International

ABUJA: West African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for potential military intervention if Niger’s coup is not overturned by the weekend, a leader from the regional bloc said on Friday, after mediation failed in a crisis that is troubling global powers. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has given Niger’s coup leaders until Sunday to step …

NEW DELHI: Authorities on Friday began the survey of Varanasi’s Gyanvyapi mosque, built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, after the Indian apex court cleared the passage with instructions not to do anything invasive. Varanasi — a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh — has been the two-term parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pioneered the Hindutva …

UNITED NATIONS: In a global debate on famine and conflict-induced global food insecurity, Pakistan joined other nations in calling for the revival of food supplies from Ukraine but also underlined the need to focus on other conflicts as well. The meeting was called by the United States as the UN Security Council president and was chaired by US Secretary of …

MELEKHOVO: Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny had an extra 19 years added to his jail term on Friday in a criminal case that he and his supporters said had been trumped up to keep him behind bars and out of politics for even longer. Navalny, 47, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest domestic critic, is already serving sentences totalling eleven and …

NEW DELHI: India has said that an “environment free of terror and hostility” is necessary to restart talks after Pakistan’s prime minister expressed readiness for engagement with the “neighbour”. India’s response echoed its customary stance, reiterating what it had also expressed earlier this year when PM Shehbaz Sharif had extended an offer for talks. On Tuesday, Mr Sharif said at an economic summit in …

Three people were killed and houses set ablaze in fresh violence in India’s Manipur, police officials said late on Friday, as sporadic violence and killings continue in the remote northeastern state. The three people killed belonged to the majority Metei community in the state’s Bishnupur district, a police spokesperson said. The months-long outbreak of violence began on May 3 after a court …

SEOUL: North Korea has “responded” to efforts by the United Nations Command to discuss American soldier Travis King, who ran across the border into North Korea last month and is believed to be detained by Pyongyang, the Command said on Thursday. The US-led multinational force, which oversees the Korean War truce, said in a statement that Pyongyang’s military “has responded …

WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Tru­mp on Thursday pleaded not guilty in federal court to four criminal counts charging him with plotting to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss. Trump appeared in a Washington courtroom to face charges that he led a conspiracy built on lies to overturn the 2020 presidential election, culminating in an attack on the seat of …

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait said on Thursday they had sole ownership of a disputed gas field also claimed by Iran, in an escalating feud after Tehran threatened to pursue exploration. The offshore field — known as Arash in Iran and Dorra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — has long been focal point of contention between the three countries. The …

STOCKHOLM: More than 50 people were injured and dozens detained in Stockholm on Thursday as clashes broke out at an Eritrean pro-government festival, police and health officials said, with anti-government protesters trashing property at the site. “Another public gathering took place close to the festival site, during which a violent riot broke out,” police said, adding in a statement they …