20-03-2023 MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, state media reported on Sunday, his first to the city since it was captured after a lengthy siege at the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The trip comes after an arrest warrant was issued for Putin by …
Read More »Thousands vote for Khalistan Referendum in Brisbane
20-03-2023 Bureau Report BRISBANE/ MELBOURNE: More than 11,000 Sikhs took part in the second phase of Khalistan Referendum voting at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre amid a massive wave of Indian cyber security mercenary attacks on the electronic voting machines. There was a disruption in the voting thrice as …
Read More »Israel & Palestine meet for talks in Egypt
20-03-2023 CAIRO: Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) officials are meeting in Egypt for talks amid criticism and calls for a boycott by Palestinian political parties. The one-day meeting, which is also being attended by Egyptian, US and Jordanian officials, began on Sunday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. …
Read More »Indians are braving war to study in Ukraine
19-03-2023 Bureau Report + BBC NEW DELHI/ KYIV: Rishi Dwivedi is one of thousands of Indian students evacuated from Ukraine a year ago but he’s now back studying in Lviv, despite the threat the war poses to his safety. “Air raid sirens alerting us about incoming missile or drone attacks …
Read More »UN extends Afghanistan mission by another year
19-03-2023 UNITED NATIONS/ KABUL: The United Nations Security Council has renewed the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year while also asking for recommendations on the best way for the international community to continue its work in the Taliban-ruled country. The 15-member council on Thursday unanimously adopted two resolutions, …
Read More »Egypt & Turkey hold first Cairo talks in a decade
19-03-2023 CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign minister has said talks with Turkey on the possibility of restoring ties to the ambassadorial level would happen at “the appropriate time” during the first visit to Cairo by Turkey’s top diplomat since relations ruptured a decade ago. At a joint news conference on Saturday Egyptian …
Read More »Italy leaves children of same-sex parents in limbo
19-03-2023 ROME: In 2018, Maria Silvia Fiengo and Francesca Pardi were among Italy’s first same-sex couples to be registered as parents. The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, took a progressive stance and allowed children born to parents of the same gender to be acknowledged in the absence of clear national …
Read More »Turkey’s Erdogan seals deal on Finland joining NATO
19-03-2023 ISTANBUL: Finland’s bid to join NATO has finally secured the backing of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey had blocked Finland’s application for months, complaining it had supported “terrorists”. At a press conference in Ankara with his Finnish counterpart, Erdogan praised Finland’s “authentic and concrete steps” on Turkish security. …
Read More »France pension reform protests turn violent again
19-03-2023 PARIS: Protesters have clashed with police again in central Paris over the French government’s pension reforms. Thousands of demonstrators lit fires and some threw firecrackers at police, who used tear gas to disperse them. It is the second night of unrest since President Emmanuel Macron decided to push through …
Read More »ICC issues Putin arrest warrant on Ukraine war crime
19-03-2023 HAGUE/ MOSCOW/ WASHINGTON: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, a move dismissed by Moscow as meaningless. The Hague-based court said in a statement on Friday the warrant was issued over Putin’s suspected involvement in …
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