Page 4 - International News

Supporters of UAE-backed separatists rally in south Yemen as tensions rise

Thousands of Yemenis gathered Saturday in the southern city of Aden in a show of support for a separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates, a day after the group dissolved itself, following heightened tensions and armed clashes with forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council assembled in their stronghold of Khor Maksar district, where Aden's international airport is located. Armed groups loyal to the STC were seen securing the protest area, according to an Associated Press journalist in Khor Maksar. The protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni international government. They waved flags of southern Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990. Some were seen holding posters showing the council's leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi who fled Aden to the UAE earlier this month, video footage aired by STC media showed. Yemen, located at the strategic southern entrance of the Red Sea, has be

Trump proposes 1-year, 10% cap on credit card rates, banks push back

Reviving a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump wants a one-year, 10 per cent cap on credit card interest rates, a move that could save Americans tens of billions of dollars but drew immediate opposition from an industry that has been in his corner. Trump was not clear in his social media post Friday night whether a cap might take effect through executive action or legislation, though one Republican senator said he had spoken with the president and would work on a bill with his full support. Trump said he hoped it would be in place January 20, one year after he took office. Strong opposition is certain from Wall Street and the credit card companies, which donated heavily to his 2024 campaign and to support his second-term agenda. We will no longer let the American Public be ripped off by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30 per cent, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Researchers who studied Trump's campaign pledge after it was first announce

Syrian forces enter Aleppo area after days of clashes with Kurdish fighters

Syrian security forces began deploying on Saturday in a neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo after days of intense clashes with Kurdish fighters that killed and wounded dozens. Syria's state news agency SANA reported that two Kurdish fighters blew themselves up in the middle of security forces without inflicting casualties, as gunfire was still heard in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud around noon Saturday. Since the early hours, Syrian security forces were sweeping the neighbourhood after calling on residents to stay home for their own safety. Hundreds of people who fled the neighbourhood days earlier were waiting at Sheikh Maqsoud's entrances to be allowed in once the military operations were over. Clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish northern neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge their forces i

India, EU ask officials to fast-track talks to seal free trade agreement

India and EU trade ministers have directed officials to resolve pending issues and expedite the negotiations to finalise the proposed free trade agreement, an official statement said on Saturday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic met in Brussels and took stock of progress of negotiations. The two-day visit of Goyal concluded on January 9. "Both leaders provided guidance to negotiating teams to resolve pending issues and expedite the agreement," the commerce ministry said. The meetings focused on reviewing the progress achieved across various negotiating tracks including Market Access for Goods, Rules of Origin, and Services. The ministerial engagement was preceded by high-level discussions between Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Director-General for Trade, European Commission Sabine Weyand, on January 6-7, 2026. The officials worked to "narrow divergences" and ensure clarity on outstanding issues,

North Korea accuses South of drone intrusions, vows strong retaliation

North Korea's military accused South Korea of flying drones across the border between the nations this week, warning Saturday that South Korea will face consequences for its unpardonable hysteria. South Korea quickly denied the accusation. But the development is likely to further dim prospects for efforts by South Korea's liberal government to restore ties with North Korea. North Korean forces used special electronic warfare assets on Sunday to bring down a South Korean drone flying over North Korea's border town. The drone was equipped with two cameras that filmed unspecified areas, the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by state media. South Korea infiltrated another drone into North Korean airspace on September 27 before it was forced to crash following electronic strikes by North Korea, the statement said, adding that authorities found the drone also contained video data on major objects in North Korea. We strongly denounce the hooliga

Nasa calls off spacewalk as one astronaut suffers a medical issue

NASA cancelled its first spacewalk of the year and may bring its crew back early from the International Space Station due to an onboard medical issue. The spacewalk was supposed to happen on Thursday, but was postponed because of an unspecified medical concern with an astronaut, who was not identified, the space agency said. NASA said the crew member is now stable, but it's actively evaluating all options including an early end to the mission. Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, said NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner in a statement. The US-Japanese-Russian crew of four have been at the orbiting lab since August after launching from Florida.

Russia urges US to follow maritime law after oil tanker's seizure

Expressing serious concern' over capture of its oil tanker by US coastguard, Russia on Thursday demanded compliance of international laws on freedom of maritime navigation and strongly rejected neo-colonist' tendencies of Washington. The Russian Foreign Ministry also demanded humane treatment of the crew members, including an Indian, of the Marinera tanker, previously known as Bella 1, that was seized on Wednesday by the US coastguard in the North Atlantic and said information about the vessel's status was conveyed to America repeatedly. We call on Washington to resume compliance with the fundamental norms and principles of international maritime navigation and immediately cease its illegal actions against the Marinera tanker and other vessels engaged in law-abiding activities on the high seas, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Moscow said it considers the US references to its national sanctions legislation to be unfounded. The statements by some US officials that the seizu

AAIB suggests background recording of traffic controllers at int'l airports

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recommended installing devices to record video and background communications of controllers on duty in air traffic control towers at all international airports. The interim safety recommendation has been made by the probe agency in its preliminary report on the serious incident of an Ariana Afghan Airlines' 34-year-old aircraft A310-304 landing at a Delhi airport runway, where another flight was taking off. The incident of the flight AFG311 from Kabul landing on the unassigned runway at the Delhi airport happened on November 23. The aircraft crew had informed the ATC that they had lost ILS (Instrument Landing System) at 4 nautical miles from touchdown, and due to poor visibility, they were unable to differentiate between runways RWY29L and RWY29R, as per the five-page AAIB report. "To analyse controllers' actions, post-incident/ accident, it is recommended that ATC units be equipped with devices to record video and background ..

Reliance Industries says it may buy Venezuelan oil, awaiting clarity

The statement comes amid evolving global discussions on energy trade involving Venezuela, as refiners assess supply options based on regulatory approvals and international sanctions frameworks

ASEAN-India trade pact under review to expand market access: Envoy

The ASEAN-India trade pact is currently undergoing a comprehensive review to transform it into a more trade-facilitating, balanced and responsive framework aligned with current economic realities, a senior diplomat said on Thursday. Speaking virtually from Jakarta at an Assocham event organised in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, India's Ambassador to ASEAN Srinivas Gotru said the Department of Commerce is leading the discussions to modernise the pact and "expressed hope" that the review would conclude at the earliest. He noted that if a conclusion happens this year, it could unlock significant value and improve market access for both economies from the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA). "The idea is to make this agreement more responsive to current economic realities," Gotru said, adding that the government is impressing upon ASEAN partners the need for a swift conclusion. Highlighting the depth of the relationship, Gotru said trade between India and

Why Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella launched a low-budget personal blog

Nadella opted for a minimalist, cookie-cutter blog template with zero bells and whistles. Nadella's name doesn't even appear on the site, though there are two links to his social media profiles

US will run Venezuela, rebuild it very profitable way, says Donald Trump

According to the NYT, Trump, during the interview, did not provide any indication of when elections would be held in Venezuela

India, Germany in talks for $8 billion submarine manufacturing deal

The agreement, negotiated ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to the South Asian nation next week, would for the first time include technology transfer for submarine production

French farmers drive tractors into Paris to protest EU free trade deal

Farmers drove about a hundred tractors into Paris on Thursday morning to protest the European Union's intention to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations, the French Interior Ministry said. French farmers for years have denounced the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, arguing that the deal would hurt French farmers' livelihoods. Thursday's protest was staged by the Rural Coordination union to put further pressure on France's government, which has opposed the deal. Jose Perez, President of the Rural Coordination in the Lot-et-Garonne region in southwestern France, said, The goal today is to come to Paris to express our demands closer to those who have the power. It's a strong symbol, he told The Associated Press. The Interior Ministry said about 20 tractors were in the Paris city centre, some at the Arc de Triomphe monument and others in the Eiffel Tower neighbourhood, despite a ban issued by ...

Trump discussing range of options to acquire Greenland: White House

Trump has in recent days adopted a more expansionist foreign policy posture, including a renewed focus on Greenland, following the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro

UK names new road safety rules 'Dev's Law' after Indian-origin victim

The UK on Wednesday unveiled a series of stricter road safety norms, including Dev's Law named after an eight-year-old Indian-origin boy killed in a 2018 accident on a busy highway. The Department for Transport (DfT) said its new road safety strategy will save thousands of lives on UK roads by tackling drink driving, improving training for young learner drivers and introducing mandatory eye tests for older motorists. It will also make Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) compulsory in new vehicles, something Dev's mother Meera Naran has been campaigning for since losing her son in the tragic road collision over seven years ago. I welcome this much-anticipated road safety strategy and am pleased to see a number of measures set out to reduce road deaths and serious injuries, said Naran, a senior lecturer at De Montfort University in Leicester. I am especially grateful to the Secretary of State [Heidi Alexander] for giving me her word that she would honour Dev and recognise the importan

BlueScope Steel rejects $9 billion takeover offer for fourth time

BlueScope shares closed 1.12 per cent higher on Wednesday at A$29.87, just below the A$30 per share offer made public on Monday

Dollar dips for second day as Venezuela concerns give way to optimism

The impact of the shock US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend was short-lived across most asset classes with stocks around the world trading at record highs

Pak, Afghan agree to establish joint committee to reopen border

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday agreed to establish a 13-member joint committee of business leaders to hold formal negotiations for the opening of the border for trade. The border has been shut since October last year after the two sides clashed over the issue of militancy emanating from Afghanistan. The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the joint committee comprises six members from Pakistan and seven from Afghanistan. The Pakistani delegation will be led by Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, Adviser to the President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), while the Afghan side will be headed by Mohammad Wali Amini. Speaking to the media, Kazmi said the primary objective of the talks is the immediate reopening of Pak-Afghan trade routes, the removal of obstacles in border management, and ensuring the continuity of bilateral trade. He added that a comprehensive and practical roadmap would be formulated to provide a lasting solution to the issues fa

Security scare at JD Vance's Ohio residence; windows damaged, suspect held

The United States Secret Service said the vice president's family was not in Ohio when the incident took place