Beijing: China on Thursday hiked its defence budget to USD 275 billion, about USD 25 billion more than last year as it ramped the modernisation of its armed forces to catch up with the US military. Roughly 1.9 trillion yuan (about USD 275 billion) will be allocated to national defence, Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced…
United Nations: India has called on the international community to act together against ISIS and Al Qaeda and their proxies, underlining that terrorism is an “existential threat” to international peace and security. “Terrorism is an existential threat to international peace and security. It knows no borders, nationality, or race, and is a challenge that the…
Kathandu: Nepalese on Thursday morning started to reach polling booths to cast their vote in crucial general elections, the first since a violent Gen Z-led protest that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year. More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese will be exercising their franchise to elect the 275-member House of Representatives from…
Washington: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged on Wednesday that some Iranian air attacks may still hit their targets even as he asserted that US military superiority is quickly giving it control of the Islamic Republic’s airspace. The US has spared “no expense or capability” to enhance air defense systems to protect American forces and…
Washington: United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters. He said it was the first sinking of an enemy vessel by torpedo since World War II. “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth told reporters….
Tehran: Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as the next Supreme Leader under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards, informed sources told Iran International. Israeli officials were expecting Mojtaba to step into his father’s shoes, according to Israeli outlet Ynetnews. This is also only the second instance in the Islamic Republic’s 47-year history…
New Delhi: Russia is ready to fully meet India’s energy requirements in the event of prolonged disruptions to oil and gas supplies triggered by the escalating tensions in West Asia, an official from the Embassy of the Russian Federation said on Monday. The assurance from Moscow gains added urgency as QatarEnergy suspended liquefied natural gas (LNG)…
Jerusalem: Israel on Tuesday ordered the military to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, as the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces after Hezbollah attacked Israeli bases in support of its backer, Iran. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorised the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to…
Riyadh: The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones, resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom’s defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment. The drone attack came amid ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf states that host U.S. bases, following…
London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday defended his decision not to join the US-Israel strikes on Iran over the weekend, saying his Labour Party government did not believe in “regime change from the skies”. Starmer was updating Parliament on his earlier announcement that the UK had granted permission for the Americans to use…
