International

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday urged the United States to act cautiously on the issue of blacklisting Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and avoid bypassing the relevant committee of the UN Security Council, saying it would only complicate the issue. The comment came a day after the US bypassed the 1267 Sanctions Committee — where an earlier move …

ISLAMABAD: Chinese cities Urumqi, Puyang and Xi’an were declared as sister cities to Karachi, Gwadar, and Multan, respectively, at a forum held in Beijing on Thur­sday to strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries. According to a press release issued here, federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza headed a Pakistani delegation at the event during which …

The Canadian province of Quebec will ban public sector employees from wearing religious symbols during work hours, in legislation introduced on Thursday, a controversial move that critics say targets Muslim women who wear hijabs or other head coverings. The proposed law sets the province’s right-leaning Coalition Avenir Qubec (CAQ) government on a collision course with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who …

TAMPA: Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Thursday he expected debris from an Indian anti-satellite weapons test to eventually burn up in the atmosphere instead of creating a lasting debris field that could threaten other satellites. Asked about comments by India’s top defence scientist that the debris would burn up in 45 days, Shanahan said he could not …

A legal restriction that bars non-residents from owning property in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is “constitutionally vulnerable” and discriminatory, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday Repeal of the measure adopted in 1954 to safeguard the special status of the Indian-occupied Muslim-majority state has support from many in the Hindu-dominated region of Jammu, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched his party’s general election campaign on Thursday with a rally in India’s most populous state, promising development with national security in seeking votes for another term. A coalition led by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to retain power in a staggered election beginning on April 11, especially given recent tension …

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council has scheduled to meet, at the request of Syria, over US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move the UN Security Council declared “null and void and …

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she would quit if her twice-defeated EU divorce deal passes at the third attempt, making a last-ditch bid to persuade rebels in her Conservative party to back her. May told a meeting of Conservative lawmakers she would stand down if her divorce plan finally got through a bitterly-divided parliament, to ensure …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua on Wednesday proposed a seven-point roadmap for strengthening Pakistan-Russia ties and observed that Moscow’s position on latest Pak-India military standoff showed that the complexion of the relationship had already changed. “It is an emergent partnership with tremendous scope,” the foreign secretary said and suggested a seven-point roadmap through which the two countries could forge a …

Saudi women activists detained for almost a year offered their defence at an emotionally charged hearing on Wednesday, alleging torture and sexual harassment during interrogation, courtroom sources said. Eleven women responded to charges that rights groups say include contact with international media and human rights groups, in the second hearing of a high-profile trial that foreign reporters and diplomats are …