International

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday it was time to rename Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia as a mosque, saying that it had been a “very big mistake” to convert it into a museum. “Hagia Sophia will not be called a museum. It will be taken out of that status. We will call Hagia Sophia a mosque,” Erdogan told A …

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry has approved six secret authorisations by companies to sell nuclear power technology and assistance to Saudi Arabia, according to a copy of a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The Trump administration has quietly pursued a wider deal on sharing US nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia, which aims to build at least two nuclear power plants. …

LONDON: British lawmakers were preparing to blow open the Brexit process and put a host of rejected options back on the table including keeping the UK close to the European Union or even remaining a member as Prime Minister Theresa May defiantly insisted on Tuesday that parliament should approve her twice-defeated divorce deal instead. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on …

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration moved on Tuesday to break up a group of Iranian-linked companies that has transferred around $1 billion to Iran in violation of US sanctions on the country. The Treasury announced it had hit a “vast network” of 25 people, firms and Iranian government agencies with sanctions for evading penalties the US put in place last year …

UNITED NATIONS: Five European countries that sit on the UN Security Council on Tuesday rejected US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise the Golan as Israeli territory and voiced concern the move could have broad consequences. Belgium, Britain, France, Germany and Poland insisted that the European position had not changed and that the Golan remained Israeli-occupied Syrian territory, in line …

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he was prepared for further military action in Gaza after cutting short a Washington visit and returning to Israel following a shaky ceasefire announced by Hamas. After Hamas said Egypt had brokered a truce late on Monday aimed at ending a severe escalation, further exchanges of fire occurred throughout the night before …

WASHINGTON: Zalmay Khalil­zad, the US envoy for Afghanistan, began a fresh tour that will take him to Islamabad and Kabul, besides other capitals in the region, for a new round of talks with the Taliban, the State Department said on Tuesday. Mr Khalilzad will also visit Belgium, Britain, Jordan and Uzbekistan as he seeks global support for a peace deal. …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the country had destroyed a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test, becoming the fourth country in the world to have carried out the feat. Just weeks before India goes to the polls, Modi said Indian scientists “shot down a live satellite at a low-earth orbit”. “This is a proud moment for …

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific announced on Wednesday that it will buy budget airline HK Express for US$628.15 million, as it moves to counter competition from the increasing number of low-cost carriers in the region. The HK$4.93 billion acquisition leaves Cathay Pacific in control of three of the four airlines in Hong Kong, adding to its namesake carrier and …

The US State Department on Tuesday said that nuclear proliferation is a top national security concern for Washington, days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo allegedly said that Pakistan’s nuclear programme is among the five biggest threats to America’s national security. Asked to comment on the secretary’s statement at a Tuesday afternoon news briefing, the State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said: …