International

  sISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the renewed United States push for propelling the Afghan peace process forward and called on all parties to contribute to a comprehensive and inclusive settlement of the dispute. Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, while speaking at the weekly media briefing, said: “We welcome the US efforts to re-energise the peace process and expedite …

TOKYO: Japan fell quiet at 2.46pm on Thursday to mark the minute that an earthquake began 10 years ago, setting off a tsunami and nuclear crisis that devastated the country’s northeast coast in a disaster that one survivor said he fears people are beginning to forget. Carrying bouquets of flowers, many walked to the seaside or visited graves to pray …

UNITED NATIONS: Millions of people around the world risk dying of hunger, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday, adding that climate change and Covid-19 had worsened the threat. “Without immediate action, millions of people will reach the brink of extreme hunger and death,” Guterres told the Security Council during a meeting on the links between food and security. Guterres …

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it called off the Israeli leader’s visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, citing disagreements with the Jordanian government. The Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that because of difficulties in coordinating his flight in Jordanian airspace the visit was postponed until further notice. It said the conflict stemmed from the cancellation …

JERUSALEM: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said on Thursday it would jointly develop an advanced drone defence system with the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned weapons maker EDGE. Israel and the UAE formalised relations last year, brought closer by commercial interests and concern over Iran. State-owned IAI, a major Israeli defence firm, said in a statement that the companies will develop a …

BEIJING: China’s parliament voted Thursday for sweeping changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, including powers to veto candidates, as Beijing moves to ensure that only “patriots” run the city following huge pro-democracy rallies. Beijing has acted decisively to dismantle Hong Kong’s limited democratic pillars after massive and sometimes violent protests coursed through the financial hub in 2019. At last year’s …

MANDALAY: Spurning an appeal by the United Nations to stop using lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, security forces in Myanmar on Thursday fatally shot at least 10 people protesting against last month’s military coup. The military also lodged a new allegation against Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected leader it ousted on Feb 1. It charged at a news conference …

US President Joe Biden on Friday holds the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan, ramping up efforts to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China. In a flurry of diplomacy, Japan announced that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would become the first foreign leader to see Biden in person, a sign of the primacy …

LONDON — Prince William denied Britain’s royal family is racist on Thursday in his first public comments since Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. “We’re very much not a racist family,” William said in response to questions from the media as he visited a school in east London with his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. William added that he hadn’t spoken to his brother yet, “but I …

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to make his first official visit to the UAE on Thursday following an agreement between the two countries to establish ties, Israeli media reported. A senior official in Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the reports by Israeli public radio, Haaretz newspaper and other outlets. The reported visit would take place less than two weeks before Netanyahu faces …