International

31 January, 2020 By SJA Jafri CANBERRA: Authorities in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have declared a state of emergency as massive bushfires rage south of Canberra. It is the worst fire threat to the territory in nearly two decades, officials said. The main blaze, in the territory’s south, is …

31 January, 2020 NEW YORK/ BEIJING: The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by coronavirus in China as a global emergency on Thursday, after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week, while the death toll rose to 213. This developed as China’s health commission reported on …

30 January, 2020 JERUSALEM/ WASHINGTON: The White House is pushing back against the publication of a book by former national security adviser John Bolton, citing security concerns. The National Security Council said the book had “top secret” details that must be removed, a claim Bolton rejects. A manuscript of the …

29 January, 2020 KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: As many as 13 more Afghan Security Personnel were killed and several more injured after Taliban fighters attacked security checkpoints in northern Kunduz province, officials said on Wednesday. Eight soldiers and at least four policemen were injured in the overnight assault while three others were taken …

29 January, 2020 RAMALLAH/ WASHINGTON: Palestinians have dismissed US President Donald Trump’s new Middle East peace plan as a “conspiracy”. The plan envisages a Palestinian state and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements. Trump said Jerusalem would remain Israel’s “undivided” capital, but the Palestinian capital would “include areas …

29 January, 2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies KABUL/ WASHINGTON/ ISLAMABAD: The United States forces in Afghanistan have dropped a record number of bombs this year more than at any other time in at least 10 years, according to the US Air Force. The US has dropped 7,423 bombs on targets in …

29 January, 2020 WASHINGTON/ JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump has presented his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, promising to keep Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital. He proposed an independent Palestinian state and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements. Standing alongside Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White …

27 January, 2020 LOS ANGELES/ CALIFORNIA: American basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna are among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in the city of Calabasas, California. Bryant, 41, was travelling in a private helicopter when it came down and burst into flames. The LA county sheriff …

26 January, 2020 WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump in 2018 ordered the removal of the US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, according to a video made public on Saturday. In the tape, Trump can be heard saying “Get rid of her!” at a dinner with a group of donors in Washington. …

25 January, 2020 WASHINGTON: Donald Trump became the first United States president to attend the annual March for Life in Washington, DC, on Friday, unleashing a fierce attack on his Democratic rivals during a rally in an election-year show of support for opponents of abortion rights. “Unborn children have never had a …