed to Russia for “protection” on Wednesday, amid fears the territory could become a new flashpoint in Moscow’s conflict with neighbouring Ukraine. Russia responded that one of its “priorities” was to protect the thin sliver of land, which has been de facto controlled by pro-Russian forces since the collapse of …

CAIRO: Hamas urged Palestinians on Wednesday to march to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque at the start of Ramazan, raising the stakes in negotiations for a truce in Gaza. The call by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh followed comments by Biden, broadcast on Tuesday, that there was an agreement in principle for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during Ramazan, while prisoners held …

KAMANYOLA: The United Nations on Wednesday kicked off the withdrawal of MONUSCO peacekeeping forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo by handing over a first UN base to national police, an AFP team saw. During an official ceremony at the Kamanyola base, close to the Rwandan and Burundian borders, the flags of the UN and Pakistan, the country of origin of the peacekeepers in …

ROME: Italy’s defence ministry has suspended a general and cut his pay for breaching army neutrality with a book that critics said insulted sexual and ethnic minorities, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Roberto Vannacci, 55, had already been ousted last year from the management of the Military Geographical Institute, and moved to an essentially administrative role as chief of staff …