International

FRANKFURT: German airline Lufthansa said its planes would no longer use Iranian airspace as it extended a suspension on flights to and from Tehran amid soaring Middle East tensions. “Due to the current situation, Lufthansa is suspending its flights to and from Tehran up to and including Thursday, 18 April,” a company spokesperson said on Friday. “The airline is also …

ORENBURG: Thousands of people were evacuated from the Orenburg region in the south of the Urals as floodwater continued to rise, Russian emergency services said on Saturday. In the city of Orenburg, one of the worst-hit areas in Russia, the Ural River breached its banks, submerging streets and residential areas and water levels continued to rise. By Saturday afternoon, the …

NIAMEY: Thousands took to the streets of Niger’s capital on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops, after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending a military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors. Niger also signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese state-owned oil giant China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) worth $400 million …

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China’s top legislator hailed a “new chapter” of Beijing-Pyongyang relations on Saturday, in one of the most high-level meetings between the allies in years. Beijing’s third highest-ranking official Zhao Leji — a member of the powerful Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo — made a goodwill visit to the nuclear-armed …

TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship “related to the Zionist regime (Israel)” in the Gulf on Saturday, state media reported, with tensions soaring in the region. The ship’s operator, the Italian-Swiss group MSC, later confirmed Iranian authorities had boarded it. A container ship “was seized by the Sepah (Guards) Navy Special Forces by carrying out a heliborne operation,” …

Iran’s unprecedented overnight attack on Israel has been “foiled”, the Israeli military said on Sunday, with hundreds of missiles and drones intercepted with the help of the United States and allies. Iran had launched more than 300 drones and missiles on Israel in an unprecedented attack late on Saturday “in response” to a deadly airstrike on its Damascus consular annexe earlier this …

KARACHI: The US State Department spokesperson has denied the impression that Iran was supporting the militant Islamic State (IS) group in carrying out attacks in Pakistan. During the daily press briefing on Thursday, Matthew Miller was asked if the US has any information about Iran supporting IS in Pakistan to carry out the recent terrorist attacks. “…I do not have …

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was “considering” a request by Australia to drop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges. Australia’s parliament passed a motion in February with the prime minister’s support calling for an end to the legal saga surrounding Assange, who has been held in Britain since 2019 while fighting extradition …

LONDON: British High Commission officials have denied media reports claiming that the UK government had added Pakistan to the list of dangerous countries. In a recent update, the Foreign and Common­wea­lth Development Office (FCDO) has added eight additional destinations, including Israel and Gaza, to the list of places deemed ‘too dangerous’ for UK citizens to visit. Indian media reports, as well …

JERUSALEM: As Israel on Friday nervously awaited an attack by Iran or its proxies in retaliation for the last week strike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus, the United States said it was sending reinforcements to the Middle East. “We are moving additional assets to the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces,” said a US defence …