Latest
-
World
Millions vote as India begins series of state elections
NEW DELHI, April 9 (Reuters) - Millions of Indians queued to vote in local elections in two states on Thursday, kicking off four key contests this month amid a war in the Middle East that has triggered some fuel shortages, even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept domestic prices in check.
-
World
Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens after 40-day closure amid US-Israeli military actions
ISTANBUL: Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem was reopened to Muslim worshippers on Thursday (April 9) after a 40-day closure imposed by Israel amid joint US-Israeli military actions against Iran. According to Anadolu Ajansi (AA), the mosque, located in the Old City, was reopened at dawn, allowing hundreds of Palestinian Muslims to enter the Al-Haram al-Sharif compound. As the gates opened with the morning call to prayer, large numbers of worshippers flocked to the site, many breaking down in tears and performing prostrations of gratitude in the mosque's courtyards. Hundreds of Muslims lined up for the dawn prayer, marking the first congregational worship at the site since its closure. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the compound on April 6 while it remained closed. Israel had fully closed access to Al-Aqsa Mosque on Feb 28, coinciding with its attacks on Iran, allowing only mosque staff and officials from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf to pray on site, while other Palestinians were forced to worship in smaller mosques across the city. Authorities also barred Eid al-Fitr prayers from being held at Al-Aqsa this year, marking the first such restriction since Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. During the same period, Israeli authorities also closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity's holiest sites in Jerusalem. The Israeli government had extended a state of emergency until mid-April but did not clarify whether the mosque would remain closed for the entire duration. – Bernama
-
World
Trump says US military to stay around Iran until Tehran complies with deal
April 8 (Reuters) - U.S President Donald Trump said all U.S. ships, aircraft, and military personnel would stay in place in and around Iran until it fully complied with a deal.
-
World
US court dismisses appeal from former Honduran president Hernandez
April 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and ordered a prior judgment to be vacated, a court document showed, following his pardon by U.S. President Donald Trump in December.
-
World
US Senate to vote on resolution to curb Trump's Iran war powers
WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will try again next week to pass a resolution to halt the Iran war and force President Donald Trump to obtain Congress' approval for any further attacks, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday, hours after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire.
-
World
Haiti postpones voter registration for first election in a decade, no new dates given
PORT-AU-PRINCE, April 8 (Reuters) - Haiti's CEP electoral council said on Wednesday it was postponing a voter registration that should have begun on April 1, adding it would shortly announce new dates to register for the nation's first presidential election in a decade.
-
World
U.S. judge sentences "Ketamine Queen" to 15 years for selling Matthew Perry fatal ketamine dose
LOS ANGELES, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a woman to 15 years in prison after she admitted selling Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him in 2023, the stiffest punishment so far among five defendants in the high-profile overdose case of the popular star of the global hit TV series "Friends."
-
World
North Korea tests military assets including ballistic missile, KCNA reports
SEOUL, April 9 (Reuters) - North Korea conducted tests of various military technologies between Monday and Wednesday including the cluster-bomb warhead of a tactical ballistic missile and an electromagnetic weapon system, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.
-
World
UK business activity slows in March amid rising costs, mideast tenstions
LONDON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Britain's business activity growth slowed sharply in March, edging close to stagnation as rising costs and delayed investment linked to the Middle East conflict weighed on the economy, according to the latest surveys from S&P Global.
-
World
Russian drones damage substation in Odesa region, Ukrainian officials say
April 8 (Reuters) - Russian drones damaged a power substation in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, while Moscow's forces repeatedly attacked areas in regions farther east, killing one and injuring at least eight people.
-
World
Russia's budget deficit widens in Q1 2026
MOSCOW, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia's federal budget deficit for January-March 2026 reached 4.58 trillion rubles (58.3 billion U.S. dollars), or 1.9 percent of GDP, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday.
-
World
Libya announces new oil, gas discovery
TRIPOLI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Wednesday announced a new oil and gas discovery in the Ghadames Basin, southwest of the country.
-
World
Over 1,530 people killed in Lebanon since recent escalation: UN official
UNITED NATIONS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 1,530 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the recent escalation on March 2, a UN official said Wednesday.
-
-
World
Paraguay president taps Oscar Lovera as economy minister
ASUNCION, April 8 (Reuters) - Paraguay's President Santiago Pena on Wednesday appointed Oscar Lovera as the South American nation's new economy and finance minister, the government said in a statement.
-
World
Mexico Senate confirms North America diplomat Velasco as foreign minister
MEXICO CITY, April 8 (Reuters) - Mexico's Senate confirmed Roberto Velasco, the current undersecretary for North America, to be the new foreign ministry, assuming the role at a pivotal moment for regional trade.
-
-
World
U.S. dollar ticks down
NEW YORK, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Wednesday.
-
World
Azerbaijani, Iranian FMs hold talks on U.S.-Iran ceasefire
BAKU, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on Wednesday welcomed the recently announced ceasefire between the United States and Iran during a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, as the two sides assessed regional security and the ceasefire's implications.
-
World
Handover ceremony held between Chinese medical teams in Tanzania
DAR ES SALAAM, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The handover ceremony between the 27th and 28th batches of Chinese medical teams in Tanzania was held on Wednesday in the port city of Dar es Salaam.
