International

WASHINGTON: Nasa has spotted a small new crater on the Moon that was likely caused by a Russian probe crash landing on the surface around two weeks ago. The finding was made by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) by comparing before and after images of the estimated impact point, provided by Russian space agency Roscosmos.     The Luna-25 probe crashed on …

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has once again asked the interim Afghan government to act against “individuals and entities that threaten Pakistan” and live up to its commitments with the international community. In her weekly press briefing on Friday, FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “[I]t is their responsibility, their international responsibility, their bilateral responsibility and their trilateral responsibility as they …

HONG KONG: Tens of millions of people in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other southern Chinese megacities hunkered down indoors late on Friday as Super Typhoon Saola threatened to become the strongest storm to hit the region in decades. Over 880,000 people were evacuated across two Chinese provinces ahead of Saola making landfall, hundreds of flights were cancelled across the region, …

WASHINGTON: A Republican lawmaker has introduced an amendment to the House of Representatives’ annual appropriations legislation that would cut off funds to Pakistan to discourage the “crackdown on political dissent”. Republicans are a majority in the House. The amendment, proposed by Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles, would bar the US Department of Defence from providing assistance to Pakistan in the wake …

TEHRAN: Iranian security services claim to have foiled an Israeli sabotage plot against the country’s ballistic missile production and to have arrested several agents involved, state media reported on Thursday. An unnamed intelligence official of Iran’s defence ministry blamed arch-enemy Israel’s Mossad spy agency for the alleged plan to sell Iran faulty components that would have blown up the missiles, IRNA news …

BANGKOK: Thailand’s jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has requested a royal pardon, a government minister said on Thursday, as rumours of a backroom deal for clemency swirl. The 74-year-old billionaire, twice elected PM and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was sent to prison last week immediately after returning to the kingdom from 15 years of self-exile. His homecoming coincided with his Pheu …

STOCKHOLM: Bomb squad experts have been called in after Swedish cities were rocked by four explosions in just over an hour, police said, with the country struggling to rein in a surge of gang-related violence. Just after 1am local time, police in Gothenburg received reports of two explosions at separate addresses, just 10 minutes apart. “Both sites have been cordoned …

NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip a summit of G20 leaders in India next week, sources familiar with the matter in India and China said. Two Indian officials, one diplomat based in China and one official working for the government of another G20 country, said Premier Li Qiang is expe­cted to represent Beijing at the Sept …

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Forei­­gn Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Thursday said the role of UN peacekeeping remains indispensable in a world grappling with persistent conflicts and complex challenges. “With active presence in conflict zones, UN peacekeepers serve as a practical demonstration of the international community’s commitment to preserving lives and fostering lasting peace,” Mr Jilani said while speaking at the 2023 …

THE Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have rejected as baseless a map released by China that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea and which Beijing said on Thursday should be viewed rationally and objectively. China released the map on Monday of its famous U-shaped line covering about 90 per cent of the South China Sea, …