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12-10-2022 Bureau Report + Agencies WASHINGTON/ KABUL: The United States announced new sanctions Tuesday against the Taliban as punishment for their repressive treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken unveiled the new visa restriction policy for current or former members of the Taliban and others …

12-10-2022 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said that women across the world can now perform Hajj and Umrah without a mahram (blood relative) or a male guardian. The announcement was made by the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah during a press conference, ending decades-long rule by the Kingdom, …

13-10-2022 Naypyidaw NAYPYIDAW: A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Wednesday sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison on charges of accepting a bribe, a source with knowledge of the matter said. The 77-year-old Nobel laureate, a figurehead of opposition to military rule, faces charges for …

13-10-2022 TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader called anti-government protests “scattered riots” designed by the enemy, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday. “These scattered riots are the passive and clumsy design of the enemy against the great and innovative developments and movements of the Iranian nation,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. …

12-10-2022 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ TORONTO/ LONDON: The Narendra Modi government has served a demarche to the Justin Trudeau government asking it to stop the Khalistan Referendum organized by pro-Khalistan secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in Ontario on November 6. The demarche was served to a senior …

12-10-2022 WASHINGTON: The Democratic chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called on Monday for a freeze on cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including most arms sales, accusing the kingdom of helping underwrite the Russian war on Ukraine after OPEC+ announced last week it would cut oil production. The Saudi-led …

12-10-2022 GAZA: The leaders of rival Palestinian groups are meeting in Algeria for two-day talks aimed at discussing a proposal for reconciliation and national unity. The proposal was drawn up after “months of effort by Algeria to reach a common vision for boosting the Palestinian national action”, Palestinian ambassador Fayez …

12-10-2022 LONDON: European countries have already bought more liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2022 than in any year previously. The surge in demand followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with various European governments rushing to end their dependence on Russian energy as quickly as possible. In the nine months from January …

12-10-2022 BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Lebanon and Israel have reached a historic agreement demarcating a disputed maritime border between them following years of US-mediated negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday. While limited in scope, a deal would mark a significant compromise between states with a history of war and hostility, …

12-10-2022 UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations General Assembly voted on Monday to reject Russia’s call for the 193-member body to hold a secret ballot later this week on whether to condemn Moscow’s move to annex four partially occupied regions in Ukraine. The General Assembly decided, with 107 votes in favour, …