International

23-12-2021 Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan´s national museum is once again welcoming visitors and exhibiting pre-Islamic artefacts with the Taliban´s blessing, a stark contrast to when the group ransacked and shuttered the facility during their last stint in power. A trickle of citizens made their way around the sprawling exhibit …

23-12-2021 UNITED NATIONS/ SANA’A: The World Food Program has said it has been “forced” to cut aid to Yemen due to a lack of funds and warned there will be a surge in hunger in the war-torn country in the coming months. Nearly eight years of fighting between Saudi-backed government …

22-12-2021 NEW YORK/ WASHINGTON: The United States is providing the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund and five other global aid groups an additional $580m to fight COVID-19, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The pledge came on Tuesday as health officials in the US said …

22-12-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies UNITED NATIONS/ BEIJING/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: China, with Russia’s backing, has opposed a resolution proposed by the United States in the UN Security Council that would have provided a system for humanitarian exceptions to economic sanctions imposed on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. “They want the deletion” of a …

Bureau Report + Agencies 22-12-2021 LONDON: A major New Year celebration in London will be cancelled, the British capital’s mayor said on Monday, as worries mount over a surge in virus cases sparked by the Omicron variant. Sadiq Khan said infections were at record levels in the city and he …

21-12-2021 NAYPYIDAW: The Myanmar military carried out a series of mass killings of civilians in July that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 men, a BBC investigation has found. Eyewitnesses and survivors said that soldiers, some as young as 17, rounded up villagers before separating the men and …

21-12-2021 ZURICH: The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Monday postponed its annual meeting in Davos due to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, putting off the event scheduled for January until mid-2022. A month before world business and political leader were due to gather in the Swiss ski resort, …

21-12-2021 DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates announced Sunday it will no longer censor cinematic releases, introducing a 21 and above age rating for films it classifies for mature audiences. The UAE, which is made up of seven emirates, is considered one of the more liberal countries in the Gulf region, …

21-12-2021 KUALA LUMPUR: Hard-pressed Malaysian emergency services, reinforced by civilian volunteers, on Sunday rescued 21,000 people displaced by flooding from torrential rain in seven states, officials and volunteers said. More than 66,000 police, army and fire department personnel were mobilized to help pluck people from vehicles marooned in floodwaters or …

21-12-2021 DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Iran said on Monday that further talks with Saudi Arabia aimed at reducing tension between the Gulf’s rival Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim powers depend on Riyadh’s “seriousness”. Saudi Arabia and Iran launched direct talks this year at a time when global powers are trying …