International

04-07-2023 Bureau Report + BBC NEW DELHI: In July 2022, Twitter took the Indian government to court over its orders to block certain accounts and tweets. Several free speech experts hailed it as a significant lawsuit. It was the first instance of a social media company suing the government over …

03-07-2023 KATHMANDU: Thousands of farmers and their families across Nepal celebrated an annual paddy festival by planting rice, splashing in the muddy fields and enjoying a special feast. The farmers were joined by other villagers, visitors from the cities and tourists visiting the Himalayan nation to mark the National Paddy …

04-07-2023 VATICAN CITY/ RIYADH/ DUBAI: Pope Francis has condemned the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden, saying that the vile act had “angered and disgusted” him and he refused to acknowledge the act as a form of freedom of speech. The comments came in response to the latest incident …

04-07-2023 JERUSALEM/ WEST BANK: Israeli forces hit Jenin with air strikes and ground raids carried out by hundreds of soldiers, killing at least eight Palestinians. A ninth Palestinian is shot dead by Israeli soldiers near Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society urgently calls for “safe passage to evacuate the wounded …

04-07-2023 TEHRAN: Iran has lashed out against France for allowing a meeting and rally by the blacklisted Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), or People’s Mujahidin Organization, which Tehran says amounts to support for “terrorism”. French officials need to “make up for their past mistakes” in backing the “murderers of Iranian people” and …

04-07-2023 WASHINGTON: The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns on Saturday claimed that the Ukraine war has had a “corrosive” effect on Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that the discontent over the conflict creates a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the spy agency. Speaking at the Ditchley Foundation in the …

03-07-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies + BBC NEW DELHI: Nurses and midwives are vital for India’s healthcare system, but it faces challenges due to high demand and limited resources. Kathija Bibi, a recently retired nurse who received a government award for overseeing more than 10,000 successful deliveries, looks back on …

03-07-2023 JERUSALEM/ DAMASCUS: Israel has launched air raids on Syria, aiming at locations near the government-held city of Homs, but Syrian air defences downed most of the missiles, according to a state media report. The SANA news agency, quoting an army statement early on Sunday, said the missiles flew over …

03-07-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies MELBOURNE/ SYDNEY: Thousands of people have rallied in cities and towns across Australia to back a campaign to recognize the country’s Indigenous people in the constitution in advance of a referendum later this year. The gatherings on Sunday, organized by the Yes23 campaign, were part …

03-07-2023 NEW YORK: Twitter is limiting how many tweets various accounts can read per day, owner Elon Musk has said, in a bid to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and system manipulation. The restrictions, announced on Friday, began to have ripple effects early on Saturday, causing more than 7,500 …