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15-03-2021 MYANMAR (BURMA): At least 38 people have been killed in the latest crackdown by security forces against anti-coup protesters in Myanmar, according to an advocacy group, as the military government declared martial law over two townships in the country’s largest city, Yangon. The death toll reported on Sunday by …

15-03-2021 Bureau Report LONDON/ ISLAMABAD: Well-known British-Pakistani Momin Saqib, a former student, has been named a Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Hero at the Commonwealth Youth Awards 2021. The Commonwealth Youth Awards recognize young people who are actively involved in bringing about meaningful change and are integral to creating a more innovative …

14-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report LONDON/ KARACHI: After thousands of people gathered to mark the killing of a 33-year-old woman, police in London clashed with mourners and protesters on Saturday, just a few hours after the police officer charged with her murder appeared in court. Sarah Everard’s disappearance …

14-03-2021 Bureau Report KABUL/ DOHA/ ISLAMABAD: A Taliban spokesman has expressed scepticism over a proposal by the United States for an interim government in Afghanistan, saying transitional governments have proven ineffective and that the group’s vision for the country revolved around a strong central administration capable of enforcing their definition …

14-03-2021 RIYADH: Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are now able to switch jobs without their employers’ permission after the long-awaited labour reforms in the Gulf region’s most populous country went into effect. In November last year, the country’s ministry of human resources and social development announced plans to amend the Kafala …

13-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report COLOMBO/ ISLAMABAD: Sri Lanka’s government says it will ban the wearing of the burqa and close more than 1,000 Islamic schools, the latest actions affecting the country’s minority Muslim population. Separately, the government on Saturday announced using a controversial anti-terror law to deal …

13-03-2021 Bureau Report CHRISTCHURCH/ WELLINGTON/ MELBOURNE: New Zealand has marked the second anniversary of one of its most traumatic days, when 51 worshippers were killed at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist gunman. Several hundred people gathered at the Christchurch Arena on Saturday for the remembrance service, which was …

13-03-2021 MUSCAT/ DUBAI/ TEHRAN: An Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-run shipping company said on Friday, adding it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called “terrorism” and naval piracy. The ship, Shahre Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesday’s …

13-03-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report CANBERRA/ MELBOURNE/ SYDNEY: Australian politics appears set to face a reckoning after a wave of allegations of sexual assault and harassment committed by multiple politicians and staff at Parliament House in the country’s capital. Allegations have so far been made against a male …

13-03-2021 MINNESOTA/ WASHINGTON: The Minneapolis, Minnesota city council voted unanimously on Friday to pay $27m to settle a lawsuit filed by George Floyd’‘s family. In July, Floyd’s family sued the city and the four police officers charged in his death last May. The suit alleged the officers violated Floyd’s rights …