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05-03-2021 BAGHDAD: Pope Francis began a historic visit to Iraq on Friday, the first by a pontiff to the birthplace of the Eastern Churches from where more than a million Christians have fled over the past 20 years. An Alitalia plane carrying the pontiff and his entourage, including about 75 journalists, arrived …

05-03-2021 ZURICH: “Stop Extremism!” urges a red billboard in a quiet village outside Zurich above an image of a scowling woman wearing a black headscarf and face veil. The billboard is part of a campaign by the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to ban face coverings in public and which …

04-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ JALALABAD/ ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan remained in shock and outrage erupted Wednesday after funerals were held for the three Shia women journalists assassinated a day earlier here in the country’s eastern city, with international rights and journalist bodies called for a probe …

04-03-2021 DJIBOUTI/DUBAI/ SANA’A: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said that at least 20 migrants and refugees are dead after smugglers threw 80 people overboard during a voyage from Djibouti in East Africa to Yemen. A statement says “smugglers started shouting there were too many on board” after the …

03-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report PERTH/ CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: Australia’s Attorney General Christian Porter has identified himself as the cabinet minister at the centre of a rape accusation, an allegation he strongly denies. A letter sent to Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week alleged Porter had raped a 16-year-old …

03-03-2021 BAGHDAD/ WASHINGTON: At least 10 rockets have landed at Ain al-Asad airbase in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, according to the Iraqi military and the US-led coalition forces. The rockets struck the airbase, which hosts US, coalition and Iraqi forces, at 7:20am local time (04:20 GMT), Colonel Wayne …

03-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Agencies SANA’A/ DUBAI NEW YORK: Famine could become part of war-torn Yemen’s “reality” in 2021, the UN warned Tuesday; after a donor conference raising funds to keep millions from starvation fell short by over half. The United Nations had sought Monday to raise $3.85 billion …

02-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report JALALABAD/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Three female media workers lost their lives after unknown assailants shot at them in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, their TV network said, in what appeared to be the latest targeted killing to rock the war-torn country. …

02-03-2021 PARIS/ RIYADH/ WASHINGTON/ ISTANBUL: Media watchdog ‘Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) has filed a criminal case in a German court against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and four other high-ranking officials for “crimes against humanity” in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The media watchdog’s lawsuit announcement …

02-03-2021 ABUJA: Kidnappers have released all the girls abducted from a boarding school in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara on Friday, the governor told media, as President Muhammadu Buhari expressed “overwhelming joy” over the news. Bello Matawalle said on Tuesday the nearly 300 students were safe with authorities and …