Australia

New York Times report says Israel knew about Hamas attack over a year in advance

02 Dec 2023 09:45 AM IST

Israel’s military was aware of Hamas’ plan to launch an attack on Israeli soil over a year before the devastating Oct 7 operation that killed hundreds of people, The New York Times reported Friday. It was the latest in a series of signs that top Israeli commanders either ignored or

Congress panel backs bill to bolster US push for Dalai Lama talks with China

02 Dec 2023 09:44 AM IST

A powerful Congressional committee has passed a bill to strengthen US efforts in pushing China to negotiate with the Dalai Lama’s envoys to resolve the longstanding Tibet-China dispute and counter the Communist Party’s propaganda about the history of Tibet. The bill, which among other things also dismisses as inaccurate the

Philippines launches coast guard base in South China Sea for surveillance

02 Dec 2023 09:44 AM IST

The Philippine coast guard inaugurated a new monitoring base Friday on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea as Manila ramps up efforts to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the strategic waterway. Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships have intensified this year in

Rs 50 million corruption case filed against Imran Khan and his wife by Pak anti-graft body

02 Dec 2023 09:40 AM IST

A Pakistani accountability court on Friday filed a corruption case against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife and other suspects in a Rs 50 million corruption case. The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Deputy Prosecutor General Muzafar Abbasi and investigative officer Umar Nadeem filed the case in an accountability

Israel on alert on continual threats from Hezbollah

02 Dec 2023 09:40 AM IST

As Israel prepares for the strong possibility of a resumption of war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Defense Forces is also currently in a heightened state of alert and preparedness along the border with Lebanon, responding to the continuous threats posed by Hezbollah. Since 7 October, the

Opposition hopes rise as Myanmar military loses ground against co-ordinated attacks

02 Dec 2023 09:38 AM IST

A major offensive against Myanmar’s military-run government by an alliance of three militias of ethnic minorities in the northeast has been moving at lightning speed, inspiring resistance forces around the country to launch new attacks. With Myanmar’s military falling back on almost every front, hope is rising among opponents that

UN atomic chief backs nuclear power at COP28 amid global concerns

02 Dec 2023 09:37 AM IST

The global demand for nuclear energy is on the rise as a strategy to combat climate change and meet the increasing need for electricity, reflecting a shift in mindset across generations, according to the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy

House passes resolution blocking Iran’s access to billion in prisoner swap

House passes resolution blocking Iran’s access to $6 billion in prisoner swap

02 Dec 2023 09:36 AM IST

The House passed a bipartisan measure Thursday that would block Iran from ever accessing the $6 billion recently transferred by the US in a prisoner swap, a step Republicans pushed in response to the nation’s alleged role in the deadly attacks last month by Hamas on Israel. The measure—titled the

Gallant to Blinken: Israel commits to prolonged fight against Hamas

02 Dec 2023 09:36 AM IST

Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and former Minister of defence and now minister without portfolio in the special War Cabinet Benny Gantz both met Thursday evening with the visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Gantz said he “conveyed first and foremost to the Secretary my profound appreciation for

IDF accuses Hamas violating agreement; resumes combat

02 Dec 2023 09:35 AM IST

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have accused Hamas of violating the operational pause by not providing the list of hostages to be released today by 7 am (local time) and also firing toward Israeli territory. It further said that Hamas has fired towards the Israeli territory, and in response, IDF has

Navy Chief on ex-Navy personnel on death row in Qatar: Govt making efforts to reinstate them

01 Dec 2023 16:14 PM IST

The government is working nonstop to repatriate eight former naval personnel from Qatar who were given the death penalty by a Qatari court, according to Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday. “We are working closely to ensure that their interests are looked after,” Admiral Kumar said at a

Somali maritime police ESCALATES patrols amid rising piracy concerns in Gulf

01 Dec 2023 10:13 AM IST

Somalia’s maritime police force on Thursday intensified patrols in the Red Sea following a failed pirate hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden earlier this week. The commander of the maritime force in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed, told The Associated Press that patrols in