21-04-2023 WASHINGTON: A US tax special agent has information about how a criminal investigation into the son of US President Joe Biden has been hampered by “political considerations”, says his lawyer. The attorney for the unnamed agent says his client is seeking whistleblower protections from Congress to speak out. He …

21-04-2023 TORONTO: Thieves at Canada’s busiest airport made off with gold and other valuables estimated to be worth just over $20 million Canadian dollars ($14.8 million), police said Thursday. No arrests have been made yet and an investigation is underway. The high-profile heist occurred after a flight carrying the cargo …

21-04-2023 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ LONDON: UK-based coffee and sandwich chain Pret A Manger has become the latest high-profile Western brand to launch in the Indian market. The firm opened its first shop in India’s financial hub Mumbai on Friday. It comes in the same week that US technology giant …

21-04-2023 GEORGIA: An inmate in the US state of Georgia who was found dead covered in insects had been placed in “a death chamber” not a jail cell, say family members. Lawyers for Lashawn Thompson’s relatives are now calling for an independent post-mortem examination. He was discovered unresponsive on 13 …

21-04-2023 TIBET: An online backlash to the Dalai Lama has rejuvenated a long-running controversy over Tibetan history and boosted a Chinese government narrative. The Tibetan Buddhist leader has faced widespread criticism after a video surfaced showing him kissing a young boy and asking him to suck his tongue. The Dalai …

21-04-2023 KHARTOUM: Sudan’s paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced it will shortly begin a ceasefire despite continued heavy fighting with the army in the capital Khartoum. The RSF said in a statement it would observe a 72-hour ceasefire, which would come into effect at 6am (04:00 GMT) on …

21-04-2023 NEW DELHI/ GUJRAT: Nobody knows who killed the 11 people during the communal riots in Naroda Gam in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. That is because on April 20, Thursday, 21 years after the massacre, all accused, including former Bharatiya Janata Party minister in Gujarat, Maya Kodnani, and former …

21-04-2023 KYIV/ MOSCOW: Ukrainian forces refused to surrender Bakhmut over Orthodox Easter despite ceding yet more territory to advancing Russian forces during the 60th week of the war. Kyiv continued to gather war materiel for a counteroffensive, and power shifts in the Russian military suggested that President Vladimir Putin was …

21-04-2023 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Company’s mammoth new rocket, Starship, has exploded on its maiden flight. No-one was hurt in the un-crewed test that lifted off from Texas’ east coast on Thursday morning local time. The entrepreneur had tried to temper expectations before the launch. Just getting …

21-04-2023 KHARTOUM: Ongoing fighting in Sudan’s capital is now severely affecting food supplies, as well as disrupting access to water and electricity, according to Khartoum residents who spoke to media. “We only have enough food for two days,” Nisreen Al-Saim said. Ms Saim added that she and her family were …