International

SEOUL: North Korea’s top diplomat in Italy has sought asylum and gone into hiding, Seoul lawmakers told reporters after a closed-door meeting with South Korean intelligence officials on Thursday. It would mark the latest high-profile defection by a senior North Korean env­oy since the deputy ambassador in London abandoned his post in 2016. “Acting ambassador Jo Song Gil’s term was …

WASHINGTON: The United States issued a pre-emptive warning to Iran on Thursday against pursuing three planned space rocket launches that it said would violate a UN Security Council resolution because they use ballistic missile technology. Iran rejected the warning, issued by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying its space vehicle launches and missile tests were not violations. Pompeo said Iran …

NEW DELHI: India rejected US President Donald Trump’s comments mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for funding a library in Afghanistan, saying on Thursday that New Delhi has provided $3 billion in development assistance to the war-torn country. The US president on Wednesday took a swipe at what he claimed were Modi’s frequent comments on building the library: “You know what …

LONDON: Opec oil supply fell in December by the largest amount in almost two years, a Reuters survey found, as top exporter Saudi Arabia made an early start to a supply-limiting accord while Iran and Libya posted involuntary declines. The 15-member Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) pumped 32.68 million barrels per day last month, the survey on Thursday …

KABUL: Taliban fighters detonated explosives planted in a tunnel below an Afghan military outpost, killing five soldiers, a police official said on Wednesday. Six soldiers were woun­ded in the attack on Tuesday in the Maiwand district of the southern province of Kandahar, police spokesman Mohammad Ashraf Watandost said. A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said the militants had killed or …

WASHINGTON: An acting defence chief, Patrick M. Shanahan, replaced US Secretary of Defence James Mattis at the Pentagon on Wednesday and pledged to work with President Donald Trump to carry out his vision. The former defence secretary left his office on Monday night but Acting Secretary Shanahan took charge of his new office on Wednesday as Tuesday was a holiday. Mattis resigned …

ISLAMABAD: China on Wednesday tentatively acknowledged it was extending financial assistance to help Pakistan boost its dwindling foreign exchange reserves. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang in his daily media briefing in Beijing said: “The Chinese side has offered and will continue to offer its best through assistance, trade, investment and all-around practical cooperation to support and boost Pakistan’s economic …

A Chinese lunar rover landed on the far side of the moon on Thursday, in a global first that boosts Beijing’s ambitions to become a space superpower. The Chang’e-4 probe touched down and sent a photo of the so-called “dark side” of the moon to the Queqiao satellite, which will relay communications to controllers on Earth, China’s national space agency …

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday embarked on a two-day official visit to Turkey on the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Radio Pakistan reported. The premier will discuss the “entire spectrum of bilateral relations as well as [the] regional and international situation” with President Erdogan. During his stay in Ankara, Prime Minister Khan will address a business forum and hold …

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday mocked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for funding a library in Afghanistan, suggesting it was of no use. Trump brought up India’s aid during a rambling press appearance at a cabinet meeting as he defended his push for the United States to invest less overseas. While stating that he got along with Modi, Trump …