TBILISI, Georgia: Georgia’s parliament has voted in the first reading to approve a proposed law that would require media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior ministry said on Wednesday it had blocked access to social media platform X around the time of February’s election on national security concerns, confirming a long-suspected shutdown. Users in Pakistan have reported problems using X, formerly known as Twitter, since mid-February, but the government had made no official announcement on the matter … Read more
LONDON: The wife of a former Tour de France-winning cyclist has caused controversy in the UK following an Islamophobic outburst on social media. Michelle Froome, wife of Chris Froome, said on her X profile on Monday that there are “no innocent Gazans” and called Muslims a “drain on modern society.” In her first posts on … Read more
DUBAI: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday, in an attack that could lead to a major escalation between the regional archenemies.Here is some reaction to the attack from official statements and postings on social media: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU“In recent years, and especially … Read more
DAMASCUS: An explosive device went off in a car in an upscale neighborhood of Damascus Saturday, Syrian state media said, quoting a police source and adding that there were no victims. Security incidents, including blasts targeting military or civilian vehicles, occur intermittently in the capital. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the … Read more
LONDON: Northern Gaza faces a catastrophe without more assistance, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator said on Friday, with communication between the Israeli military and foreign aid groups still poor and no meaningful improvements happening on the ground. Jamie McGoldrick, who works for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned that Gaza was sliding … Read more
LONDON: The BBC in India is set to divide its news operations into two entities to comply with the country’s foreign investment regulations, the broadcaster announced on Wednesday. Effective immediately, the restructuring will involve the establishment of a new Indian-owned subsidiary named the Collective Newsroom, through which the network will continue its content production in … Read more
GENEVA: US President Joe Biden is expected to attend a high-level Ukraine war peace conference which is expected to be held in Switzerland in mid-June, Swiss media reports said. The conference date has not yet been set but several media outlets this week suggested June 16-17. Invitations have not been sent but the NZZ daily … Read more
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden issued some of his sternest criticism yet of Israel’s war on Hamas, calling its approach a “mistake” as the country faces a Wednesday court deadline to prove it is not throttling aid to hunger-stricken Gaza. With global outrage over the toll inflicted by the six-month-old war growing, Biden rebuked Israeli … Read more
JERUSALEM: Israel on Sunday pulled all its troops out of southern Gaza, including from the city of Khan Yunis, the military and Israeli media said, after months of fierce fighting with Hamas militants left the area devastated. But the military, known as the IDF, said a “significant force” will continue to operate in the rest … Read more