International

LONDON: Five Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia will be charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage, UK prosecutors said on Thursday. Three men and two women “will be charged with conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state”, the Crown Prosecu­tion …

UNITED NATIONS: Nearly 70 countries at the United Nations on Wednesday signed a first-ever treaty on protecting the international high seas, raising hopes that it will come into force soon and protect threatened ecosystems vital to the planet. “It’s an amazing moment to be here and see such multilateral cooperation and so much hope,” actor Sigourney Weaver said in New …

WASHINGTON: Ukrai­nian President Volodymyr Zelensky won a promise of “significant” new air defence weapons from the White House on Thursday but he warned Kyiv could lose the war with Russia if Republican lawmakers cut the flow of billions of dollars in US military aid. Zelensky, wearing his trademark olive green military-style shirt on his second wartime visit to Washington, also …

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir met the army chief of Saudi Arabia, General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al Ruwaili, on Friday and discussed various areas of mutual interest. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Ruwaili and his high-powered military delegation called on Gen Munir. “During the meeting, both sides deliberated upon various …

The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation of a Sikh activist’s murder, which it has alleged was done by India, CBC News reported on Friday. The unprecedented tensions flared up on Monday after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa was “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a Sikh temple …

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Friday, and said the two leaders would unveil a new “strategic partnership”. Assad is on his first official trip to China in almost two decades as he seeks financial support to rebuild his devastated country, as well as rehabilitation for his regime from years of isolation over Syria’s civil war. …

PARIS: One of France’s most iconic paintings, Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix, was taken down from the walls of the Louvre on Wednesday for a restoration expected to last until next spring. The famous topless woman brandishing the red, white and blue flag on a revolutionary barricade was painted by Delacroix in 1830. The oil painting, which measures …

LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak watered down his country’s commitments to tackle climate change on Wednesday, delaying targets for changing cars and domestic heating to maintain the consent of the British people in the switch to net zero. Sunak said his government remained committed to its legally-binding target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, but he said the …

NEW DELHI: India’s lower house of parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that would more than double the number of women lawmakers in its ranks, following several failed attempts to enact the measure stretching back decades. The proposed law would reserve one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women once it takes effect, which could take until …

TEHRAN: Iranian women who flout the strict Islamic dress code mandating head coverings and modest clothing would face up to 10 years’ prison under a bill passed on Wednesday. The push to step up penalties comes a year after a wave of protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly breaching the rules. Since then, a growing number of …