28 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies DOHA/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: The Taliban has freed 27 members of an activist group urging peace, two days after abducting them and taking them to an undisclosed location. The Taliban has released 27 members of a peace group a day after they were …

26 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri DAMASCUS/ NEW YORK/ MELBOURNE: Five more pro-Iran fighters were killed by unidentified missiles on Wednesday evening in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor, but the missile was attacked by Israeli forces, sources and a war monitor said. “Missiles of unidentified origin targeted the headquarters …

25 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri COLOMBO/ MELBOURNE: Sri Lanka has marked Christmas on a sombre note, with tight security in places around churches after bombings at several hotels and places of worship on Easter Sunday killed 268 people. Police officers, backed by armed forces, were positioned around all churches that …

25 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri VATICAN CITY/ MELBOURNE: Pope Francis has ushered in Christmas by saying God loves everyone – “even the worst of us”. He was speaking to thousands of people during Christmas Eve Mass in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. “You may have mistaken ideas, you …

23 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri ISTANBUL/ BAGHDAD/ DAMASCUS: There are growing indications that the Islamic State (IS/ Deash) group is re-organizing in Iraq, two years after losing the last of its territory in the country. Kurdish and Western intelligence officials have revealed that the IS presence in Iraq is …

21 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + BBC CANBERRA/ SYDNEY/ MELBOURNE: Australia is grappling with massive bushfires fuelled by record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought. Fires in New South Wales (NSW) have burned at least 2.7m hectares (7.4m acres) this season, destroying more than 700 houses. Eight people – …

21 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies DAMASCUS/ ISTANBUL: Syria’s Idlib province has been hit by over 400 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, monitors said, prompting tens of thousands of people to flee. Rescue workers described the situation as a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Tens of thousands of civilians have …

20 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies BEIJING/ KUALA LUMPUR: Muslim countries should initiate a boycott on Chinese products, an influential Malaysian preacher has said, calling for an end to the detention of ethnic Uighurs, at least a million of whom are reportedly held against their will in China’s …

20 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri (Courtesy Messenger) CANBERRA/ SYDNEY: Two volunteer firefighters died while battling blazes around Sydney, authorities said on Friday, forcing Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison to cut short a holiday in Hawaii that had fuelled public anger at the government’s response to the crisis. Australia has …

19 December, 2019 By SJA Jafri NEW DELHI/ MELBOURNE: Today, big rallies are expected across India as the tumultuous and angry reaction builds against a citizenship law seen as discriminatory against the country’s 200 million Muslims. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to drive the Citizenship Amendment Act  (CAA)) through the …