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28-02-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: The Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to cut the federal tax revenues that states receive, three sources with the direct knowledge of the matter said. The suggestion will be made to the constitutionally-appointed Finance Commission of India, which makes recommendations on …

28-02-2025 MOSCOW: Russia rules out any negotiations involving five Ukrainian regions annexed since its invasion despite not fully controlling four of them. Russian and US diplomats meet in Turkiye to resolve disputes over the work of their respective embassies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to a special EU …

28-02-2025 TEHRAN: Iranian authorities have again been cracking down on cryptocurrencies and online exchanges as the value of the national currency plummets in an economy in turmoil. Last month, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) suddenly stopped rial payments in all cryptocurrency exchanges, leaving more than 10 million crypto users …

28-02-2025 RABAT: In an unprecedented move, King Mohammed VI of Morocco has urged citizens to forgo the traditional purchase of sheep for sacrifice during the upcoming Eid Al-Adha holiday. The announcement, delivered on state-run Al Aoula television by Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq, cited economic hardship and climate change …

28-02-2025 SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Oscar-winning US actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In a wide-ranging career spanning more than six decades, Hackman won two Academy Awards for his work on The French Connection …

28-02-2025 BANGKOK/ BEIJING: At least 40 Uyghurs have been deported to China, the Thai authorities have confirmed, despite warnings from rights groups that they face possible torture and even death. The group is thought to have been flown back to China’s Xinjiang region on Thursday, after being held for 10 …

28-02-2025 GAZA CITY/ CAIRO/ JERUSALEM: Israel has completed forensic tests confirming the identities of four dead Israeli hostages whose bodies were handed over by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. On Wednesday night, without a ceremony, Hamas passed four coffins to the Red Cross from Gaza. The …

27-02-2025 LONDON: Governments around the world oversaw a record-breaking year for internet shutdowns in 2024, a new report on “digital violence” suggests. There were 296 internet shutdowns documented across 54 countries last year, surpassing the 283 shutdowns in 39 countries in 2023, says the report by Access Now and the …

27-02-2025 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: Iran will not engage in direct talks with the United States on his country’s nuclear program amid US President Donald Trump’s policy of “maximum pressure” against it, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said. His remarks came a day after the US imposed a fresh round of sanctions …

27-02-2025 DAMASCUS/ JERUSALEM/ DOHA: Israeli warplanes hit a town south of Syria’s capital as well as the southern province of Daraa late on Tuesday, residents, security sources and local broadcaster Syria TV said. Israeli planes struck the town of Kisweh approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Damascus, a Syrian …