01 February, 2020 By SJA Jafri CANBERRA: A bushfire near the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) grew to more than 35,000 hectares on Saturday, as officials closed a major motorway. Residents in some areas around the capital, Canberra, were warned that it was “too late to leave” and they should try …
Read More »US Senate rejects new witnesses in Trump impeachment trial
01 February, 2020 WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK: The US President Donald Trump is set to be acquitted in his impeachment trial after senators voted against calling witnesses or admitting new evidence. Democrats hoped four swing Republicans would vote for witnesses, which would have extended the trial without in all likelihood changing …
Read More »United Kingdom leaves European Union
01 February, 2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies LONDON: The flags outside embassies have been lowered, the countdown clocks have stopped. The United Kingdom (UK)is no longer a member of the European Union (EU). The country’s 47 years of membership officially ceased at the stroke of 23:00 GMT (midnight Brussels time), …
Read More »Bushfires trigger state of emergency for Canberra
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 …
Read More »WHO declares coronavirus global emergency
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 …
Read More »White House pushes back on Bolton book
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 …
Read More »Taliban kill 13 more Afghan soldiers, cops in Kunduz
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 …
Read More »Palestinians reject Trump’s Middle East Plan
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 …
Read More »US drops 7,423 bombs in Afghanistan during 2019
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 …
Read More »Trump releases Middle-East plan against Palestine
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 …
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