Tag Archives: US

ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday reached out to Pakistan regarding escalating conflict between Teh­ran and Tel Aviv, even as Islam­abad stayed away from condemning the Iranian attack on Israel. “US Ambassador Donald Blome met today with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss recent events in the region,” the US Embassy said in a statement. FM Dar said he discussed …

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun via video teleconference on Tuesday, the Pentagon said, in the first substantive talks between the superpowers’ defence chiefs in nearly 18 months. The United States has been working to strengthen defence cooperation with its allies in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence, but also wants …

MOSCOW: A Nasa astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut and Belarus’s first ever space traveller on Saturday returned to Earth safely after a fortnight aboard the International Space Station, Russia’s Roscosmos agency reported. “Today, at 10:17am Moscow time (0717 GMT), the descent vehicle of Sozuz MS-24 manned spacecraft landed near the Kazakh city of Zhezkazgan,” Roscosmos reported. “The (vessel’s) deorbit and its …

WASHINGTON: Senior US and Israeli officials held a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss the Biden administration’s alternative proposals to an Israeli military invasion of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, opposed by Washington. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to conduct a large-scale offensive in Rafah to avoid more civilian casualties among the Palestinian population in Gaza. White …

WASHINGTON: The US government and the United Nations expressed concerns on Tuesday about a contentious religion-based citizenship law in India, with the UN calling the legislation “fundamentally discriminatory in nature”. Rights advocates have criticised the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, which the Indian government moved to implement on Monday. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said it discriminates against Muslims. Just …

The United States, Britain and the European Union have separately expressed concerns about Pakistan’s electoral process in the wake of a vote on Thursday and urged a probe into reported irregularities. The main battle was between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s party and candidates backed by ex-prime minister Imran Khan. Both declared victory separately. Elections were held for 265 seats in the National Assembly …

LONDON: War underwriters have raised the premiums they charge to US, British and Israeli firms by as high as 50 per cent for ships transiting the Red Sea and some providers are avoiding such business due to targeting of the vessels by Yemen’s Houthis, sources said. Attacks by the Houthis since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and …

WASHINGTON: US and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen overnight in retaliation against Houthi forces for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Witnesses confirmed explosions at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s third city Taiz, …

WASHINGTON: The United States and France have issued strong condemnations of Israel’s controversial plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, leading to an escalating diplomatic standoff. US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reiterated the unequivocal rejection of the plan, cautioning against any mass displacement and addressing inflammatory statements by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. “There should …

UNITED NATIONS: The United States and the United Arab Emirates engaged in last-minute consultations on Monday as the UN Security Council prepared to vote on a new resolution urging an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” in Gaza. The UAE resolution responds to escalating tensions in the region and growing impatience among key allies, notably the US, with Israel’s military actions. …