Israel: GPS disabled and IDF leave cancelled over Iran threat.

GPS is being blocked across swathes of Israel in order to disrupt missiles and drones, as tensions rise with Iran. Iran has vowed to respond after a strike on its consulate building in Syria on Monday – which Israel was widely believed to be behind – killed 13 people, including a senior general. The Israel…

House passes bill that could lead to US ban of TikTok.

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would require the TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the social media platform or face a total ban in the United States. The vote was a landslide, with 352 Congress members voting in favor and only 65 against. The bill, which was fast-tracked to a vote after being…

Pakistan court sentences man to death for blasphemy

ISTANBUL: An anti-terrorism court in northwest Pakistan has convicted and sentenced a Muslim man to death after he was accused of posting blasphemous content in a WhatsApp group. Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mobs and violence. Syed Muhammad Zeeshan was convicted under the Prevention of…

Ukraine says ‘managing to stabilise’ battle for Bakhmut

KYIV: Kyiv said its forces were “managing to stabilise” the situation around Bakhmut, a now-destroyed city in eastern Ukraine that has seen the longest battle of the Russian invasion. Bakhmut — which once had an estimated population of around 70,000 people — has been virtually emptied of civilians over months of fierce fighting between Russian…