International

WASHINGTON: The United States is racing to improve its messaging to the developing world as the BRICS group grows, although few in Washington view an immediate threat from the Chinese-backed club. The BRICS — Brazil, Russia India, China and South Africa — agreed at a summit last week to add six more members, in what Chinese President Xi Jinping billed as …

India’s Moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulphur on the lunar south pole, the country’s space agency said. Last week, India became the first country to land a craft near the largely unexplored south pole, and just the fourth nation to land on the Moon. “The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on …

US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held a phone call with Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday during which she assured him of Washington’s support to stabilise Pakistan’s economy and its continued engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Last month, the global lender’s executive board had green-lit a $3 billion nine-month standby arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan in order …

TOKYO: Japan’s prime minister hit out at Beijing on Monday over what he said were instances of stones being thrown at diplomatic missions and schools in China, following the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Last week, China banned all seafood imports from its neighbour after Japan began releasing cooling water from the stricken Fukushima plant in an operation that …

DHAKA: More than 160 global figures, including Barack Obama and Ban Ki-moon, published a joint letter on Monday warning of “threats to democracy and human rights” in Bangladesh ahead of upcoming elections. The letter decried the “continuous judicial harassment” of Nobel laureate and micro-credit pioneer Muhammad Yunus and said it feared for “his safety and freedom”. Yunus, 83, is credited …

TOKYO: Japan’s prime minister hit out at Beijing on Monday over what he said were instances of stones being thrown at diplomatic missions and schools in China, following the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Last week, China banned all seafood imports from its neighbour after Japan began releasing cooling water from the stricken Fukushima plant in an operation that …

KYIV: Ukraine said on Monday its troops had liberated the south-eastern settlement of Robotyne and were trying to push further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. The Ukrainian military said last week that its forces had raised the national flag in the strategic settlement, but were still carrying out mopping-up operations. Ukrainian forces believe they have broken through the …

KABUL: Rights monitors condemned on Monday a ban on women visiting one of Afghanistan’s most popular national parks, the latest curb shutting women out of public life under Taliban government rule. The Taliban government’s morality ministry closed the Band-i-Amir national park to women at the weekend, claiming female visitors were failing to cover up with proper Islamic dress. The park, …

BEIJING: US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discussed concerns about restrictions on American businesses including Intel and Micron with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Monday in a meeting where the two countries also agreed to launch an export control enforcement information dialogue. The pair also discussed China’s restrictions on gallium and germanium exports in wide-ranging and candid talks that lasted …

Air pollution is more dangerous to the health of the average person on planet Earth than smoking or alcohol, with the threat worsening in its global epicenter South Asia even as China fast improves, a study showed on Tuesday. Yet the level of funding set aside to confront the challenge is a fraction of the amount earmarked for fighting infectious …