International

WASHINGTON: Last gasp moves to prevent a US government shutdown took a dramatic step forward on Saturday, as Democrats overwhelmingly backed an eleventh-hour Republican measure to keep federal funding going for 45 days, albeit with a freeze on Washington’s massive aid to Ukraine. The stopgap measure adopted 335-91 by the House of Representatives was pitched by Speaker Kevin McCarthy with …

A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, Azerbaijan said, after almost the entire ethnic-Armenian population fled since Baku recaptured the breakaway enclave. An Azerbaijani presidency spokesman told AFP that a “UN mission arrived in Karabakh on Sunday morning” — mainly to assess humanitarian needs. It marks the first time in about 30 years that the international body has gained access …

KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of forest fires in Indonesia have caused haze that has worsened air quality in parts of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur’s top environment official has said, a claim Jakarta denied on Saturday. Outbreaks of smog-belching forest fires in 2019 caused Malaysia to say it would pressure Indonesia to combat the annual problem, which is often caused by blazes lit …

LOS ANGELES: A quarter of a century after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a gang feud in Las Vegas, a man was charged on Friday with his murder, a killing that came to symbolise the violence of gangsta rap as it surged into the mainstream. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, had long acknowledged his involvement in the slaying, boasting …

ROME: Over 100 passengers, including migrants, were rescued from a ferry sailing from Italy’s Lampedusa to Sicily early on Saturday, after a fire broke out in the engine room, authorities said. The ferry from Lampe­dusa to Porto Empedocle in southern Sicily was carrying 177 people, including 27 crew members and 83 migrants, who were being transferred from the small island, …

Turkiye’s government said on Sunday two terrorists carried out a bomb attack in front of the Interior Ministry buildings in Ankara, adding one of them died in the explosion and the other was “neutralised” by authorities there. An explosion was heard near the parliament and ministerial buildings, Turkish media had earlier reported, and broadcasters showed footage of debris scattered on …

Afghanistan’s embassy in India suspended operations on Sunday, more than two years after the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Most foreign nations — including India — do not officially recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government, but acknowledge them as the de facto ruling authority. This has left many Afghan embassies and consulates in limbo, …

The US government hurtled towards a shutdown Friday, with hardline Republicans creating disarray in their own party and President Joe Biden’s administration issuing increasingly dire warnings of everything from impending border chaos to travel disruptions. The closure, set to start after midnight Saturday (0400 GMT Sunday) if lawmakers fail to reach a deal, would be the first since 2019 — …

MALE, Maldives: The Maldives began voting Saturday to decide their next president in a referendum on whether to hitch their fortunes to China or India, both vying for influence in the tropical paradise. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, 61, faces an uphill battle to secure a second mandate after a term that saw renewed ties with New Delhi, the archipelago nation’s traditional …

Heavy rains overnight in the northeastern United States left parts of New York under water on Friday, partially paralyzing subways and airports in America’s financial capital. LaGuardia airport closed down one of its terminals, with social media images showing passengers walking through water well above the tops of their shoes. Mayor Eric Adams urged people not to venture out because …