26-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Secret Reports SANA’A/ DUABI/ RIYADH: Yemen’s southern separatists have announced plans to establish a self-ruled administration in regions under their control in a move the country’s internationally-backed government said would have “catastrophic consequences”. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), in a statement early on Sunday, declared a state …

26-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies + Bureau Reports LONDON/ PARIS/ NEW YORK: The coronavirus global death toll exceeded the 200,000 threshold, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned against countries issuing so-called “immunity passports” to those recovered from COVID-19, saying there is …

25-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies RIYADH/ MEDINA: Saudi Arabia is to abolish flogging as a form of punishment, according to a legal document seen by media outlets. The directive from the Gulf kingdom’s Supreme Court says flogging will be replaced by imprisonment or fines. It says this is an …

24-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies LONDON/ TEHRAN: The United Kingdom said on Friday that an Iranian satellite launch earlier this week was of significant concern and inconsistent with a United Nations Security Council resolution. “Reports that Iran has carried out a satellite launch – using ballistic missile technology – …

24-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies WASHINGTON/ MELBOURNE: US President Donald Trump has been lambasted by the medical community after suggesting research into whether coronavirus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into the body. He also appeared to propose irradiating patients’ bodies with UV light, an idea dismissed by a …

23-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies GENEVA/ LONDON/ MELBOURNE: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned world leaders Wednesday that they will need to manage around the coronavirus for the foreseeable future as cases level off or decline in some countries, while peaking in others and resurging in areas where the …

22-04-2020 By SJA Jafri PARIS/ MELBOURNE/ KARACHI: The 2020 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), shows that the coming decade will be decisive for the future of journalism, with the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting and amplifying the many crises that threaten the right to freely reported, independent, …

21-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies GENEVA/ LONDON/ NEW YORK/ BEIJING: The World Health Organization (WHO) said that all available evidence suggests that the novel coronavirus originated in bats in China late last year and it was not manipulated or constructed in a lab. US President Donald Trump said last …

21-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies + Bureau Reports MEDINA/ RIYADH/ ISLAMABAD/ DAMASCUS/ SANA’A/ KUWAIT CITY: Including one hundred and fifty-six  (156) Shia Muslims including eleven (11) teenagers and six (6) young girls, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) executed a record  one hundred and eighty-seven (187) people during the …

20-04-2020 By SJA Jafri + Agencies JERUSALEM: Wearing face masks, waving black flags, and keeping two meters apart, thousands of Israelis demonstrated against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under strict coronavirus restrictions and declared PM as Crime Minister (CM). “Let democracy win,” said one placard on Sunday, while some protesters wrote …