24-11-2021 Bureau Report CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: Australia has said a La Niña event has developed for a second consecutive year, meaning there is a greater risk locally of floods and cyclones. Last time the weather phenomenon contributed to “once in a century” rains battering parts of Australia but La Niña can …

24-11-2021 ABUDAHABI/ ISTANBUL: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s de facto ruler, will visit Turkey for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Presidency said, as the regional rivals try to repair frayed ties. The meeting on Wednesday will mark the highest-level interaction in …

24-11-2021 WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden has ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from the strategic reserve to help bring down energy costs. The move on Tuesday was done in coordination with other major energy-consuming nations, including China, India, the United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea, the White …

23-11-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ KABUL: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced more than $28m medical, food and other humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan, while also authorizing the transport of food aid from India through Pakistan to Afghanistan, his office says. Khan met his country’s army chief …

23-11-2021 JERUSALEM/ TEHRAN: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has signaled a readiness to step up Israel’s confrontation with Iran, reiterating on Tuesday, his country would not be bound by any new Iranian nuclear deal with world powers. Indirect negotiations will begin on November 29 on reviving the 2015 accord, which former …

23-11-2021 MINSK/ BAGHDAD: As the plane taxied on the runway of Erbil’s airport after a three-hour flight from the Belarusian capital Minsk, Azad looked out the window, clutching his wife’s hands. “We’ll lower our hats, wear masks, and leave the airport as soon as possible,” Azad, a 28-year-old man from …

23-11-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE: Australia’s international border will be further eased from next week under substantial changes announced by the federal government on Monday. From 1 December, Australia’s travel bubble will be expanded and skilled workers, eligible visa holders and international students will be able …

23-11-2021 JEDDAH/ OTTAWA: The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has called on Justin Bieber to cancel his upcoming concert in Saudi Arabia next month. The Canadian singer is among the stars set to perform at the kingdom’s first Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah but Hatice Cengiz wrote an …

23-11-2021 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: Senior executives at Amazon’s business in India have been charged after two men allegedly used the website as part of a marijuana smuggling operation. Last week, police in the central state of Madhya Pradesh arrested two men for allegedly trafficking 20kg of the drug to …

23-11-2021 VIENNA/ TEHRAN: The United States must “accept reality” and agree to lift its sanctions on Iran during next week’s nuclear talks in Vienna, according to Tehran’s top negotiator. Representatives of Iran and the other signatories of its 2015 nuclear deal will be in Austria starting November 29 to try …