16-02-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: Australia’s parliament has passed a motion calling on the US and UK to release Julian Assange, ahead of a crucial legal hearing. Assange will appear in front of the UK’s High Court next week for his final appeal against US extradition. The Australian …

16-02-2024 WELLINGTON/ OTTAWA/ JERUSALEM: World leaders are ratcheting up pressure on Israel to abandon its plans for a ground offensive in Rafah as an exodus from the southern Gaza city once declared a “safe zone” which shelters more than half the enclave’s population is under way. As Israel stepped up …

16-02-2024 KYIV/ WASHINGTON/ MOSCOW: Ukraine changed its military leadership and announced a change of tactics in the past week, as a vote in the US Senate brought renewed hope of US aid for the embattled country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed ground forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskii as commander-in-chief of the …

16-02-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Thursday scrapped a seven-year-old election funding system that allows individuals and companies to make unlimited and anonymous donations to political parties, calling it “unconstitutional”. The decision is seen as a setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, …

16-02-2024 BEIRUT: The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has warned that Israel will “pay the price” for air raids that killed at least 10 civilians and three Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. Five children were among those killed on Wednesday in the deadliest day for Lebanese civilians in four months of …

16-02-2024 ISTANBUL: Earthquake fever has gripped Istanbul since last year’s disaster in southern Turkey, as residents in Europe’s most populous city fear they could face similar devastation. The city lies near the North Anatolia fault line, a geological danger that has seen Istanbul hit by at least 34 strong earthquakes …

15-02-2024 WASHINGTON: Multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos has sold more of his shares in Amazon, bringing the total value of sales in recent days to more than $4bn (£3.2bn). The technology giant, which Bezos founded in 1994, said he has sold 24 million Amazon shares this month. Bezos, who is the firm’s …

15-02-2024 BEIRUT/ JERUSALEM: Israel has launched an “extensive wave of attacks” on Lebanon after a woman was killed and others injured in a rocket attack on northern Israel. Lebanese media reported that villages had been hit and buildings were on fire. Hezbollah, which is thought to have carried out the …

15-02-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ DUBAI: India and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday signed an agreement on a trade corridor that aims to connect Europe with India through parts of the Middle East by sea and rail, an ambitious plan backed by the US and the European …

15-02-2024 HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA: Bisecting a wide sandy beach, the Huntington Beach pier beckons tourists and surfers alike, creating a break in the waves that helps gives the city its nickname; Surf City, USA. It is a scene as laidback as the name would suggest and a stark contrast to …