18-02-2024 MOSCOW: The hundreds of flowers and candles laid in Moscow on Friday to honor the memory of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, were taken away overnight in black bags. Russia’s prison service said that Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the …

18-02-2024 CAIRO/ GAZA CITY: Satellite images appear to show extensive construction work in progress along Egypt’s border with Gaza, which reports claim is being carried out in preparation for housing Palestinian refugees. Unnamed Egyptian sources reportedly said the work is being done in order to set up an isolated buffer …

18-02-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies SYDNEY: Australian authorities said on Saturday asbestos had been discovered in more places in Sydney, including housing estates, as the New South Wales government continued a weeks-long scramble to remove the toxic material from mulch used in public areas. The contamination was discovered in January …

18-02-2024 WASHINGTON/ GAZA CITY: The United States is preparing to send more bombs and other weapons to Israel even as it pushes for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza and has said it opposes Tel Aviv’s plans for a ground invasion in southern Rafah where more than half the …

18-02-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: A little more than two months ago, the Congress party, India’s biggest opposition force, seemed to be on a roll. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of what is the country’s oldest political movement, the party of Mahatma Gandhi, had attracted large crowds on a …

18-02-2024 SANA’A/ DUBAI: Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has claimed a new missile attack on Western interests amid Israel’s war on Gaza, this time on a British oil tanker that the United States identified as a Panamanian-flagged vessel carrying crude oil bound for India. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said …

18-02-2024 THE HAGUE/ JERUSALEM: The top United Nations court said that it notes the “perilous” situation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but has declined South Africa’s request for urgent measures to safeguard Palestinians being threatened by an Israeli ground assault there. “The Court notes that the most recent …

17-02-2024 ATHENS: Greece has become the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalize same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples will now also be legally allowed to adopt children after Thursday’s 176-76 vote in parliament. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the new law would “boldly abolish a serious inequality” but it has divided the …

17-02-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies SYDNEY: Australia’s Eagers Automotive (APE.AX), opens new tab said on Friday a third party has claimed it has published on the internet data alleged to have been removed from the automotive retailer’s servers. The company said it was investigating the claim and was assessing the …

17-02-2024 BEIJING: As the Lunar New Year celebrations draw to a close, millions of people across China are preparing for a challenging journey back home, with a cold snap forecasted to drastically change the scenery. From February 17 to 22, a significant temperature plunge of up to 20 degrees Celsius …