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19-07-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies DOHA/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Delegations from the Afghan government and the Taliban said in a joint statement on Sunday that they will meet again and plan to expedite peace negotiations after two days of inconclusive talks in Doha, media reported. The negotiators …

19-07-2021 JERUSALEM/ GAZA CITY: Palestinians have condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday by Israeli police, which then launched tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at worshippers at Islam’s third holiest site in occupied East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian media. Israeli police forcefully evacuated Muslim worshippers to …

19-07-2021 WASHINGTON: Activists, journalists and politicians around the world have been spied on using cell phone malware developed by a private Israeli firm, reports said Sunday, igniting fears of widespread privacy and rights abuses. The use of the software, called Pegasus and developed by Israel’s NSO group, was reported on …

18-07-2021 VIENNA/ DUBAI/ RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates energy minister has said the world’s leading oil producers have reached a “full agreement” to modestly boost output from August, ending a standoff that laid bare a growing economic rivalry between the oil-rich nation and its wealthy neighbor Saudi Arabia. The announcement on Sunday …

  18-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI: At least 30 people died in three Mumbai suburbs after several houses collapsed when heavy rain triggered landslides, officials said on Sunday, and forecasts of further downpours could force authorities to relocate people living in danger zones. Rescuers resorted to using …

18-07-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ KABUL/ CHAMAN/ DOHA: Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened its southern crossing with Afghanistan, allowing thousands of Afghans to go back to their homeland through the border town Spin Boldak. “We have opened the Chaman border… allowing crowds of up to …

18-07-2021 MECCA: Pilgrims started to arrive in Mecca on Saturday for the second Hajj to take place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Pilgrims travelling to Islam’s holiest site are expected to socially distance and wear face masks. The event is larger than in 2020, but is still far …

18-07-2021 ERFTSTADT/WASSENBERG: Devastating flooding in western Germany and Belgium killed at least 170 people on Saturday after Burst Rivers and flash floods this week collapsed houses and ripped up roads and power lines. Some 143 people died in the flooding in Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a …

17-07-2021 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ WASHINGTON: WhatsApp has said it blocked over two million accounts in India in May and June for violating rules. The service said 95% of these users were blocked for violating the limits of the number of times messages can be forwarded in India. …

Bureau Report CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE/ SYDNEY: The Australian city of Sydney has ordered a shutdown of building sites, banned non-essential retail and threatened fines for employers who make staff come into the office as new COVID-19 cases kept rising three weeks into a citywide lockdown. Authorities in New South Wales State, …