International

08 February, 2020 Bureau Report SYDNEY/ MELBOURNE: The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is braced for severe wet weather this weekend as downpours ease the bushfire crisis in the region. Severe weather warnings for rain, winds and flooding have been issued for coastal areas of the eastern state. …

08 February, 2020 GENEVA: A record high temperature of 18.3C (64.9F) has been logged on the continent of Antarctica. The reading, taken on Thursday by Argentine research base Esperanza, is 0.8C hotter than the previous peak temperature of 17.5C, in March 2015. The temperature was recorded in the Antarctic Peninsula, …

07 February, 2020 DAMASCUS/ MOSCOW: A passenger plane in Syria was forced to re-route after it was ‘almost hit’ by the country’s missile defence system, Russia’s Defence Ministry says. According to a statement quoted by Russian media, the plane was about to land in Damascus when Syrian anti-aircraft fire responded …

07 February, 2020 Bureau Report SYDNEY: Torrential rain across the east coast of Australia has extinguished a third of the fires in the region – and could put more out, officials say. A wide band of rain sweeping New South Wales (NSW) has put out 20 of about 60 fires …

07 February, 2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies SANA’A/ WASHINGTON: The United States has killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), President Donald Trump said. Qasim al-Raymi, who has led the jihadist group since 2015, was killed in a US operation in Yemen, the White House said. …

06 February, 2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies LONDON/ JERUSALEM: The number of anti-Jewish incidents logged in the United Kingdom (UK) last year hit record levels yet again amid accusations the opposition Labour Party had failed to tackle the issue within its ranks, a Jewish advisory body has said. The Community …

06 February, 2020 WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has been cleared in his impeachment trial, ending a congressional bid to oust him from office that bitterly divided the US. The Senate, run by the president’s fellow Republicans, voted to acquit him 52-48 on charges of abuse of power and 53-47 on …

05 February, 2020 TEHRAN: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei deplored the US government’s so-called “deal of the century plan” as “absurd and evil” and said the plot will die before US President Donald Trump dies. Addressing a large gathering of people from all walks of life …

05 February, 2020 WELLINGTON/ CANBERRA: Severe flooding forced thousands of residents in New Zealand’s South Island to flee their homes on Wednesday and left hundreds of tourists stranded at the remote Milford Sound. The Southland region declared a state of emergency after being deluged with more than 1,000 millimeters (39 …

05 February, 2020 By SJA Jafri + AJ CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: More than half the Chinese students enrolled in Australian universities have found themselves stranded in their home country with a new academic year looming after the Australian government imposed a travel ban in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The new …