Myanmar junta sets Dec 28 poll date

YANGON: Myanmar’s junta said Monday that long-promised elections will start on December 28, despite a raging civil war that has put much of the country out of its control, and international monitors slating the poll as a charade.Myanmar has been consumed by conflict since the military deposed the government of democratic leader Aung San Suu … Read more

Trump pledges security for Ukraine

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace deal, as he hosted Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in an extraordinary show of unity at the White House. Trump expressed optimism over the chances of ending Russia’s invasion and said he was ready … Read more

Germany urges Pakistan to allow back over 200 expelled Afghans

BERLIN: Berlin said Monday that more than 200 Afghans waiting to be offered sanctuary in Germany had been deported by Pakistan to their Taliban-run home country in recent days.The German government was urging Islamabad to allow them back, said foreign ministry spokesman Josef Hinterseher, as an aid group voiced alarm for their fate and those … Read more

Rain fury claims 25 lives in Swabi

SWABI: Flash floods triggered by a powerful cloudburst and lightning struck the remote mountainous region of Gadoon-Amazai in Swabi district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) early Monday, leaving at least 25 people dead and 35 others injured. Entire villages were submerged as torrential waters swept away homes, livestock, and infrastructure, adding to the mounting toll of this year’s … Read more