03-05-2023 WASHINGTON: The United States Secret Service blocked a Muslim mayor from attending a White House celebration with President Joe Biden to belatedly mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Shortly before he was to arrive at the White House for the Eid al-Fitr celebration on Monday, …

03-05-2023 Bureau Report SUDNEY: The Australian government has announced to ban on recreational vaping, introduce minimum quality standards, and restrict the sale of vapes to pharmacies. Nicotine vapes already need a prescription in Australia but the industry is badly regulated and a black market is flourishing. Health Minister Mark Butler …

03-05-2023 SPRINGFIELD: A dust storm caused a series of collisions on a major highway in Illinois on Monday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more. The accident involved nearly 100 vehicles, including 30 commercial trucks, along a two-mile stretch of Interstate 55. Illinois State Police reported that excessive …

03-05-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies UNITED NATIONS/ ISLAMABAD/ KABUL: A United Nations Security Council committee has agreed to allow the Taliban administration’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s meeting with foreign ministers and diplomats of Pakistan and China, Reuters reported on Tuesday. For the meeting, Muttaqi will travel from Afghanistan to …

03-05-2023 TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Twitter complied at least partially with almost every government request to take down content after Elon Musk, a self-described free speech absolutist, took over the platform, Twitter’s self-reported data shows. The social media giant fully or partially complied with 98.8 percent of takedown requests it received from …

02-05-2023 By SJA Jafri + Agencies KARACHI, PAKISTAN/ HYDERABAD DECCAN, INDIA: An image of a padlocked grave, which went viral on social media last week, was quickly picked by Indian news outlets linking it with the issue of rape and necrophilia in Pakistan without verifying the origins of the image …

02-05-2023 UNITED NATIONS/ KHARTOUM: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sending his Emergency Relief chief to Sudan amid the “unprecedented” situation there, as the country’s warring factions continue to fight despite saying they would extend a barely respected 72-hour ceasefire that was due to end at midnight on Sunday. “The scale …

02-05-2023 VATICAN CITY: The Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis has said, declining to give further details. “I am willing to do everything that has to be done. There is a mission in course now but it …

02-05-2023 QUITO: At least 10 people have been killed in an armed attack overnight in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s main port city and economic hub that is under a state of emergency due to rising drug violence, the public prosecutor’s office and police have reported. Three people were wounded, including a five-year-old …

02-05-2023 BANGKOK: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a leading candidate to become Thailand’s next prime minister, has given birth to a boy just two weeks before Election Day. Paetongtarn, who leads the opposition Pheu Thai Party, announced the birth of Phrithasin Suksawat on Instagram with a photo from the hospital. “Thanks for all …