International

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Special Re­­presentative on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani has said Islamabad has evidence that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is getting money from India through Afghan proxies, estimating that 5,000 to 6,000 TTP militants have taken shelter in Afghanistan. “If we include their families, then the number goes up to 70,000,” Mr Durrani said on Saturday while speaking at …

DOHA: The head of Israeli intelligence is expected to lead ceasefire talks with mediators which resume in Qatar today (Sunday) in direct response to a new proposal from Hamas, a source close to the talks said on Saturday. The talks between Mossad head David Barnea, Qatar’s prime minister and Egyptian officials will focus on remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas including over …

GENEVA: Environ­mental activists are increasingly facing hostility across Europe, a UN expert said, warning that the very right to protest was “at risk” in countries usually considered beacons of democracy. Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, said that he was deeply troubled by the hardening tone against climate activists in countries including France, Austria, Germany and Britain. …

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s economy rebounded stro­ngly in the fourth quarter of 2023 from the island nation’s unprecedented financial crisis as tourism arrivals rose, the government said on Saturday. Agriculture, industries and services boosted the expansion to 4.5 per cent in the December quarter compared to a 12.4pc contraction a year earlier, the census and statistics department said. It added however …

MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday of aiming to disrupt Russia’s presidential election by shelling its territory and using 2,500 armed soldiers to try to pierce his country’s borders, and vowed to punish Kyiv for its actions. The first day of the election was also marred by disruptions, including dye being poured into ballot boxes, a Molotov cocktail thrown at a …

Taiwan on Saturday warned off Chinese coast guard ships that entered its restricted waters near frontline islands close to China for a second day in a row, as tensions simmer across the sensitive Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s coast guard said four Chinese coast guard boats on Saturday morning entered the restricted waters of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which hug the Chinese coast. …

The Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a statement on Friday, stated that India should demonstrate that it is genuinely committed to helping those whose lives or freedom are in danger by protecting all asylum seekers. Earlier this week, India implemented the contentious 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sparking sporadic protests and a war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and opposition groups weeks before …

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose Liberals are trailing badly in the polls, said on Friday he thought about quitting his “crazy job” every day, but insisted he would stay in office until the next election. That vote must be held by October next year and recent surveys of public opinion show the Liberals would be crushed by the …

MUMBAI: India’s largest known political donor is a lottery company which has been the subject of fraud and tax evasion probes, according to data published weeks before elections. The election commission published late on Thursday a list detailing buyers of electoral bonds, a controversial funding scheme that has helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party build an immense campaign war chest …

ISTANBUL: Twenty-two migrants, including seven children, drowned after a boat capsized off the Turkish coast on Thursday night. Two people were rescued by the Turkish coastguard and another two managed to make it out of the water on their own, officials said. The victims’ nationalities were not yet known. The boat capsized off Turkiye’s largest island, called Gokceada, which is …