Global News

By Paavan MATHEMA and Anup OJHA, with Aishwarya KUMAR in Jhapa AFP Nepal voted on Thursday for a new parliament in a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government. Queues began at dawn on the streets of the capital Kathmandu and in the usually sleepy eastern town of Jhapa, the site of a head-to-head contest between two key prime ministerial hopefuls. Photo: Social Media “I came here early to vote, we have to exercise our rights. Nepalis have been waiting for change for so long, from one system to another,” said Nilanta Shakya, 60, waiting to cast her ballot at a college in Kathmandu. “I hope there is a meaningful change this time,” she added. Key figures contesting for power include the Marxist former prime minister seeking a return to office, a rapper-turned-mayor bidding for the youth vote, and the newly elected leader of the powerful Nepali Congress party. Nearly 19...

Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing drones to be launched from its territory into Sudan to carry out attacks in February and March, the first time it has directly ​accused its powerful neighbour of involvement in the three-year civil war. The Sudanese foreign ministry ‌statement, released late on Monday, is the latest sign that one of the world’s deadliest conflicts between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is drawing in regional powers from Africa and beyond. A spokesperson for ​the Ethiopian prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ​Reuters has not independently verified the launching of attack drones from Ethiopia. The ⁠Sudanese army has been fighting the paramilitary RSF in a conflict that has threatened to ​fracture the country and has driven millions of people to flee their homes. The statement did not ​specify where the alleged attacks had taken place, but the southeastern Blue Nile state, which borders Ethiopia, has seen...

By DENG MACHOL, Associated Press At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday, It’s the latest bout of sporadic violence that has left the country teetering on the verge of full-blown civil war. The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng. He said women and children were among the dead, in addition to dozens of combatants. The U.N. Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack. “Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop immediately,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, a UNMISS official, said in a statement. “I urge all involved to cease hostilities without delay and engage in constructive dialogue to address their grievances.” “Our peacekeepers will continue to do everything within their capabilities to prot...

By JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING and SALLY ABOU ALJOUD AP  Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states and Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war expanded Monday with statements of defiance and warnings  of more U.S. casualties . As the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed defiantly on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States.” In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed a drone attack targeting U.S. troops at the Baghdad airport, the day after it said it fired at a U.S. base in Irbil in the north, and Cyprus said a drone attack targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island nation. Israel and the U.S. bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to have destroyed its headquarters and multiple warships. More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes, according to Iranian leaders. As the bombardment continued, Hezbolla...

By Nader DURGHAM AFP Israeli forces launched strikes on Lebanon including the capital Beirut on Monday, the military said, after Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader. An AFP journalist heard several loud explosions in Beirut early on Monday, the Israeli military said it had “begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon”. Residents in southern Lebanon fled on cars, some with mattresses tied to the roof, an AFP journalist saw, after Israel issued a mass evacuation warning. The Israeli strikes followed rocket and drone launches from Lebanon, the first attack on Israel claimed by Hezbollah since a November 2024 ceasefire agreement that followed more than a year of war between them. Hezbollah has been weakened from conflict with Israel, which it entered to support Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent wa...

 South Korea President Lee Jae Myung said on Sunday he hopes North Korea will resume dialogue as soon as possible to discuss a new era of relations between the neighbours. In a speech marking the Koreas’ 107th March 1 Independence Movement Day, Lee said he would make efforts to restart talks with Pyongyang for peace on the Korean peninsula. SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/MoDe5Ap