05-09-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: India has stepped up the use of coal to generate electricity in a bid to stop outages caused by lower hydroelectricity output, as an increase in renewables is struggling to keep pace with record power demand. It is unusual for India’s electricity use …

05-09-2023 BEIJING: Pope Francis has told Catholics in China to be “good Christians and good citizens”, reaching out to Beijing during his visit to neighboring Mongolia. Relations between the Vatican and Beijing, which have not had official diplomatic relations for more than 70 years, have been tense over the governance …

05-09-2023 SOCHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed during a meeting on August 5 to boost cooperation in the transport, agriculture, and construction industries. “Despite the current regional and global challenges, the leaders reaffirmed their common will to further develop Russian-Turkish relations,” the Kremlin said …

05-09-2023 STOCKHOLM: A violent riot erupted in Sweden after the desecration of the Holy Quran leading to the arrest of two individuals and the detention of approximately ten others. The rally, organised by Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, has further fueled a series of protests that have ignited anger across the …

05-09-2023 OTTAWA: Ottawa police are investigating a Saturday night shooting at a wedding reception that left two Toronto men dead and injured six others. Acting Duty Insp. Amy Bond said police responded to reports of gunfire at about 10:21 p.m. Saturday in the city’s south end. The victims were attending …

04-09-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: More than two dozen opposition parties in India have decided to jointly contest the 2024 national elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they aim to prevent the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) third straight victory. The 28-party bloc, called the …

04-09-2023 CANBERRA/ SOLOMON ISLAND: Australia has announced plans to send additional police to the Solomon Islands to boost security for the Pacific Games in November, keeping them there until June to assist with the general elections. The extended Australian police presence, announced on Sunday, comes after the Solomon Islands upgraded …

04-09-2023 PYONGYANG: North Korea has announced that it conducted a simulated “tactical nuclear attack” drill with two long-range missiles equipped with mock atomic warheads. The KCNA news agency, in a report on Sunday, said the drill was carried out early on Saturday to “warn enemies” that the country would be …

04-09-2023 CANBERRA: Australia has launched an urgent operation to rescue a researcher with a “developing medical condition” from the remote Casey outpost in Antarctica. The icebreaker RSV Nuyina left from Tasmania last week, the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) said. It is travelling thousands of miles to reach the station after …

04-09-2023 STOCKHOLM: The Nobel Foundation has reversed a much-criticised decision to invite Russia, Belarus and Iran to this year’s awards ceremony in Stockholm. “We recognize the strong reaction in Sweden,” the foundation said. Russia and its ally Belarus were not invited last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Iran …