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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 …

24-07-2021 BEIJING/ WASHINGTON: China is imposing sanctions on several US individuals and organizations in response to recent US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Those targeted include former US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross. The counter-sanctions come days before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is due to visit …

24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s main political rival Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded an inquiry into the Pegasus spyware scandal, accusing the government of “treason”. Gandhi is one of dozens of Indian politicians, journalists and government critics on an alleged global database of …

24-07-2021 JERUSALEM/ WEST BANK: More than 140 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli troops in the flashpoint village of Beita in the occupied West Bank, medics have said, during protests against an illegal Israeli settlement outpost. The Israeli army said two soldiers were also “lightly injured” in the …

24-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies WASHINGTON/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: US President Joe Biden has authorized up to $100m from an emergency fund to meet “unexpected urgent” refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa applicants, the White House said. Biden also approved on Friday the release …