24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s government has imposed a night-time curfew across almost all of the country’s 34 provinces to stem surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive that has seen the armed group make rapid territorial gains. “To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements, …
Read More »Frantic search for survivors as India’s flood death toll rises
24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Rescuers in India have combed through mud and debris in a frantic search for survivors after heavy rains lashed the western state of Maharashtra, triggering landslides, flooding and a building collapse and causing dozens of deaths. The state government said in a statement …
Read More »China imposes sanctions on US officials
24-07-2021 BEIJING/ WASHINGTON: China is imposing sanctions on several US individuals and organizations in response to recent US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Those targeted include former US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross. The counter-sanctions come days before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is due to visit …
Read More »Rahul Gandhi accuses Modi Govt of ‘treason’
24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s main political rival Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded an inquiry into the Pegasus spyware scandal, accusing the government of “treason”. Gandhi is one of dozens of Indian politicians, journalists and government critics on an alleged global database of …
Read More »Dozens of Palestinians hurt in confrontations with Israeli forces
24-07-2021 JERUSALEM/ WEST BANK: More than 140 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli troops in the flashpoint village of Beita in the occupied West Bank, medics have said, during protests against an illegal Israeli settlement outpost. The Israeli army said two soldiers were also “lightly injured” in the …
Read More »Biden approves $100m emergency funds to resettle Afghan refugees
24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies WASHINGTON/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: US President Joe Biden has authorized up to $100m from an emergency fund to meet “unexpected urgent” refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa applicants, the White House said. Biden also approved on Friday the release …
Read More »Shares of India’s Zomato soar 80% on market debut
23-07-2021 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: Shares in Indian food delivery app Zomato have soared by more than 80% in their stock market debut. The listing was pushed forward by four days and comes as India’s stock market nears all-time highs. The stellar performance reflected strong investor interest in internet-based start-ups …
Read More »China rejects WHO plan for new COVID origin probe
23-07-2021 BEIJING/ GENEVA: China has rejected the next stage of a World Health Organization (WHO) plan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. The WHO wants to audit laboratories in the area where the virus was first identified but Zeng Yixin, deputy health minister, said this showed “disrespect for …
Read More »South Africa unrest death toll jumps to 337
23-07-2021 JOHANNESBURG: Rioting in South Africa this month has claimed 337 lives, the government said on Thursday, marking a further jump in the death toll from the 276 announced the previous day. “The South African police have revised the total number of deaths in Gauteng [province] to 79 and KwaZulu-Natal …
Read More »Major Websites hit by global outage
23-07-2021 LONDON/ PARIS/ NEW YORK: Many popular websites fell offline on Thursday in a widespread global outage of service. Visitors attempting to reach some sites received DNS errors, meaning their requests could not reach the websites. Affected services included Airbnb, UPS, HSBC bank, British Airways and the PlayStation network used …
Read More »