KABUL: Afghanistan has applied to UNESCO to have the country’s ancient attan dance registered as intangible cultural heritage. The routine, which has become Afghanistan’s national dance, was traditionally performed by Pashtun tribes ahead of battles or on special occasions such as weddings, the birth of a child, or national holidays.Mahbooba Babakarkhail, head of intangible cultural … Read more
LONDON: Thousands of refugees and migrants currently in Greece are at risk of becoming homeless, as an EU scheme to provide temporary shelter and cash assistance is set to end. Aid groups and international bodies have appealed for action as up to 2,000 men, women and children in Greece face destitution as the EU-funded Filoxenia … Read more
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations special envoy on Myanmar called on the UN Security Council to take action against the ruling junta after the killings of protesters who have continued to defy security forces at demonstrations against last month’s coup.The Southeast Asian country has been plunged into turmoil since the military overthrew and detained elected … Read more
Author: Reuters ID: 1614970032659618800 Fri, 2021-03-05 22:02 MOGADISHU: More than 10 people were killed Friday night when a car bomb detonated by Al-Shabaab extremists hit a popular restaurant in Mogadishu, according to a security official. A suicide bomber detonated the car loaded with explosives outside the popular Lul Yemeni restaurant near the Mogadishu port. “The blast … Read more
LONDON: Thousands of refugees and migrants currently in Greece are at risk of becoming homeless, as an EU scheme to provide temporary shelter and cash assistance is set to end. Aid groups and international bodies have appealed for action as up to 2,000 men, women and children in Greece face destitution as the EU-funded Filoxenia … Read more
Author: AFP ID: 1614960721558851000 Fri, 2021-03-05 15:42 BHABANIPUR, Bangladesh: A giant portrait of Bangladesh’s founding leader made from rice paddies has drawn hundreds of visitors as the country gears up to celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence this month. The 400 meter-long portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — the father of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh … Read more
Author: Reuters ID: 1614953688848165200 Fri, 2021-03-05 13:57 CHENNAI: India’s chief justice is under pressure to resign after asking a man accused of rape whether he would marry the complainant — sparking outrage and concern that his words could legitimize the notion that rapists can make amends by marrying their victims. Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde … Read more
Author: Phil HAZLEWOOD | AFP ID: 1614950403757896600 Fri, 2021-03-05 13:15 LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II’s 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, was on Friday moved back to a private London hospital after a successful heart procedure, Buckingham Palace said, raising hopes for his recovery. The Duke of Edinburgh, who turns 100 in June, was transferred from the state-run … Read more
ROME: Pope Francis left Rome on Friday for a historic trip to Iraq, his first abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to an AFP reporter aboard his plane. The 84-year-old, who said he was making the first-ever papal visit to Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace,” will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when … Read more
Author: By JAMEY KEATEN | AP ID: 1614949210847746700 Fri, 2021-03-05 12:54 GENEVA: At a time when seemingly everyone in Europe is wearing masks to battle COVID-19, the Swiss go to the polls Sunday to vote on a long-laid proposal to ban face-coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women in the … Read more
A true “hockey dad” on and off the ice, Walter Gretzky was the embodiment of selfless sportsmanship and fatherly love. The Canadian hockey patriarch passed away Thursday night after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and other health issues. He was 82. Wayne Gretzky took to Twitter to pay tribute to his late father and … Read more
Author: Reuters ID: 1614929201786532700 Fri, 2021-03-05 07:24 Police opened fire on Friday in the Myanmar city of Mandalay on protesting opponents of a Feb. 1 military coup, killing one person, witnesses and media said. The young man was shot in the neck and died, media said. Earlier in the day, a big crowd had marched … Read more
ROME: Pope Francis left Rome on Friday for a historic trip to Iraq, his first abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to an AFP reporter aboard his plane. The 84-year-old, who said he was making the first-ever papal visit to Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace,” will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when … Read more
ROME: Pope Francis left Rome on Friday for a historic trip to Iraq, his first abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to an AFP reporter aboard his plane. The 84-year-old, who said he was making the first-ever papal visit to Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace,” will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when … Read more
A new study in pro athletes found that heart inflammation was uncommon after a mild case of COVID-19 By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer March 5, 2021, 6:30 AM • 3 min read Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this article Heart inflammation is uncommon in pro athletes who’ve had mostly mild COVID-19 and most don’t … Read more
The Calgary Flames have fired Geoff Ward and brought Darryl Sutter back as head coach. The team made the announcement Thursday night after Ward coached the Flames to a 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Flames went 11-11-2 under Ward. Sutter coached the Flames from 2002 to 2006, and served as the team’s general … Read more
TORONTO — An Ontario physician has been issued three cautions by the province’s regulatory college for doctors after her tweets about the COVID-19 pandemic were found to be “inappropriate” and “unprofessional.” The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) conducted a hearing in February to look into multiple complaints made against Dr. Kulvinder Kaur … Read more
‘Extraordinary’ loan delinquency forces Pakistani state-owned bank to close Bangladesh branch DHAKA/KARACHI, Pakistan: The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) is closing one of its Bangladesh branches after failing to recover nearly 98 percent of its loans from debtors, the bank’s country head has said. The state-owned NBP has branches in 21 countries and assets worth … Read more
Public servants worked on the weekend and into the night to get a $5.5 million taxpayer-funded grant for Foxtel processed before an end of financial year deadline. Key points: Foxtel is to be paid $40 million by taxpayers to broadcast women’s, under-represented and niche sports, over a period from 2017 FOIs reveal Foxtel has “demonstrated … Read more
Author: Fri, 2021-03-05 02:40 GENEVA: The UN’s human rights chief has asked Ethiopia to allow monitors into Tigray to investigate reports of killings and sexual violence that may amount to war crimes in the northern region since late 2020. “Victims and survivors of these violations must not be denied their rights to the truth and … Read more
‘Extraordinary’ loan delinquency forces Pakistani state-owned bank to close Bangladesh branch DHAKA/KARACHI, Pakistan: The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) is closing one of its Bangladesh branches after failing to recover nearly 98 percent of its loans from debtors, the bank’s country head has said. The state-owned NBP has branches in 21 countries and assets worth … Read more
Author: Thu, 2021-03-04 23:26 LONDON: British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has warned that teenagers are being recruited to Islamist terror groups in “worrying” numbers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Raab told parliament that Daesh was “weakened,” but its propaganda still needed to be confronted “head on.” The minister said the lockdown has presented a “perfect … Read more
TORONTO — An Ontario zoo is being called the worst place for elephants in North America due to practices that are allegedly killing and harming the animals, a new report by an international animal rights organization has found. In Defense of Animals recently released its list of the 10 most harmful zoos for elephants in … Read more
ROME: Magistrates in Sicily are set to charge 21 people and three human rights groups with aiding illegal immigration from Libya and colluding with people smugglers. Prosecutors in Trapani said that they had completed an investigation centered on the Iuventa, a vessel operated by Jugend Rettet, a Berlin-based NGO that claims to have rescued thousands of … Read more
‘Extraordinary’ loan delinquency forces Pakistani state-owned bank to close Bangladesh branch DHAKA/KARACHI, Pakistan: The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) is closing one of its Bangladesh branches after failing to recover nearly 98 percent of its loans from debtors, the bank’s country head has said. The state-owned NBP has branches in 21 countries and assets worth … Read more
TORONTO — Ontario is reporting fewer than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the third straight day. On Thursday, provincial health officials logged 994 infections of the novel coronavirus, as well as 10 more deaths linked to the disease. Daily case counts in Ontario have hovered slightly above or below the 1,000 mark for much … Read more
ROME: The number of migrants landing in Italy in the first two months of the year doubled compared to the same period in 2020, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior. Most of the arrivals were recorded in February, with around 4000 pushbacks of migrants reported in Libya during the period. According to data … Read more
Author: Johannes LEDEL | AFP ID: 1614860777328002700 Thu, 2021-03-04 09:49 STOCKHOLM: The suspect in the stabbing that left seven injured in Sweden is a 22-year-old Afghan, who arrived in the Nordic country in 2018, media reported Thursday. Swedish police are investigating a possible terror incident after a man stabbed and injured at least seven people … Read more
Author: AP ID: 1614861170788047100 Thu, 2021-03-04 12:29 HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court on Thursday denied bail to 32 out of 47 pro-democracy activists charged under a Beijing-imposed national security law, ending a four-day marathon court hearing. The group of activists was charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the law and detained on Sunday … Read more
Author: Thu, 2021-03-04 14:52 ROME: A special bronze medal has been minted by the Vatican to celebrate the visit of Pope Francis to Iraq. Vatican sources told Arab News that the medal will be one of the gifts that the leader of the Catholic Church will give to Iraqi representatives whom he will meet during … Read more
As the Canadian women’s hockey team takes to the ice in Halifax for their training camp this week, there is renewed optimism about a “sense of normalcy” a re-scheduled world championship could bring. The 2020 IIHF Women’s World Championship was postponed on March 7, 2020 — about three weeks before it was slated to begin … Read more
Queensland football legend Ross Whyte throws his arms aloft and laughs, then looks like he’s about to cry. From an ambulance stretcher bed in the middle of the Gabba Stadium today in Brisbane, he lovingly clasps his adult son’s hand as they share a moment of glory from 44 years ago, writ large in sound … Read more
MONTREAL — When Dr. Donald Benoit greeted his first patients at a Montreal mass vaccination site on Monday, he could tell right away it would take some adjustment. As usual, he began to talk gently to them and to make sure they seemed calm. “I like to greet them, I like to get up… I’ll … Read more
Author: AP ID: 1614823740016156200 Thu, 2021-03-04 05:03 WASHINGTON: Defense Department leaders placed unusual restrictions on the National Guard for the day of the Capitol riot and delayed sending help for hours despite an urgent plea from police for reinforcement, according to testimony Wednesday that added to the finger-pointing about the government response. Maj. Gen. William … Read more
Legislators in more than 20 states have introduced bills this year that would ban transgender girls from competing on girls’ sports teams in public high schools. Yet in almost every case, sponsors cannot cite a single instance in their own state or region where such participation has caused problems. The Associated Press reached out to … Read more
TORONTO — An Ontario family that was charged $3,458 to stay in a quarantine hotel in Toronto after returning to Canada from a funeral are vowing to fight the bill they call “price gouging at its best.” Cristine Teixeira arrived back in Canada, along with her brother and daughter, on Feb. 27 after spending about … Read more
Author: Thu, 2021-03-04 02:36 NEW YORK: The UN’s special envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, on Wednesday warned of the latest threat to the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country. The Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s armed forces, which seized control of the country last month in a coup, said it intends to review the recommendations of the … Read more
Author: Thu, 2021-03-04 02:24 DOHA: The US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, reportedly suggested setting up a new government in Kabul during recent talks with key Afghan leaders, two sources privy to the matter told Arab News on Wednesday. The reported proposal follows a deadlock in US-brokered talks that began in September last year between … Read more
DOHA: The US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, reportedly suggested setting up a new government in Kabul during recent talks with key Afghan leaders, two sources privy to the matter told Arab News on Wednesday. The reported proposal follows a deadlock in US-brokered talks that began in September last year between the Taliban and the … Read more
COLUMBUS, Ohio — At the beginning of 2020, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was working on plans to battle algae blooms in Lake Erie, crack down on distracted driving, and figure out a way to save an Ohio minor league baseball team. The largely popular first-term Republican governor accepted an invitation to give the commencement address … Read more