21-09-2020 TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday said the Islamic republic’s 1980-88 war with Iraq showed the country can defend itself, without directly addressing the current circumstances. “Trying for eight years, doing everything they can, and yet achieving nothing — is there a greater victory for Iran?” …
Read More »Taj Mahal reopens even as India COVID-19 cases soar
21-09-2020 AGRA/ NEW DELHI: The Taj Mahal is set to reopen to visitors after a six-month closure, even as the pandemic has accelerated in recent weeks with India set to overtake the US to become the nation worst-hit by COVID-19. India, home to 1.3 billion people and some of the …
Read More »Iran chides US as world refuses to reimpose sanctions
21-09-2020 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON/ GENEVA: Iran has promised to inflict a “decisive response” against the United States for acting like a bully to adversaries and allies alike after Washington said it would reimpose UN sanctions – without United Nations’ approval. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation in a live televised cabinet …
Read More »Coronavirus found on imported squid packaging in China
21-09-2020 NINGBO, China: Authorities in China’s northeastern Jilin province have found the novel coronavirus on the packaging of imported squid, health authorities in the city of Fuyu said on Sunday, urging anyone who may have bought it to get themselves tested. One of the packages had arrived in the city …
Read More »World should oppose US sanctions or expect same: Zarif
20-09-2020 (With input from wires) TEHRAN/ GENEVA: The world community should oppose the United States’ use of sanctions to impose its will as a “bully,” or expect to face sanctions itself, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday. Separately, the chief of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards rejected …
Read More »Military trucks roll into Belarus’s capital
20-09-2020 MINSK: Military trucks and vehicles have rolled into the centre of Belarus’s capital, Minsk, before a planned opposition march, as anonymous hackers leaked what they said was the personal data of more than 1,000 police officers in retaliation for a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. The protest movement calling for …
Read More »40 Taliban, 11 civilians killed in Afghan airstrikes
20-09-2020 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Almost 11 civilians were killed and more than 10 others wounded on Saturday in twin air strikes on a Taliban base in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunduz, a provincial official said. The Taliban issued a statement accusing Afghan forces of …
Read More »Iran’s Guards vow Soleimani’s revenge will target only ‘those involved’
20-09-2020 TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief said Saturday that Tehran will avenge the US killing of its top commander General Qasem Soleimani by targeting only those involved, in an “honourable” retaliation. Soleimani, who headed the Guards elite Qods Force, was killed in an American air strike near Baghdad airport in …
Read More »UAE gets American drones as China ramps up sales
20-09-2020 DUBAI/ WASHINGTON: The White House’s recent decision to allow the sale of advanced weapons systems to the United Arab Emirates highlights the deliberate shift in US policy towards the UAE after it signed “normalization” accords with Israel. Why would the UAE want American drones as it already has dozens …
Read More »Heavy showers bring relief to fire-struck Oregon
19-09-2020 GATES, OREGON: Heavy and intermittent showers were good news for residents of the state on Friday as it helped firefighters subdue the deadly flames further after nearly two weeks of carnage caused by the wildfires. Oregon was especially hard hit by scores of wind-driven wildfires that erupted all at …
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