04-03-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies SYDNEY: A former Australian politician “sold out” the country to a foreign spy network, the nation’s intelligence chief has alleged in a speech. Outlining the activities of the group dubbed the “A-Team”, Mike Burgess claimed the MP had offered it access to the then-prime minister’s …
Read More »Israeli hostages’ status hangs over Gaza truce talks
04-03-2024 GAZA CITY/ CAIRO: Mediators and Hamas have arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for talks on a new ceasefire, as Israel is reported to be demanding reassurances on the hostages’ fate before attending. An unnamed US official has said Israel has “more or less accepted” the deal but Israeli …
Read More »Shehbaz Sharif wins second term as Pakistan’s PM
04-03-2024 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s newly formed parliament has elected Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister for a second term. He defeated a rival supported by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The move comes three weeks after an inconclusive general election that was marred …
Read More »Environmental disaster rises as ship sinks after Houthi attack
04-03-2024 SANA’A/ DUBAI: A British cargo ship sank in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants, taking some 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer down with it, posing a significant environmental risk to one of the world’s busiest waterways and the home of many coral reefs. The Rubymar was …
Read More »Haiti police unions call for help after attack on prison
04-03-2024 PORT-AU-PRINCE: Armed groups were closing in on Haiti’s largest prison on Saturday night, defying police forces who called for help after days of gunfire in parts of the capital as a major gang leader seeks to topple Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Two of the Caribbean country’s main police unions …
Read More »Hamas arrives in Cairo for ceasefire talks with deal ‘on the table’
04-03-2024 CAIRO/ RAFAH: A delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo on Sunday for crunch talks on a Gaza ceasefire, billed as a potential final hurdle towards an agreement that would halt the fighting for six weeks. Washington said a ceasefire deal was already “on the table”, approved by Israel and …
Read More »Blizzard ‘as bad as it gets’ hits California & Nevada
Blizzard ‘as bad as it gets’ hits California & Nevada 03-03-2024 SACRAMENTO: A massive blizzard is pounding parts of California and Nevada in the western United States. The snowstorm has closed major roads, shut down ski resorts and left tens of thousands of homes without power. The blizzard was especially …
Read More »US military to airdrop food and supplies into Gaza: Biden
03-03-2024 WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden announced on Friday plans to carry out a first military airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza, a day after the deaths of Palestinians queuing for aid threw a spotlight on an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the crowded coastal enclave. Biden said the US …
Read More »Saudi Arabia launch bid to host 2034 World Cup
03-03-2024 ZURICHBERG: Saudi Arabia launched its campaign to host the 2034 soccer World Cup, a bid that is all but certain to succeed due to the absence of any other expressions of interest before FIFA’s deadline late last year. With Morocco, Portugal and Spain set to share the hosting of …
Read More »Spain braces for wildfires as beef farmers battle red tape
03-03-2024 OVIEDO: Across Europe, farmers have jammed roads, burned tyres and dumped manure in protest at a host of pressures threatening their livelihoods and way of life. In the province of Asturias, Spain, authorities are preparing for worse. Last spring, in an unprecedented conflagration there, nearly 300 wildfires leapt across …
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