GAZA: Israel's government and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a four-day pause in fighting to allow the release of 50 captives held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. Officials from Qatar, which
ISLAMABAD: Climate change poses a serious threat to pregnant women, babies and children which calls for urgent attention, said a UN report ahead of the global Conference of the Parties (COP28) negotiations on climate change in Dubai. The report, named Call for Action, said climate change
WASHINGTON: Shortly after Hamas took hostages during their deadly assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, the government of Qatar contacted the White House with a request: Form a small team of advisers to help work to get the captives freed. That work, begun in the
BRUSSELS: The European Union faces growing animosity across the Muslim world and beyond due to accusations of pro-Israel bias and double standards over the war in Gaza, the bloc’s foreign policy chief has warned. Josep Borrell said he feared such acrimony could undermine diplomatic support for
NEW DELHI: India's money laundering investigators has said that they seized properties worth 7.52 billion Indian rupees ($90.34 million) in a probe linked to a nine-year-old complaint against opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia. The complaint, lodged by a member of parliament
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried events in bombed-out Gaza since Oct. 7, calling them a “killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented” since he took office. “What is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed,
UNITED NATIONS United States: The presence of United Nations peacekeepers, whose shortcomings can frustrate local populations, is not a "magic wand" for conflict zones, said their leader Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who supports an expanded tool kit to protect civilians in increasingly complex territory. From Lebanon to the
LONDON: A recent inquiry into Britain's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a concerning quote from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, according to the Times of India. According to Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser to the government, then-finance minister Sunak during a meeting with
LUCKNOW: The ruling Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues forwarding its agenda while targeting the minorities, especially the Muslims, as the authorities in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh have banned the production, storage, distribution and sale of Halal-certified products, including dairy, garments
PARIS: Holding olive branches and white banners, French performers from different religious and ethnic backgrounds led thousands of people on a silent march through central Paris to call for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and unity in France. The crowd, which included actors Isabelle Adjani and