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12-03-2023 BEIJING: Four years before Li Qiang gained notoriety as the force behind the two-month COVID-19 lockdown of Shanghai, the man who became China’s premier on Saturday worked quietly behind the scenes to drive a bold revamp of the megacity’s sclerotic stock market. Li’s back-channelling sources said he bypassed the …

12-03-2023 MOSCOW: Mercenary force boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his Wagner private army has opened recruitment centres in 42 Russian cities as he seeks to replenish the army’s ranks after heavy losses in fighting for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. In an upbeat audio message on Friday, Prigozhin said new fighters …

12-03-2023 BERLIN: Sorrow, solidarity and shock are among the sentiments being expressed in Germany as the country comes to terms with a mass shooting in which seven people died at a Jehovah’s Witness place of worship in Hamburg. Several other people remain in a critical condition after a gunman fired …

12-03-2023 Bureau Report KABUL/ BALKH/ ISLAMABAD: An explosion during an award ceremony for journalists in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province has killed at least one person and wounded eight others, according to a Taliban police spokesman. The explosion took place at the Tabian Farhang centre in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the …

12-03-2023 BAMAKO: Mali’s interim government has postponed a constitutional referendum, a key step on the country’s path towards elections meant to restore democracy after a military takeover in 2020. “The transitional government informs national and international opinion that the date of the referendum scheduled for March 19, 2023 … will …

12-03-2023 MANAMA: Bahrain has revoked visas issued to Human Rights Watch (HRW) to attend an international parliamentary conference, the rights group said on Friday, days after raising concerns about the Gulf state’s rights record. Visas that were issued for two members of the rights group on January 30 were cancelled …

12-03-2023 ROME: More than 1,000 migrants were brought ashore to southern Italy on Saturday after coastguards launched major rescue operations for three boats struggling in rough seas off Calabria. One coastguard vessel brought 584 people to the city of Reggio Calabria, while another escorted a packed fishing boat carrying 487 …

11-03-2023 TEHRAN/ RIYADH: TEHRAN: Regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions in Chinese-brokered talks, they said in a joint statement, seven years after relations were severed. The move caps a broader realignment and efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East. Riyadh …

11-03-2023 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India and Australia have agreed to accelerate a broader economic partnership and to boost their defence ties, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says. Last year, the two countries signed a free trade deal, called the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), the first signed by …

11-03-2023 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former prime minister who led during the height of the pandemic has been charged with corruption, a move that ratchets up already bitter political tensions. Muhyiddin Yassin, 75, was arrested just months after losing an election to PM Anwar Ibrahim in November. The former PM has …