17-03-2023 SEOUL/ PYONGYANG: North Korea fired a suspected Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea’s president was due to fly to Tokyo for a summit expected to discuss ways to counter the nuclear-armed North. North Korea has conducted …
Read More »Afghan girls defying Taliban’s ban on female learning
17-03-2023 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Amidst the Afghan capital, a madrassa witnesses rows of teenage girls fervently reciting verses from the holy Quran, while a religious scholar keeps a close eye on their progress. Following the return of the Taliban to power in August …
Read More »Assad welcomes new Russian bases in Syria
17-03-2023 DAMASCUS/ MOSCOW: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that he would welcome any Russian proposals to set up new military bases and boost troop numbers in the Middle Eastern country, suggesting Moscow’s military presence there should become permanent. When Russia intervened in the war in Syria in 2015, four …
Read More »US Senate confirms Garcetti as ambassador to India
17-03-2023 WASHINGTON: The US Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India on Wednesday, ending a nearly two-year nomination fight over allegations the former Los Angeles mayor mishandled workplace harassment complaints. Senators backed Garcetti by 52-42, as seven Republicans joined the majority of Democrats in supporting …
Read More »Protests resume in Israel after PM rejects compromise
17-03-2023 JERUSALEM: Israeli protesters have pressed ahead with demonstrations against a plan by the far-right government to weaken the independence of the judiciary, pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he rejected a compromise proposal from President Isaac Herzog that was meant to diffuse the crisis. Protesters in Jerusalem …
Read More »Pakistani police pause siege at ex-PM’s home after clashes
16-03-2023 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/ KARACHI: After clashing with supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan outside his home for a second day Wednesday, police paused their efforts to arrest the ousted premier for failing to appear in court last week on graft charges. Police …
Read More »Indian farmers march in protest as onions rot
16-03-2023 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ MAHARASHTRA: Farmers in the western Indian state of Maharashtra have set out on a 200km (124-mile) march to Mumbai, demanding higher prices for onions. The protests have prompted the authorities to announce some financial relief for onion growers but farmers have rejected the proposal and …
Read More »13yo Australian boy spent 6 weeks in solitary confinement
16-03-2023 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + BBC MELBOURNE/ QUEENSLAND/ TOWNSVILLE: Once again, another alleged state crime, deliberate negligence and committed human discrimination exposed when world media reported about a teenage boy’s solitary detention and almost half of the world population declared Australian authorities are more worse than anyone, …
Read More »China, Russia, Iran hold joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman
16-03-2023 TEHRAN/ BEIJING: Naval forces from China, Iran and Russia countries at odds with the United States are staging joint drills in the Gulf of Oman this week, China’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Other countries are also taking part in the “Security Bond-2023” exercises, the ministry said without giving details. …
Read More »12 years on from the beginning of Syria’s war
16-03-2023 DAMASCUS: Twelve years ago, protesters dared to take to the streets of Syria to protest against the country’s government and its president, Bashar al-Assad. The protests quickly took on a revolutionary nature, demanding the “fall of the regime”, but, after a violent response from the government, the uprising transformed …
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