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01-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: Chinese investment in Australia collapsed by more than 61 per cent in 2020, according to new figures from the Australian National University (ANU). This followed a 47 per cent fall in 2019 and is the lowest number recorded over the past …

01-03-2021 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON/ UNITED NATIONS: Iran has ruled out holding an informal meeting with the United States and European countries to discuss ways to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, insisting that Washington must first lift all its unilateral sanctions. “Considering the recent actions and statements by the …

28-02-2021 ANKARA/ TEHRAN/ BAGHDAD: Turkey summoned the Iranian ambassador to the country on Sunday over remarks alleging Ankara has violated Iraq’s sovereignty, state media reported. Ambassador Mohammad Farazmand was called in to Turkey’s foreign ministry after Iran’s ambassador to Iraq made the comments about Ankara’s cross-border military offensive against Kurdistan …

28-02-2021 NAYPYIDAW/ MYANMAR: As many as 18 people have been killed and dozens wounded across Myanmar in the most violent crackdown yet by security forces against peaceful demonstrators protesting against a February 1 military coup, according to the United Nations human rights office. “Throughout the day, in several locations throughout …

28-02-2021 DUBAI/ JERUSALEM: An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman has arrived at Dubai’s port for repairs, days after the blast revived security concerns about the Middle East’s waterways amid heightened tensions with Iran. The hulking Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray sat at dry dock …

28-02-2021 WASHINGTON/ NEW BRUNSWICK: The United States of America (USA) has authorized Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, adding a third jab to its medical toolbox to fight one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Saturday that Johnson & Johnson’s …

28-02-2021 RIYADH/SANA’A/ SUBAI: Multiple explosions were heard and the night skies above Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, lit up with bright flashes on Saturday as a Saudi-led military coalition announced the thwarting of a missile attack that it blamed on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the …

27-02-2021 RIYADH/ WASHINGTON/ ISTANBUL: The Saudi government has issued a statement rejecting a US intelligence report that says Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler approved an operation to capture or kill murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The Saudi government repeated its previous statements that Khashoggi’s killing were a heinous crime …

27-02-2021 WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has passed in a late-night vote President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, as Democrats who control the chamber steered the sweeping measure towards approval. The bill cleared the House on a party-line vote of 219 to 212 early on Saturday. That …

27-02-2021 By SJA Jafri WASHINGTON/ ISTANBUL/ RIYADH: Jamal Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi hit squad operating under the command of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), United States intelligence agencies concluded. A unclassified US intelligence report released on Friday confirms for the first time what role top US intelligence officials …