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19-12-2021 By SJA Jafri KARACHI: An explosion at bank in the Pakistani city of Karachi killed multiple people and injured several others, officials said. The explosion was caused by a build-up of gas in the sewage line located under a private bank near Paracha Chowk in Karachi’s Shershah area, according …

19-12-2021 Bureau Report AMRITSAR/ NEW DELHI: Police in the Indian city of Amritsar say a man suspected of trying to commit a sacrilegious act at Sikhism’s holiest shrine has been beaten to death. The incident took place during a prayer service at the city’s Golden Temple on Saturday, according to …

19-12-2021 LONDON: A “major incident” has been declared in London amid “huge concern” over the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant across the capital. It comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Saturday he was “incredibly worried” about staff absences in vital public services including the NHS, fire service …

19-12-2021 MADINAH/ RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is planning to revive the hajj and Umrah sectors of the Kingdom through greater cooperation between private and public entities. According to a report published by Arab News, the move will allow the kingdom to expand services to pilgrims visiting the two holiest sites for …

19-12-2021 WASHINGTON: Newly obtained Pentagon documents show that the US air wars in the Middle East have been marked by “deeply flawed intelligence” and resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, including many children, the New York Times reported Saturday. It said a trove of confidential documents covering more than 1,300 …

18-12-2021 OSAKA/ TOKYO: At least 27 people are feared to have died after a fire broke out in a building in downtown Osaka, Japan. Police are investigating whether the blaze was started deliberately, public broadcaster NHK said. They are investigating reports that a man spilled liquid that started the fire. …

18-12-2021 SHANGHAI/ NEW DELHI/ WASHINGTON: Rising consumption in China, India and the United States could bring global coal-fired power demand to a new all-time high this year, undermining efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday. The IEA said global power generation from coal …

18-12-2021 PYONGYANG: North Korea has restricted its citizens from laughing or showing any signs of happiness for 11 days to commemorate the 10th death anniversary of their leader, Kim Jong-il, The Hindustan Times reported. The publication cited a news story by Radio Free Asia to confirm the ban which quoted …

18-12-2021 Bureau Report + BBC NEW DELHI: According to the recently released data by the government’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 22,372 housewives took their own lives last year – that’s an average of 61 suicides every day or one every 25 minutes. Housewives accounted for 14.6% of the total …

17-12-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ RIYADH/ ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s finance ministry under the new Taliban-led government has prepared a draft national budget that, for the first time in two decades, is funded without foreign aid, a spokesman said. It comes as the country is mired in …