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20-12-2024 PARIS: France’s highest court has upheld a corruption conviction against former President Nicolas Sarkozy, brushing aside his appeal. Wednesday’s ruling by the Cour de Cassation means that Sarkozy who was in power from 2007 to 2012 must now wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for a year. Sarkozy, 69, reacted …

19-12-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: The Indian rupee hit its all-time low on Wednesday, pressured by strong dollar demand from importers and likely outflows from local equities, while intervention by the Reserve Bank of India curbed losses, traders said. The rupee fell to 84.9550 against the US …

19-12-2024 GAZA STRIP: Israel is keeping up its attacks across the Gaza Strip, including against Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza resulting in its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) being out of service. In central and southern Gaza, tents in what were supposed to be safe zones came under fire that …

19-12-2024 TOKYO: Honda and Nissan are understood to have held exploratory talks about a potential merger to help them compete against electric vehicle (EV) makers, particularly in China. In March, the two Japanese car makers agreed to explore a strategic partnership for EVs. The firms responded to the media with …

19-12-2024 GAZA CITY/ LONDON: Facebook has severely restricted the ability of Palestinian news outlets to reach an audience during the Israel-Gaza war, according to BBC research. In a comprehensive analysis of Facebook data, we found that newsrooms in the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank had suffered a …

19-12-2024 LONDON/ VATICAN CITY: A plot to assassinate Pope Francis during a trip to Iraq was stopped following a tip-off from British intelligence, according to his upcoming autobiography. The Pope writes that, after landing in Baghdad in March 2021, he was told an event at which he was set to …

19-12-2024 OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has been thrown into fresh disarray with the abrupt departure of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland. By the end of a frenetic Monday, a new finance minister was in place, but Trudeau was facing calls from members of his own Liberal Party …

19-12-2024 MOSCOW: Appearance and reality: there is a constant battle in Moscow between the two. Despite nearly three years of war, life here can seem so normal; from the crowds of commuters on the Metro to the bars and clubs packed with young Muscovites. Then, suddenly, something happens to remind …

19-12-2024 DAMASCUS: The road to Idlib, a remote corner in north-west Syria, still has the signs of the old front lines; trenches, abandoned military positions, rocket shells and ammunition. Until a little more than a week ago, this was the only area in the country controlled by the opposition. From …

18-12-2024 BRUSSELS: The European Union has adopted a 15th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including tougher measures against Chinese entities and more vessels from Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet, the EU Commission said in a statement on Monday. The new package adds 52 vessels from the …