International

31 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri BAGHDAD/ WASHINGTON: The President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump says he holds Tehran “fully responsible” for protesters storming the US embassy compound in Baghdad days after the US attacked an Iran-backed group in Iraq and Syria. “Iran killed an American contractor, wounding …

31 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri BAGHDAD/ WASHINGTON: Protesters angered by recent deadly US air strikes targeting an Iran-backed Iraqi militia have attacked the US embassy compound in Baghdad. US troops fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that breached the outer wall of the compound, which is in the …

31 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies NEW YORK/ MELBOURNE: The man suspected of stabbing five people at a rabbi’s house in New York State kept journals which included references to Jews and anti-Semitism, authorities said. Federal prosecutors have filed hate crime charges against Grafton Thomas over the attack. …

31 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri SYDNEY/ MELBOURNE: Thousands of people have fled into the water at a beachside town in Australia to seek shelter from a massive bushfire bearing down on the area. Residents said the blaze moved into the Victorian town of Mallacoota on Tuesday morning, throwing embers …

30 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: The Taliban on Monday denied agreeing to any ceasefire in Afghanistan after rumours swirled of a potential deal that would see a reduction in fighting after more than 18 years of war. “In the past few days, some media have been releasing …

30 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies SYDNEY/ PERTH/ MELBOURNE: Scores of fires are burning out of control across Australia amid a heatwave which has seen temperatures exceed 40C (104F) in every state. On Monday, the most dangerous fires were in the state of Victoria. About 30,000 residents and …

30 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON: The Afghan Taliban’s ruling council has agreed to a temporary cease-fire in the war torn country, officials from the sources yesterday. However, Afghan Taliban officials did not specify when the ceasefire would come into effect. According to the sources, it is …

30 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + BBC HOUSTON/ MELBOURNE: A gunman opened fire in a church in Texas, fatally shooting two parishioners before being killed by an armed member of the congregation. The gunman stood up from a pew at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, a …

30 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies BAGHDAD/ DUBAI/ WASHINGTON: The United States military said on Sunday it carried out “defensive strikes” in Iraq and Syria against the Kataib Hezbollah armed group, two days after a US civilian contractor was killed in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base. Iraqi security and …

29 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: An overnight Taliban attack has killed at least 17 local fighters in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province, local officials said, even as a temporary nationwide ceasefire may be in the works. The attack on Sunday apparently targeted a local militia commander who escaped …