International

WASHINGTON: A bill seeking to remove Pakistan from a list of America’s major non-Nato allies has been introduced in the US Congress, even though the Trump administration enhances its contacts with Islamabad in its pursuit of a peaceful end to the Afghan war. The resolution — introduced by Congressman Andy Biggs who, like the Trump administration, is a Republican — …

PARIS: Two French firefighters and a Spanish citizen died and nearly people 50 were injured in a gas explosion that gutted the ground floor of a building in a central Paris shopping district on Saturday, authorities said. The accident occurred with central Paris under security lockdown for a ninth consecutive Saturday of “yellow vest” protests. Large parts of the capital …

GWADAR: Saudi Minister for Petroleum and Energy Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz said on Saturday that his country’s crown prince would visit Pakistan in February to sign an agreement with Pakistan on setting up an oil refinery in Gwadar at a cost of $10 billion. The Saudi minister said this after arriving here along with a delegation to inspect the site …

WASHINGTON: When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, no US ambassador was there to welcome him. The post has been vacant for nine months. The Republican donor President Donald Trump chose for the job, John Rakolta Jr., hasn’t been approved by the Senate. Trump has frequently accused Senate Democrats of using the …

HERAT: Gunmen stormed a police station in western Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least five people and wounding two others, officials said, in the latest violence targeting the war-torn country’s beleaguered security forces. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the raid in the provincial capital of Herat, near the Iranian border, but the Taliban have been relentless in …

NEW YORK: The FBI opened a probe into President Donald Trump for possible obstruction of justice after he fired FBI Director James Comey, counterintelligence agents were investigating why Trump was acting in ways that seemed to benefit Russia, according to a source familiar with the matter, The New York Times reported. As the FBI opened the Trump probe in the hectic …

China will work to straighten out trade frictions with the US this year, the country’s commerce minister told state media, following talks with US negotiators this week. A large US delegation ended a three-day visit to Beijing on Wednesday in the first face to face trade talks since President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in December pledged a …

The decade-long Palestinian split looks set to deepen in the coming months, with President Mahmoud Abbas poised to take multiple measures against Gaza to squeeze its Islamist rulers Hamas. The moves raise concerns of more suffering for Gaza’s two million residents, already under an Israeli blockade and facing severe electricity shortages, while a cornered Hamas could renew violence against Israel. …

The death toll in a coal mine roof collapse in northern China has risen to 21 after rescuers found two more miners dead on Sunday, state media reported. A total of 87 people were working underground in the Shaanxi province mine at the time of the accident on Saturday afternoon, according to official news agency Xinhua, citing local authorities. Rescuers …

President Donald Trump said he was holding off on declaring a state of emergency to end the partial United States government shutdown that dragged into a 23rd day on Sunday, as he insisted on $5.7 billion to build a Mexico border wall that congressional Democrats oppose. Asked by Fox News why he didn’t immediately declare a national emergency to secure the funds without congressional …