24-02-2023 TOKYO: A huge iron ball that washed up on a local beach in a coastal town in Japan has left police and locals confused. For now, authorities have no clue what it exactly is except the fact that it is not something that would explode. Since it washed up …

24-02-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies CANBERRA/ MANILA: Australia and the Philippines are exploring the possibility of joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, where recent “aggressive activities” by the Chinese Coast Guard towards a Philippine vessel saw Beijing’s envoy in Manila summoned by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “As …

24-02-2023 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: A new report by Crisis Group warns against international donors cutting aid to Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s curbs on women’s education and ability to work at NGOs, instead arguing for Western countries to find a “liminal space between …

24-02-2023 UNITED NATIONS/ KARACHI: The World Health Organization (WHO) says one woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest data, with too few countries in the world managing to substantially reduce maternal death rates since 2016. The report, Trends in Maternal Mortality, showed that while …

24-02-2023 Bureau Report BRISBANE/ MELBOURNE: Within days of the Indian foreign minister’s high-profile visit to Australia, a video is making rounds on social media with the “Khalistan” Flag raised at Indian Consulate in Brisbane. In the video, G-20 foreign ministers have been urged to visit New Delhi’s “Widow Colony” inhibited …

24-02-2023 ABUJA: The 18 presidential candidates of Nigeria’s general election have signed a second peace accord in the capital, Abuja, in a bid to prevent unrest surrounding the February 25 polls. The pact is to ensure “the conduct of free, fair, credible, transparent and verifiable elections cognizant of the need …

24-02-2023 MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin has said the delayed Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will be deployed this year, in comments made on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The RS-28 Sarmat liquid-fueled missile dubbed Satan 2 by Western analysts was first announced by …

23-02-2023 Bureau Report + BBC NEW DELHI: Last week, a video of a controversial religious guru, who is serving long jail sentences for rape and murder, went viral in India. It showed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, out of prison on parole and cutting …

23-02-2023 PARIS/ SAINT-JEAN-LUZ: A high school student has stabbed a Spanish teacher to death in a school in the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. French government spokesperson Olivier Véran confirmed Wednesday’s attack and said the perpetrator was 16 years old. Police attended Saint-Thomas d’Aquin School with the local prosecutor, where the …

23-02-2023 WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s administration has unveiled a plan that would make it harder for migrants to claim asylum once COVID border controls lift in May. It would require adult asylum seekers to use an app to book a meeting with US officials or first claim asylum in …