International

03-08-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies JALALABAD/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Fighters have attacked a prison compound in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, and a battle with security forces is under way, according to officials, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) turned into Islamic …

02-08-2020 BEIJING/ REDMOND (WASHINGTON): A possible sale of Chinese-owned TikTok’s US operations to Microsoft is reportedly on hold after Donald Trump vowed to ban the video-sharing app. A sale was thought close to agreement, but was put in doubt after the US president’s warning on Friday. The Wall Street Journal …

02-08-2020 LONDON/ NEW DELHI: The United Kingdom is considering minting a coin to commemorate India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, amid growing interest in recognizing the contributions of people from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) communities. UK’s Finance Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) in …

02-08-2020 JERUSALEM: Thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and thronged the streets of central Jerusalem, as weeks of protests against the Israeli leader appeared to be gaining steam. The demonstration in central Jerusalem, along with smaller gatherings in Tel Aviv, near Netanyahu’s …

01-08-2020 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ NEW YORK/ LONDON: India has recorded 57,000 new corona virus cases – the highest daily total to date Maharashtra – home to the financial capital, Mumbai – is still the worst affected state In the UK, shielding ends for …

31-07-2020 Bureau Report MELBOURNE/ CANBERRA: Australia’s Victoria state recorded its second-highest day of new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases on Friday as it emerged that one in four people diagnosed with the disease could not be found at home, and the state’s leader flagged the prospect of more rigorous steps to curb …

31-07-2020 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ PARIS/ BEIJING/ ISLAMABAD: The first five Dassault Rafale fighter jets bought from France in a multi-billion-dollar deal landed in India on Wednesday and the defence minister used their arrival to launch a veiled warning to neighbouring China over territorial …

31-07-2020 WASHINGTON: Top Republicans have rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that November’s presidential election should be delayed over alleged fraud concerns. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy both dismissed the idea, sources reported. Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election. Any delay would …

31-07-2020 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Over dozen people were killed in another car bomb explosion in an Afghan city as crowds shopped for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, officials and a medic said. “Seventeen bodies and 21 wounded people were brought to our …

30-07-2020 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: A man accused of blasphemy for claiming that he was a prophet has been shot dead in a courtroom in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, police officials say, the latest violence associated with Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws. Tahir Ahmad Naseem …