International

23 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri ISTANBUL/ BAGHDAD/ DAMASCUS: There are growing indications that the Islamic State (IS/ Deash) group is re-organizing in Iraq, two years after losing the last of its territory in the country. Kurdish and Western intelligence officials have revealed that the IS presence in Iraq is …

21 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + BBC CANBERRA/ SYDNEY/ MELBOURNE: Australia is grappling with massive bushfires fuelled by record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought. Fires in New South Wales (NSW) have burned at least 2.7m hectares (7.4m acres) this season, destroying more than 700 houses. Eight people – …

21 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies DAMASCUS/ ISTANBUL: Syria’s Idlib province has been hit by over 400 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, monitors said, prompting tens of thousands of people to flee. Rescue workers described the situation as a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Tens of thousands of civilians have …

20 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies BEIJING/ KUALA LUMPUR: Muslim countries should initiate a boycott on Chinese products, an influential Malaysian preacher has said, calling for an end to the detention of ethnic Uighurs, at least a million of whom are reportedly held against their will in China’s …

20 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri (Courtesy Messenger) CANBERRA/ SYDNEY: Two volunteer firefighters died while battling blazes around Sydney, authorities said on Friday, forcing Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison to cut short a holiday in Hawaii that had fuelled public anger at the government’s response to the crisis. Australia has …

19 December, 2019 TEHRAN/ UNITED NATIONS: Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned a politically-motivated resolution that the UN General Assembly has adopted on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic. In a statement on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi condemned the draft resolution on the situation of human …

19 December, 2019 WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has become the third US president in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives, setting up a trial in the Senate that will decide whether he remains in office. The House voted on two charges – which the president abused his power …

19 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri NEW DELHI/ MELBOURNE: Today, big rallies are expected across India as the tumultuous and angry reaction builds against a citizenship law seen as discriminatory against the country’s 200 million Muslims. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to drive the Citizenship Amendment Act  (CAA)) through the …

18 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri (Courtesy Messenger) SYDNEY/ PERTH/ MELBOURNE: Yesterday was Australia’s hottest day on record, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). The average maximum temperature across the country was 40.9 degrees Celsius, breaking the mark of 40.3C set in January 2013, but it’s …

18 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri PARIS/ MELBOURNE: A total of 49 journalists were killed this year, 389 are currently in prison and 57 are being held hostage, according to the annual worldwide round-up of deadly violence and abusive treatment against journalists, released today by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Journalism …