International

22-11-2023 RIYADH: AlUla’s rise as a tourist destination has been boosted with national flag carrier Saudia increasing its connectivity to the ancient city from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to eight flights a week. Saudia Vice President of Passenger Sales Manal Al-Shehri and RCU Vice President of the Marketing and Management …

21-11-2023 BANJUL: It’s the happy memories of his toddler son playing around their home in The Gambia’s capital that are most painful for Ebrima Sagnia to remember. When he tries to speak, Sagnia pauses mid-sentence, muted by grief. In September last year, Sagnia watched Lamin writhe in pain on a …

21-11-2023 LONDON: A recent inquiry into Britain’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a concerning quote from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, according to the Times of India. According to Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser to the government, then-finance minister Sunak during a meeting with then-prime minister Boris …

21-11-2023 BERLIN/ COLOGNE: Germany on Monday condemned an appearance by a Taliban official at a mosque in Cologne, with the interior minister demanding explanations from the Turkish organization running the site. Abdul Bari Omar, who is an official with the Taliban-run health authority in Afghanistan, attended the mosque to speak …

21-11-2023 GAZA CITY: Mounir el-Boursh, the Gaza health ministry director, has dismissed Israel’s claim that it had found a Hamas tunnel at the al-Shifa Hospital, describing it as a “pure lie”. Israel has continued its air attacks on Gaza, targeting several areas in the enclave. More than 13,000 people have …

21-11-2023 JERUSALEM: The Israeli army claims it has uncovered a tunnel shaft under the beleaguered al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. In a statement on Sunday, the army said it found a 55-metre-long (180 ft), 10-metre-deep (32 ft) tunnel under Gaza’s largest medical facility, which has been under siege by Israeli …

21-11-2023 GAZA CITY: 31 neo-natal babies were evacuated from Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, on Sunday. The WHO called the facility which has seen intense fighting nearby, a “death zone” after UN workers visited and found a mass grave near the entrance. Video shows dozens of bodies, including women and children, …

21-11-2023 Bureau Report MELBOURNE/ SYDNEY: Thousands of Australian students have walked out of class to attend School Strike 4 Climate rallies, backed by a “sick note” from “climate doctors”. Signed by three prominent scientists, it concludes: “It is my recommendation that they take a sick day to protest for a …

21-11-2023 PARIS: A hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte when he ruled the French empire in the 19th Century will go on sale at auction in Paris on Sunday. The bicorne black beaver felt hat is valued between €600,000 and €800,000 (£525,850-£701,131). Historians say the headwear was part of Napoleon’s brand. …

21-11-2023 UNITED NATIONS/ GAZA CITY: The World Health Organization (WHO) has described al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City as a “death zone”. A joint UN team led by the WHO assessed the hospital for one hour following its occupation by the Israeli military and as some patients and those seeking shelter …