International

06-03-2024 PARIS: France has become the first country in the world to explicitly include the right to abortion in its constitution. Parliamentarians voted to revise the country’s 1958 constitution to enshrine women’s “guaranteed freedom” to abort. The overwhelming 780-72 vote saw a standing ovation in the parliament in Versailles when …

05-03-2024 JERUSALEM/ WASHINGTON: US Vice-President Kamala Harris says people in Gaza “are starving” and has urged Israel to “significantly increase the flow of aid” there. She said “there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks”, which would “get the (Israeli) hostages out”. Earlier, Israel did …

05-03-2024 BEIJING: China kicks off its annual parliamentary meetings this week, which investors are watching closely for signals on economic stimulus. Beijing has already broken with tradition, with an announcement Monday that Premier Li Qiang would not hold the usual press conference at this year’s parliamentary meeting, and that such …

05-03-2024 WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK: Donald Trump supporters have been creating and sharing AI-generated fake images of black voters to encourage African Americans to vote Republican. Media discovered dozens of deep-fakes portraying black people as supporting the former president. Trump has openly courted black voters, who were key to Joe Biden’s …

05-03-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Authorities on Saturday said that a touring influencer couple, Fernanda and Vicente, were brutally attacked by a gang of assailants while passing through Dumka district in Indian route to Nepal. The couple, known for documenting their travels on Instagram to over 140,000 followers, …

05-03-2024 OUAGADOUGOU: Around 170 people were “executed” in attacks on three villages in northern Burkina Faso a week ago, a regional prosecutor has said, as violence flares in the country. Aly Benjamin Coulibaly said in a statement on Sunday that he had received reports of the attacks on the villages …

05-03-2024 LONDON: According to a recent report by The Daily Telegraph, the UK government is planning to bar entry of hate preachers with extremist views from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia. Citing a concerning rise in extremist activity, officials are actively working to identify individuals with the most …

05-03-2024 PORT-AU-PRINCE: The government of Haiti declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gangs stormed a major Port-au-Prince prison, leading to the killing of at least 12 people and the escape of around 4,000 inmates. Gang leaders say they want to force the resignation of Prime Minister …

05-03-2024 SINGAPORE CITY: Singapore will raise the salary criteria for foreign executives and professionals that companies can hire starting next year, the government announced on Monday. From January next year, foreigners must earn S$5,600 ($4,170) or more a month up from the current S$5,000 to qualify for the so-called employment …

04-03-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ SHAMBHU: Indian farmers plan to march to the capital New Delhi on Wednesday as they push their demands for higher crop prices, a protest leader said, after several rounds of failed talks. Farm union leaders are seeking guarantees of state support or a …