Trump says great progress made towards deal with Iran. Rubio says operations in Strait of Hormuz are defensive. Iran denies attacking United Arab Emirates in recent days. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would briefly pause an operation, labelled as “Project Freedom”, to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after a […]
Dwayne Johnson shocks everyone with bold Met Gala outfit
Dwayne Johnson has stunned fans and fashion critics alike by arriving at the 2026 Met Gala in a bold, custom-made pleated skirt. Walking the red carpet hand-in-hand with his wife, Lauren Hashian, the star known as “The Rock” swapped his usual trousers for a black mohair tailcoat and matching skirt designed by Thom Browne. The […]
Crude oil jumps 6% as Iran strikes ships, ignites Emirati port, squeezes Hormuz flows
Escalation follows US pledge to force the shipping route open. Central banks turn more hawkish as energy fogs rate-cut outlook. Sustained oil over $100 spurs fresh inflation fears across economies. Oil prices jumped 6% on Monday while global stocks declined after Iran escalated its military campaign, striking several ships in the Strait of Hormuz and […]
Blast at fireworks factory in China’s Hunan kills 21, Xi calls for probe
Hunan fireworks factory blast kills 21, injures 61. Xi orders thorough probe into deadly factory explosion. Nearly 500 rescuers deployed after Hunan explosion. HONG KONG: A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and injured 61, prompting President Xi Jinping to call for a thorough investigation, state media reported […]
Iran says it forced US warship back from Strait of Hormuz
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 1, 2026. Reuters Iran says it stopped ‘American-Zionist’ ships entering Hormuz. US military denies Iranian Fars report of missile strikes. Trump says US starting operation to aid stranded ships. DUBAI/DORAL: Iran said it had forced a US warship to turn back from entering the Strait of […]
India’s Modi celebrates ‘record’ win in opposition-held West Bengal
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets his supporters as he arrives at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters as BJP celebrates its win in the West Bengal and Assam states’ assembly elections, in New Delhi, India, May 4, 2026.— Reuters Votes still being counted under tight security. Modi’s BJP has never won before in West […]
Musk’s X ‘deeply concerned’ by Indian court order over content takedown, plans appeal
Social media platform X said on Monday that it was “deeply concerned” by an Indian court’s ruling that quashed its challenge to New Delhi’s content removal mechanisms, and would appeal it to defend freedom of expression in the country. Elon Musk-owned X has locked horns with Indian authorities for months over the latter’s new content […]
Typhoon Bualoi brings havoc to Vietnam, killing 13 with 46 injured
Government evacuates more than 28,500 people before typhoon hit. Bualoi damages over 44,000 homes, inundate nearly 6,000 hectares. Rainfall of 500mm (20 inches) forecast in several areas from Sunday. Typhoon Bualoi tore through Vietnam’s coast on Monday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 46, the government said, while accompanying strong winds and rains damaged […]
British Pakistani mountaineer Nadia Azad conquers Manaslu to make history
KARACHI: British Pakistani mountaineer Nadia Azad has successfully summited Mount Manaslu in Nepal, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, becoming only the second Pakistani woman to climb four peaks above 8,000 metres. Azad, who traces her family roots to Karachi and has Baloch heritage on her father’s side, reached the 8,163-metre summit at 5:15am local time on […]
Strings of identity: IIOJK’s fading music endures
SRINAGAR: In a modest workshop filled with the fragrance of seasoned wood, 78-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Zaz continues a craft his family has preserved for eight generations — the making of the Kashmiri santoor. Surrounded by tools that have outlived artisans, he works slowly, each strike and polish echoing centuries of tradition, crafting the musical instrument. […]