04-04-2023 HAGUE: On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and its Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crimes of illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. The crimes …

04-04-2023 Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: The Taliban have shut down a women-run radio station in Afghanistan after accusing it of playing music during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Associated Press reported on Saturday. The station called Sadai Banowan, which means ‘women’s voice’ in Dari, was the only women-run radio …

04-04-2023 CARACAS: At least 44 people have been arrested in Venezuela in an anti-corruption sweep of the state oil company PDVSA and other related government bodies. The crackdown began on March 17 after a communique was issued by the anti-corruption police, who called for the prosecution of officials who “could …

04-04-2023 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ GUJARAT: Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has lodged an appeal against his conviction for defamation, hoping to overturn a judgment that resulted in his expulsion from parliament a year before general election is due. A court in Gujarat state’s Surat city on Monday accepted his …

04-04-2023 Bureau Report MELBOURNE: The former principal of an Australian ultra-Orthodox Jewish School, Malka Leifer, was found guilty of sexually abusing two former students by a Melbourne court on Monday, local media reported. Leifer, who also holds Israeli citizenship, was extradited to Australia from Israel in 2021 after fleeing the …

04-04-2023 ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan encouraged his supporters to “teach the US a lesson” in forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections at a rally in Bagcilar district in Istanbul on Sunday. The longtime Turkish leader criticised US Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake for meeting with his chief election rival, …

04-04-2023 TEHRAN/ RIYADH: The foreign ministers of regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia are expected to meet “in the coming days”, according to the Iranian foreign ministry. Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisan bin Farhan on Sunday following the recent warming …

04-04-2023 NEW YORK: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have announced they will merge to create a $21.4bn sports entertainment giant. A new publicly traded company will house UFC and WWE brands, with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc (UFC’s owners) taking a 51 percent controlling interest in the …

04-04-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies LONDON/ NEW DELHI: A leading Canadian public policy thinks tank’s director has said there is no evidence that Pakistan is funding pro-Khalistan groups such as ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ), as the Sikh community living outside India generously supports groups standing up against New Delhi. Terry …

04-04-2023 DUBAI: Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers on Sunday announced further oil output cuts of around 1.16 million barrels per day, in a surprise move that analysts said would cause an immediate rise in prices and the United States called inadvisable. The pledges bring the total volume of …