18-10-2021 BEIJING: The flame for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was lit on Monday in a ceremony as human rights activists protested nearby. Several protesters with banners managed to get into the event being held at Greece’s ancient Olympia before being stopped by security. A number of others were reportedly …

18-10-2021 RIYADH/ BEIRUT/ LONDON: Saudi Arabia has advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon in light of the latest security events, the foreign ministry wrote on Twitter on Sunday. Lebanon remains on a Saudi travel list where obtaining prior permission to visit is required. On Thursday, seven people were …

18-10-2021 Bureau Report DHAKA/ NEW DELHI: Police in Bangladesh have detained at least 300 suspects after two Hindu men were killed and temples vandalized following unrest triggered by the alleged desecration of the Muslim holy book during a Hindu religious festival last week. Violence erupted across Bangladesh after a photo …

18-10-2021 RIYADH/ SANA’A: The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government says it has killed 160 Houthi rebels in air raids south of the strategic city of Marib, where loyalists say rebels have made advances. “We carried out 32 strikes … in Abdiya over the past 24 hours,” the coalition said on …

18-10-2021 ANKARA/ WASHINGTON: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the United States proposed selling F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in return for its investment in the F-35 program, from which Ankara was removed after purchasing missile defence systems from Russia. Speaking to reporters on Sunday before departing for a trip to …

18-10-2021 Bureau Report MELBOURNE: The Australian city of Melbourne, which has spent more time under COVID-19 lockdowns than any other city in the world, is set to lift its stay-at-home orders this week. Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria State which Melbourne is the capital, announced the easing of curbs …

16-10-2021 Bureau Report + India Today NEW DELHI/ DHAKA/ ISLAMABAD: India has proposed to host an in-person meet of the National Security Advisors (NSA) on Afghanistan in Delhi in November. Key stakeholders in the region, including Russia, China, and Pakistan, have been invited to the meet. India has proposed two …

16-10-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Taliban authorities pledged to step up security at Shia mosques after the second Daesh attack in a week on worshippers killed more than 40 people in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Friday. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack …

17-10-2021 SHENZHEN/ BEIJING: China’s corporate leaders and government institutions are failing to meaningfully implement or enforce policies to reduce sexual assault, harassment and to increase gender equality, despite a recent surge in women coming forward in China to tell their #MeToo stories, activists say. The failure not only leaves many …

17-10-2021 LONDON: The killing of Conservative MP Sir David Amess is being treated as a terrorist incident by police. Sir David was stabbed multiple times at his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex on Friday. The Metropolitan Police said there was a potential link to Islamist extremism. A 25-year-old British man …