International

News Desk NEW YORK/ MELBOURNE: Facebook said its apps and platforms were “back at 100%” Wednesday evening after outages throughout the day, though some users said they were still experiencing issues. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were malfunctioning throughout most of the day on Wednesday and into the night. The company said it …

By SJA Jafri + Sky News LONDON/ DUBAI: Fashion designer Khalid Al Qasimi, a Crown Prince and son of the ruler of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has died at his London home aged 39. He studied architecture and fashion design at Central Saint Martin’s and founded an …

By SJA Jafri + Agencies DUBAI/ LONDON: The wife of Dubai’s ruler has reportedly fled the United Arab Emirates with their young son and daughter and sought asylum in London. According to the BBC, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein is said to be “afraid for her life”, while a person close …

TRIPOLI: An airstrike on a detention centre for migrants in the Libyan capital has killed at least 40 people, according to the country’s UN-supported government. The airstrike targeting the detention centre in Tripoli’s Tajoura neighbourhood, also wounded 80 migrants, said Malek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry. Merset posted …

By SJA Jafri + NDTV TEHRAN/ NEW DELHI: India ceased purchasing Iranian oil last month after the United States refused to extend waivers on its oil trade with Iran. India was the second largest buyer of oil from Iran after China and Iranian oil exports have come down to less …

By SJA Jafri + Times of Israel WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump warned Monday that Iran was “playing with fire” after Tehran said it exceeded a limit on enriched uranium reserves under a 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Washington. Israel urged European states to sanction Iran, while Russia voiced regret …

By SJA Jafri + Agencies WASHINGTON: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has reportedly agreed to pay the world’s biggest divorce settlement that will include his former partner MacKenzie Bezos receiving a 4 percent stake in the online shopping giant. It’s believed a judge will sign legal papers transferring the shares worth …

Monitoring Desk HONG KONG: Thousands of protesters faced off with riot police early on Monday, the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, ahead of an annual rally that is expected to draw huge crowds amid widespread anger over a controversial extradition bill. More than a million people have …

TOKYO: Japanese whaling fleets set sail Monday to hunt whales for commercial purposes for the first time in 31 years, a day after Tokyo formally left the International Whaling Commission. As an IWC member, Japan halted commercial whaling in 1988 but hunted whales for what it claims were research purposes, …

Report is compendium of unsubstantiated & biased assertions: Pakistan By SJA Jafri (Courtesy Messenger) 29 June, 2019 WASHINGTON/ ISLAMABAD: The Annual Report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 2019 claims that Pakistan has once again failed to control sectarian and religious intolerance across the country during 2018 …