International

26-12-2022 KATHMANDU: A former Maoist leader who led a decade-long rebellion against Nepal’s monarchy has been appointed prime minister for a third time, in alliance with the main opposition after last month’s election returned a hung parliament. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who still goes by his nom de guerre Prachanda – …

26-12-2022 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: More than half a million people have officially died so far because of Covid-19 in India – the WHO reckons the actual toll could be nearly 10 times higher. More than two years since the pandemic began, many are still grappling with their losses, and …

26-12-2022 PARIS: Paris has witnessed a second day of violent unrest after Friday’s deadly attack on the city’s Shia Kurdish community. Protesters who gathered on Saturday overturned cars, setting some on fire, and hurled objects at police. Officers responded by firing tear gas. Three people were killed in Friday’s attack, …

26-12-2022 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Three major Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have halted work in Afghanistan after women were banned from working for them by the Taliban. In a joint statement, Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Save the Children said they would be unable …

26-12-2022 TEHRAN: An Iranian rapper has won an appeal against his death sentence in relation to the country’s ongoing protests, while another man’s bid against a similar sentence was rejected. The Iranian judiciary said on Saturday the Supreme Court had accepted the appeal of Saman Seyyedi, an ethnic Kurd rapper …

26-12-2022 NEW YORK: More than 315,000 homes and businesses nationwide were without power Christmas Eve, thanks to an Arctic blast and winter storm that tore down power lines with destructive winds and heavy snow and dipped temperatures dangerously low conditions killing at least 22 people. As bone-chilling air continues to …

26-12-2022 BEIJING: China’s National Health Commission (NHC) stopped publishing daily COVID-19 data on Sunday, amid doubts about their reliability as infections have exploded in the wake of an abrupt easing of tough restrictions. “Relevant COVID information will be published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention for reference …

26-12-2022 MOSCOW: Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but Kyiv and its Western backers have refused to engage in talks, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired on Sunday. Russia’s Feb 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most deadly conflict …

25-12-2022 VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, in his traditional Christmas message, has appealed for an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine and other conflicts, calling for an end to the use of food as a weapon of war. Delivering the 10th Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the …

25-12-2022 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: A cross-country march led by Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has reached the capital New Delhi after passing through eight states, hoping to regain some of the popularity it lost to the ruling Hindu nationalist party. Tens of thousands of people have joined Gandhi’s “Unite …