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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 …

18-12-2024 DHAKA: Elections in Bangladesh could be held by the end of 2025, the head of the country’s interim government said on Monday, provided that electoral reforms are carried out first. Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government led by its only Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus since August, when …

18-12-2024 Bureau Report NEW DELHI/ BENGALURU: India’s private sector output grew at the fastest pace in four months, preliminary readings from a survey showed, helping the economy end 2024 on a positive note underpinned by sturdier demand in services and manufacturing and record jobs growth. Asia’s third-largest economy grew a …

18-12-2024 SANA’A: Yemen’s Houthi group has said it launched a missile attack targeting central Israel, vowing to continue its military operations against the country until the Israeli military ends its war on Gaza. The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised address that the operation on Monday was …

18-12-2024 GAZA STRIP: Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza, firing at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north and killing two people in Beit Lahiya, four in the Shati refugee camp and five others in Gaza City. The victims of Israel’s bombings included Khaled Nabhan, a grandfather in Gaza who …

18-12-2024 BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a vote of confidence in parliament, paving the way for early elections on 23 February. Scholz called Monday’s vote and had expected to lose it, but calculated that triggering an early election was his best chance of reviving his party’s political fortunes. …