30-12-2022 Bureau Report MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic has been welcomed back into Australia almost a year after he was deported over his COVID vaccine status. Officials confirmed the 21-time Grand Slam champion, 35, had landed in the country for January’s Australian Open. Serb Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open winner, had an …
Read More »Niagara Falls transformed into frozen spectacle
30-12-2022 OTTAWA: Chunks of ice and snow-capped rocks could be seen at the base of the Niagara Falls after a huge winter storm swept over the US and Canada. Plunging temperatures over the Christmas period transformed the waterfalls into a wintry sight to behold. The blizzard caused huge disruption across …
Read More »Netanyahu’s hardline new government to take office in Israel
30-12-2022 JERUSALEM: The most religious and hardline government in Israel’s history is due to be sworn in. Benjamin Netanyahu will return as prime minister, after his Likud party formed a coalition with ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies. There is domestic and international concern it will inflame the conflict with the …
Read More »Energy giant ExxonMobil sues EU over windfall tax
30-12-2022 BRUSSELS/ LUXEMBOURG: US energy giant ExxonMobil is suing the European Union (EU) in a bid to stop its new windfall tax on oil firms. A windfall tax is imposed on firms that benefited from something they were not responsible for. Energy firms are getting much more money for their …
Read More »Dozens dead after fire rips through Cambodia hotel-casino
30-12-2022 PHNOM PENH: A massive fire that tore through a hotel and casino in the Cambodian border town of Poipet has killed at least 19 people and injured more than 60, according to an official, while other victims were apparently not yet accounted for. Videos posted on social media showed …
Read More »18 children ‘die after consuming India-made syrup’
29-12-2022 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: Uzbekistan’s health ministry has said at least 18 children have died after consuming a medicinal syrup manufactured by Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd. The ministry said 18 out of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while suffering from an acute respiratory disease …
Read More »Iranian woman competes at chess tournament ‘without hijab’
29-12-2022 ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN: An Iranian chess player has taken part in an international tournament without a hijab, according to media reports, the latest of several Iranian sportswomen to appear at competitions without one since anti-government protests began. Iran has been swept by demonstrations against the country’s clerical leadership since mid-September …
Read More »After year of climate disasters, world off-track to curb warming
29-12-2022 PARIS: Catastrophic floods, crop-wilting droughts and record heat-waves this year have shown that climate change warnings are increasingly becoming reality and this is “just the beginning”, experts say, as international efforts to cut planet-heating emissions founder. The year did see some important progress, with major new legislation, particularly in …
Read More »Hospitals ‘extremely busy’ as COVID spreads unchecked in China
29-12-2022 BEIJING/ CHENGDU: Chinese hospitals and funeral homes were under intense pressure on Wednesday as a surging COVID-19 wave drained resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to consider new travel rules on Chinese visitors. In an abrupt change of policy, China …
Read More »British woman killed in Australia during break-in
29-12-2022 Bureau Report MELBOURNE/ BRISBANE: A British mother-of-two killed while defending her home in Australia on Boxing Day has been remembered by her husband as the “glue” of their family. Two 17-year-old boys will face court charged with the murder of Emma Lovell, 41, and the attempted murder of her …
Read More »