World News

Rubio to visit Israel as tensions with Iran escalate: US State Dept

The department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to "discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon

ArcelorMittal to close its second unit in Ukraine amid energy crisis

The CBAM is the EU's tool to put a fair price on carbon emitted during the production of carbon-intensive goods entering the bloc

Venezuela oil sale proceeds now routed to US Treasury: Chris Wright

The proceeds were initially deposited in an account in Qatar to protect it from seizure

Unable to confirm Iran has suspended all uranium enrichment: UN watchdog

The report stressed that therefore the agency "cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities," or the "size of Iran's uranium stockpile at the affected nuclear facilities

China advises its nationals in Israel to strengthen safety precautions

Earlier on Friday, China advised nationals to avoid travelling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible, as tensions build between Tehran and Washington

US tells embassy staff to 'leave Israel if they wish' as war fears mount

The departure authorisations signal a new level of contingency planning as a massive fleet of US aircraft and warships mass in the Middle East

China expresses concern, urges Pakistan-Afghanistan to reach ceasefire soon

Pakistan and Afghanistan are close neighbours, and both are neighbouring countries of China

Nepal to hold first election since Gen Z protests with three PM contenders

After public outrage led to the resignation of the government, millions of Nepalese voters are now gearing up to elect members of the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament

Kabul, Kandahar hit as Pakistan declares 'open war' against Afghanistan

Pakistani officials said they carried out retaliatory strikes under 'Operation Ghazab lil Haq' on Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar in the early hours of Friday

UK's Green Party wins parliamentary by-election, seizes Labour stronghold

The loss in one of Labour's safest seats, in the biggest electoral test in almost a year, puts further pressure on Starmer to prove that he should keep his job following weeks of political turmoil

Singapore's Thakral to manufacture drone components in India from May

The Group said it is well-positioned to capture growth in the agricultural drone segment through its subsidiary, Bharat Skytech, which manufactures and supplies drone components to domestic producers

Judge rejects request to block Trump WH from building $400 mn ballroom

The privately funded group sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress

As the AI juggernaut bites, Jack Dorsey's 'Block' to cut 4,000 roles

Block chairman Jack Dorsey said the layoffs were not driven by financial distress but by rapid advancements and adoption of AI tools reshaping how the company operates

US offers $10 mn reward for capture of Mexican Sinaloa cartel brothers

The US is offering $5 million each for information on Rene Arzate Garcia and Alfonso Arzate Garcia as their whereabouts are unknown

Hillary Clinton denies knowledge of Epstein's crimes in House deposition

Closed-door depositions in the Clintons' hometown of Chappaqua follow months of tense exchanges between the former Democratic power couple and the Republican-led House Oversight Committee

Jack Dorsey's Block to slash 4,000 jobs as it makes big bets on AI

The reduction in force, which was announced in a shareholder letter on Thursday, comes after rolling job eliminations that have often been tied to annual performance reviews

Netflix walks away from Warner Bros deal, clears path for Paramount

The move puts Paramount in a position to take over the fellow storied Hollywood giant

Cancer risk lower for vegetarian diets but not vegans, finds study

Though the study didn't probe the cause of a higher or lower risk of certain cancers, researchers hypothesized that diets higher in fruit, vegetables, fiber and without processed meat could lower risk

Afghanistan sets lighter penalty for wife-beating than animal fights

Animal and bird fighting, particularly cockfights and fights between partridges, is a popular pastime in Afghanistan but was banned after the Taliban seized power in 2021

US, Iran wrap up talks in Geneva as American forces mass in West Asia

The two sides held multiple rounds of talks last year that collapsed when Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June and the US carried out heavy strikes on its nuclear sites