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26-07-2021 BEIRUT: Former Lebanese premier Najib Mikati is on course to become Lebanon’s prime minister-designate on Monday after receiving the endorsement of Lebanese Sunni leaders. The Tripoli MP and billionaire businessman on Sunday received the support of Sunni political leaders, including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Speaker Nabih Berri and …

26-07-2021 TUNIS: Tunisia’s president has announced the suspension of the Tunisian parliament and the dismissal of Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi after violent protests broke out in several Tunisian cities over the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy. President Kais Saied said on Sunday he would assume executive authority …

25-07-2021 BAGHDAD: Iraq’s prime minister has said his country no longer requires American combat troops to fight ISIL (ISIS), but a formal timeframe for their redeployment will depend on the outcome of talks with US officials this week. Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in an interview with The Associated Press news agency …

25-07-2021 BEIJING/ WASHINGTON: On Sunday, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the US’s second-highest-ranking diplomat will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin, China in what looks set to be tense talks dominated by friction on a number of fronts. Last Monday, US President Joe Biden – along …

25-07-2021 PARIS: An imam of a mosque in France’s Loire region was fired after verses and hadiths he recited during his Eid al-Adha prayer sermon were considered “contrary to the values of the Republic” by Interior Minister Gerald Darmain. Mmadi Ahamada, the imam of the Great Mosque of Saint-Chamond, who …

25-07-2021 NEW DELHI: China’s eastern coast is bracing for a major typhoon just days after deadly floods devastated parts of the country. Typhoon In-Fa is expected to make landfall near Shanghai on Sunday, forecasters say. Flights and train services have been suspended, while people have been ordered to stay indoors. …

25-07-2021 PARIS/ SYDNEY/ ROME: Tens of thousands of people across several countries, including France and Italy, have protested against anti-COVID measures, with the French police using tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in the capital Paris. In France, an estimated 160,000 took to the streets in nationwide protests …

Bureau Report SYDNEY/ MELBOURNE: Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters have taken to the streets of Sydney and other major Australian cities to protest against coronavirus restrictions as infections hit a new record and authorities warned of a “growing problem”. In Sydney, the unmasked participants on Saturday marched from Victoria Park to …

24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s government has imposed a night-time curfew across almost all of the country’s 34 provinces to stem surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive that has seen the armed group make rapid territorial gains. “To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements, …

24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Rescuers in India have combed through mud and debris in a frantic search for survivors after heavy rains lashed the western state of Maharashtra, triggering landslides, flooding and a building collapse and causing dozens of deaths. The state government said in a statement …