NEW YORK: Video cameras stationed outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial caught the gruesome scene Friday of a man who lit himself on fire and the aftermath as authorities tried to rescue him. CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC were all on the air with reporters talking about the seating of a jury when the incident happened and other news agencies, including The Associated Press, were livestreaming from outside the courthouse. The man, who distributed pamph

NEW DELHI: The Indian Embassy in the UAE has issued a travel advisory for Dubai due to unprecedented weather conditions. While the UAE authorities are working around the clock to ensure normalisation of operations the situation is unprecedented. The authorities have advised that passengers may travel to the airport only after final confirmation from their respective airlines regarding the departure date of the respective flights, said the advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In li

LONDON: Oil prices briefly surged and stock markets slid Friday on reports Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes against Iran, boosting investments deemed safer such as gold. Iran's state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan on Friday, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes against its arch-rival. Asian markets bore the brunt of the breaking news of a retaliatory attack on Iran by Israel, also sending Dow futures sharply lower

The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden. He had promised to dismantle rules created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who added new protections for students accused of sexual misconduct. Notably abse

DUBAI: Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones early Friday morning, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. It was unclear if the country came under attack, as no Iranian official directly acknowledged the possibility and Israel's military did not respond to a request for comment. However, tensions have been high since the Saturday

UNITED NATIONS: The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the United States opposed and two abstentions, from the United Kingdom and Switzerland. U.S. allies France, Japan and South Korea supported the resolution. The strong support the Palestinians received re

CAPRI: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Friday for an absolute de-escalation following reports that Israel carried out a strike on Iran, saying G7 counterparts would discuss it at talks in Capri. We invite everyone to be cautious to avoid an escalation, he told RAI news from the Italian island, where Rome is hosting a meeting between foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations. The G7, which includes the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Canada, wants an absolute de-escalation

RAMAT GAN, Israel: When Ben Binyamin was left for dead, his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival, the Israeli professional soccer player thought he would never again play the game he loved. When I woke up, the 29-year-old said, I felt I was going to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. Then Binyamin learned about a chance to be normal again: Israel's national amputee soccer team. The team, which includes two Israeli soldiers who lost limbs fightin

SYDNEY: Shoppers and workers returned to a really quiet Sydney mall Friday, where six days earlier an assailantstabbed six people to deathand wounded more than a dozen others in an attack that police believe targeted women. Westfield Bondi Junction mall near world-famous Bondi Beach had opened Thursday, although shops inside were closed, for a community reflection day. New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns described it as the first step in healing in what has been a traumatic week for Austra

BAMAKO: Street vendors in Mali's capital of Bamako peddle water sachets, ubiquitous for this part of West Africa during the hottest months. This year, an unprecedented heat wave has led to a surge in deaths, experts say, warning of more scorching weather ahead as effects of climate change roil the continent. The heat wave began in late March, as many in this Muslim majority country observed the holy Islamic month of Ramadan with dawn-to-dusk fasting. On Thursday, temperatures in Bamako reached 4

KYIV, UKRAINE: Russian strikes overnight killed three people and injured 20 in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian officials said Friday. A five-story building is on fire in Dnipro. It is partially destroyed. There may be people under the rubble. So far, six people have been injured, Sergiy Lysak, the governor of the region, said on Telegram. He said the upper two floors of the building, located in the centre of Dnipro, were destroyed, adding that there was also damage in another attac

TEHRAN: Explosions rocked Iran's central Isfahan province on Friday, according to state media, while US officials told American news outlets that Israel carried out a retaliatory strike on the Islamic republic. The attack comes less than a week after Tehran launched a barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles in its first-ever direct assault on Israel's soil. That unprecedented onslaught was itself a reprisal for an earlier strike in Syria widely blamed on Israel. The escalating tit-for-tat b

TAGULANDANG: Indonesian authorities were on alert Friday for more eruptions from a remote island volcano that forced thousands to evacuate this week, as nearby residents began clearing debris after molten rocks rained down on their villages. Mount Ruang erupted nearly half a dozen times in 24 hours beginning late Tuesday, stirring a spectacular mix of fiery orange lava, a towering ash column and volcanic lightning. While officials said Ruang had started to calm Friday, authorities maintained the

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Long-haul carrier Emirates said Friday it would again halt local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights as the wider United Arab Emirates tries to recover from record-setting rains this week. Emirates said the order would go through the entire day into early Saturday. This is to support operations recovery from the recent bad weather at our Dubai hub, the airline said on the social platform X. Low-cost carrier FlyDubai also saw some disruptions. Dubai Inter

BANGKOK: Regional bloc ASEAN said it is deeply concerned about a recent upsurge in fighting in Myanmar, after fierce clashes over a key trading hub on the Thai border. The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged all parties for an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, which has been roiled by conflict since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup. The ministers' statement issued late Thursday said 10-member ASEAN was deeply concerned over the recent

CALIFORNIA: Following the reports of Israeli strikes on Isfehan city in Central Iran, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in a veiled comment on Friday has said that rockets should be sent to stars rather than at each other.Israel launched missile strikes against Tehran during early hours on Friday morning (local time), ABC News reported citing a senior US official. However, the official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well. The report came shortly after local sources reported blasts

RIO DE JANEIRO: A US congressional committee released confidential Brazilian court orders to suspend accounts on the social media platform X, offering a glimpse into decisions that have spurred complaints of alleged censorship from the company and its billionaire owner Elon Musk. The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee late Wednesday published a staff report disclosing dozens of decisions by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordering X to suspend or remove around 15

Israel has launched a strike against Iran in retaliation for its weekend attack, US media reported Thursday night. ABC and CBS News reported the strikes early Friday Mideast time, quoting US officials. There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon. Iran activated its air defense system over several cities, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan. Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fir

WASHINGTON: The U.S. and U.K. on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehrans unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted 16 people and two entities in Iran that produce engines that power the drones used in the April 13 attack on Israel. OFAC also sanctioned five firms involved in steel production and three subsidiaries of Iranian automaker Bahman Group which is accused of mater

PARIS: Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem captured this years prestigious World Press Photo of the Year award Thursday with a depiction of loss and sorrow in Gaza, a heartrending photo of a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her young niece. The photograph, taken in Khan Younis just days after Salems own child was born, shows 36-year-old Inas Abu Maamar holding five-year-old Saly, who was killed along with her mother and sister when an Israeli missile struck their home. Salem, who is Palest

Qatars prime minister has said Doha is re-evaluating its role as a mediator in negotiations aimed at bringing about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives, adding that some parties have used the mediation for narrow political interest. Speaking at a joint news conference with Turkeys foreign minister in Qatars capital on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said that while his government remains committed to mediation between Israel and the Palestinian

ANDEREN, Netherlands: Inside the barn on the flat fields of the northern Netherlands, Jos Ubels cradles a newborn Blonde dAquitaine calf, the latest addition to his herd of over 300 dairy cattle. Little could be more idyllic. Little, says Ubels, could be more under threat. As Europe seeks to address the threat of climate change, its imposing more rules on farmers like Ubels. He spends a day a week on bureaucracy, answering the demands of European Union and national officials who seek to decide w

MANADO, INDONESIA: Indonesian rescuers raced to evacuate thousands of people Thursday after a volcano erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning about falling debris that could cause a tsunami. The crater of Mount Ruang flamed with lava against a backdrop of lightning bolts overnight after erupting four times on Wednesday, forcing authorities to raise its alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system. The volcano on a remote island in Indonesia's o

JAKARTA: The Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers called for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza after a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, condemning the humanitarian costs of theongoing warthat has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Indonesias Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi told reporters that the two countries share the same view about the importance of a cease-fire and of resolving the Palestinian problem through a two-state solution. I am sure that China would use

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East over dinner Wednesday in New York, the former US president's reelection campaign said. Real estate magnate Trump, on a one-day break from court appearances in his hush money criminal trial, hosted Duda at his Trump Tower property in Manhattan. He's done a fantastic job and he's my friend, and we had four great years together when the two were president at the same time, Trump

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa faces an unusual national election this year, its seventh vote since transitioning from white minority rule to a democracy 30 years ago. Polls and analysts warn that for the first time, the ruling African National Congress party that has comfortably held power since Nelson Mandela became the country's first Black president in 1994 might receive less than 50% of votes. One big reason is Jacob Zuma, the former president and ANC leader who stepped down in disgrace in 2018

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would decide whether and how to respond to Iran's major air assault earlier this week, brushing off calls for restraint from close allies. Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's unprecedented attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Israel's allies have been urging Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral. The diplomatic pressure came as Iran's president warned th

WASHINGTON: A 52-year-old Indian national has pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to defraud a US bank in connection with a USD 17 million secured line of credit, US Attorney Philip R Sellinger has announced. Nitin Vats, a former employee of a now-defunct New Jersey-based marble and granite wholesaler, pleaded guilty before US District Judge Susan D Wigenton to one count of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, the Department o

Top diplomats from the UK and Germany visited Jerusalem on Wednesday in an effort to calm tensions in the Middle East, following Israel's indication that it would not let Iran's extensive aerial attack over the weekend go unanswered. David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary, and Annalena Baerbock, Germanys Foreign Minister, held discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following the meeting, Netanyahu stated that Israel would do everything necessary to defend itself. Israel's alli

KABUL: Around 70 people have been killed by heavy rains lashing Afghanistan over the past five days, the government's disaster management department said Wednesday. Afghanistan was parched by an unusually dry winter which desiccated the earth, exacerbating flash-flooding caused by spring downpours in most provinces. Disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeq said approximately 70 people lost their lives as a result of rains between Saturday and Wednesday. Fifty-six others have been injured, he sa

Various news outlets have reported that a Hyderabadi-based weapons manufacturing company, owned by the Adani Group, has dispatched over 20 Indian-made military UAVs to the Israeli military. Amid the ongoing war, they have sent Hermes 900 drones (also known as Drishti 10) that can be used for both surveillance and airstrikes. Earlier this year, the Hindustan Times reported that the drones sent by the Adani Group are already in active deployment in Gaza. And in February, The Wire reported that Her

VITRY-SUR-SEINE: French authorities on Wednesday evicted hundreds of migrants from a squat in a southern suburb of Paris with just 100 days to go until the Olympics, encouraging them to board buses to other parts of France. Charities have accused the authorities of seeking to clear homeless people from the French capital to make it look better for the Games from July 26 to August 11. The abandoned office building in Vitry-sur-Seine had been home to up to 450 migrants, most of them documented but

Vehicles sit abandoned in floodwater covering a major road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Passengers queue at a flight connection desk at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai on April 17, 2024. Vehicles drive through heavy rain on the Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. A taxi drives through a flooded street following heavy rains in Dubai early on April 17, 2024. An SUV passes through standing water in Dubai, United A

NEW YORK: Four people were shot one fatally on a street corner in the Bronx by shooters who were riding on scooters, police said. About 10 shots were fired after two scooters pulled up to the intersection after 6 p.m. Tuesday and passengers on the back of each pulled out guns, Assistant Police Chief Benjamin Gurley said. Three victims standing on the street corner, ranging in age from 23 to 37, suffered gunshot wounds to their legs. The fourth, a 29-year-old man, was hit in the legs and chest

KARACHI: A Pakistan High Court on Wednesday said the government must restore social media platform X within one week, a lawyer said, after more than two months of disruption ordered by the interior ministry. The Sindh High Court has given the government one week to withdraw the letter, failing which, on the next date, they will pass appropriate orders, Moiz Jaaferi, a lawyer challenging the ban, told AFP .

DOHA: Negotiations between Israel and Hamas to secure a truce in Gaza and a hostage exchange have stalled, Qatar's prime minister said on Wednesday. We are going through a sensitive stage with some stalling, and we are trying as much as possible to address this stalling, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a news conference with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Qatar, with the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks to secure a truce in Gaza

LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint and let 'calm heads' prevail in the wake of Iran's missile attacks as his Foreign Secretary David Cameron landed in Tel Aviv for talks on Wednesday. In a phone call, Sunak reiterated the UK's 'steadfast support' for regional stability and told the Israeli leader that Iran had miscalculated its move, being isolated on the global stage as a result. Netanyahu is said to have tha

KYIV: A Russian strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernigiv left eight dead and more than a dozen wounded on Wednesday, as Kyiv appeals to allies for better air defence systems. The Chernigiv region, which borders Belarus to the north, was partially occupied at the beginning of Russia's invasion but has been spared fierce fighting for around two years since Moscow's army withdrew. Mayor Oleksandr Lomako told state media that the strike had ripped into a very populated area of the city. Th

JERUSALEM: Israel isvowing to retaliate against Iran,risking further expanding theshadow war between the two foesinto a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel. Israeli officials have not said how or when they might strike. But as countries around the worldurge Israel to show restraintand the threat of a multi-front war mounts, its clear that a direct Israeli attack on Iranian soil would lead to major fallout. Iran says it carri

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: A volcano erupted several times in Indonesia's outermost region overnight Wednesday, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated after it spewed lava and a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky. Mount Ruang, a stratovolcano in North Sulawesi Province, first erupted at 9:45 pm on Tuesday (1345 GMT) and twice again in the early hours of Wednesday, the country's volcanology and geological agencies said. There were no reports of any deaths or injuries but more than 800 peo

KOCHI: A total of four flights from Kochi to Dubai have been cancelled due to the ongoing adverse heavy rains in the UAE that caused waterlogging on the runways. The cancelled services include flights operated by Flydubai, Emirates, and IndiGo. The flights cancelled are Flydubai FZ454, Emirates EK533 and IndiGos 6E 1475. On Tuesday night, an Air India flight departing to Dubai from Kochi was also cancelled due to the prevailing bad weather conditions in the Gulf city. A decision regarding resche

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday said it failed to reach an agreement with its bondholders for restructuring around USD 12 billion debt, in the latest setback for the cash-strapped island nation which is aiming to meet targets for the next tranche of the IMF bailout. Sri Lanka aims to complete debt restructuring agreements with private creditors and sovereign bond-holders by June, in time for the next review of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme. The Finance Min

JERUSALEM: Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah claimed an attack on Israel using two explosive drones on Tuesday which Israeli local authorities said wounded three people. The Israeli military said wo armed drones entered from Lebanon and exploded near a town in northern Israel, Beit Hillel, adding that he incident is under review. Hezbollah fighters launched an air attack with suicide drones in two phases... striking the Iron Dome (air defence system) platforms and their crew, the

JERUSALEM: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday it had found unexploded 1,000-pound bombs inside schools after Israel pulled troops out of southern Gaza's main city Khan Yunis. The Israeli army has carried out relentless air strikes and bombardments in Gaza since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7. UN agencies led an assessment mission in Khan Yunis after Israeli forces withdrew from the embattled city last week, UNRWA said. It found significant challenges in operating s

GENEVA: Israel is preventing UN investigators from speaking to witnesses and victims of the October 7 Hamas attack, former UN rights chief Navi Pillay, who is chairing a three-person probe, said Tuesday. The UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 established the unprecedented open-ended Commission of Inquiry to investigate all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Israel and the Palestinian territories. I deplore the fact that people inside Israel who wish to spea

Middle East crisis: Civil aviation ministry asks airlines to carry out risk assessment on flight ops

GENEVA: The UN voiced grave concern Tuesday over escalating violence in the West Bank, demanding that Israeli security forces immediately stop supporting settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory. With the Gaza war raging, the United Nations rights office decried that Palestinians in the West Bank had been subjected to waves of attacks by hundreds of Israeli settlers, often accompanied or supported by Israeli security forces (ISF). The Israeli security forces must immediately end

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's prime minister called for closer cooperation between Saudi Arabia and his cash-strapped Islamic nation to enhance Saudi investment in his country, a government statement said Tuesday. Shehbaz Sharif made his remarks during a meeting with Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan whoarrived Monday in the capital, Islamabad, to discuss a range of issues, including how tohelp Pakistan overcome its economic crisis. The previous week, Sharif met with Crown Prince M

HONG KONG: Chinas economy expanded at a faster than expected pace in the first three months of the year, helped by policies aimed at stimulating growth and stronger demand, the government said Tuesday. The worldssecond-largest economyexpanded at a 5.3% annual pace in January-March, beating analysts forecasts of about 4.8%, official data show. Compared to the previous quarter, the economy grew 1.6%. Chinas economy has struggled to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a slowdown in demand

WASHINGTON: The body of a fourth construction worker who died in the Baltimore bridge collapse when it was struck by a container ship last month has been recovered, officials said Monday. The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major transit route into the busy city and port of Baltimore, collapsed on March 26 when the Dali container ship lost power and collided into a support column, killing six roadway construction workers. The Key Bridge response team's Unified Command said it had recovered the body