International

Did the Western media and the government of Ecuador’s hypocrisy bring about Julian Assange’s arrest, or was it his bad manners? The dramatic end to Julian Assange’s asylum has sparked curiosity about his 7-year stay inside Ecuador’s embassy in London that was marked by his late-night skateboarding, the physical harassment of his caretakers and even the smearing of his own …

NEW DELHI: Tens of millions of Indians joined nationwide queues on Thursday to give their verdict on nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi as the world’s biggest election started amid deadly clashes. Read: Indians head to the polls with Modi the front runner Election officials reported a heavy turnout across the 20 states taking part in the first day of the massive …

WASHINGTON: The European Union decision to offer Britain a six-month delay in exiting the economic bloc averts disaster but perpetuates the uncertainty of Brexit, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said on Thursday. “At least the UK is not leaving on the 12th of April without a deal,” Lagarde told reporters at the start of the IMF’s spring meetings with the World …

DUBAI: Opec could raise oil output from July if Venezuelan and Iranian supply drops further and prices keep rallying, because extending production cuts with Russia and other allies could overtighten the market, sources familiar with the matter said. Venezuelan crude production has dropped below 1 million barrels per day (bpd) because of US sanctions. Iranian supply could fall further after …

The Taliban on Friday announced their annual spring offensive, which comes as the United States and Afghan politicians try to negotiate for a peace settlement with the militants. Operation Fath — which means “victory” in Arabic — will be conducted across Afghanistan with the aim of “eradicating occupation” and “cleansing our Muslim homeland from invasion and corruption”, the Taliban said …

The chief executive and a managing partner of the collapsed Dubai private equity firm Abraaj Capital Ltd were arrested on United States charges that they defrauded their investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday. Abraaj founder and Chief Executive Arif Naqvi was arrested in the United Kingdom last Friday, while managing partner Mustafa …

Malaysia and China agreed on Friday to resume construction of a multi-billion dollar rail project after months of negotiations that have strained ties between the two trade partners. They agreed to reduce the cost of the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) to 44 billion ringgit ($10.68 billion) from the original pricetag of 65.5 billion ringgit, the prime minister’s office in …

United States President Donald Trump’s controversial ban on transgender Americans in the military comes into force on Friday following a protracted legal battle. Trump’s administration has insisted that there is “too great a risk to military effectiveness and lethality” to allow transgender people to serve — reversing a policy enacted under his predecessor Barack Obama. The Pentagon says the restrictions …

France is guilty of human rights abuses of homeless people, violates laws guaranteeing a home for all and fails to protect the most vulnerable, a U.N. Special Rapporteur said on Friday. France, like most European countries, has seen a rise in homelessness in the past decade, fuelled by fallout from the global financial crisis and an influx of migrants from …

Indian election officials have ordered a clampdown on a television channel devoted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which they say breaches campaign rules. As the country of 1.3 billion people embarks on its huge vote, the Election Commission said NaMo TV, which is sponsored by Modi’s right-wing party, had to submit all of its content for approval. Under Indian election rules, …