International

BEIJING: Eleven people died after the roof of a school gym collapsed in north-eastern China, state media reported on Monday. The collapse in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province was caused by construction workers illegally placing perlite — a form of volcanic glass — on the building’s roof, state news agency Xinhua said. Heavy rain then led the perlite to expand and increase in weight, …

PROCEEDINGS of both houses of Indian parliament were adjourned on Monday after a ruckus over violence in the north-eastern state of Manipur, Indian media reported. Opposition members in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha demanded a debate on the issue and disrupted proceedings by shouting slogans and holding placards, BBC News reported. Home Minister Amit Shah said the government was ready for …

US State Secretary Antony Blinken discussed the United States’ support for Pakistan’s economic recovery and “shared regional concerns including Afghanistan” in a phone call with Foreign Minister Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari, it emerged on Tuesday. In a tweet late on Monday night, Blinken said, “The US supports a productive, democratic and prosperous partnership with Pakistan.”     The Foreign Office (FO) said …

KYIV: Russia destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River in a drone attack on Monday, targeting a vital export route for Kyiv in an expanding air campaign that Moscow began last week after pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal. Last week’s attacks mostly struck the sea ports of Odesa but Monday’s pre-dawn strikes hit infrastructure along the …

Barbie’s record-breaking debut at cinemas over the weekend landed higher than initial estimates with $162 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada, distributor Warner Bros said on Monday. The final Friday to Sunday tally for the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was slightly higher than the $155 million the studio estimated on Sunday. Barbie is the No.1 movie …

Greece braced for a new wave of soaring temperatures on Tuesday, as wildfires raged on several popular tourist islands, forcing mass evacuations. In the capital city of Athens the mercury is expected to soar to 41 degrees Celsius, and reach up to 44C in central Greece, according to the national weather forecaster EMY. Many regions of the country were on …

WASHINGTON: Former US vice president and Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence said on Sunday he felt former President Donald Trump’s words and actions leading up to the Capitol attacks on Jan 6, 2021, were reckless though not likely criminal. “While his words were reckless, based on what I know, I am not yet convinced that they were criminal,” Pence told CNN’s State of …

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka tightened security on Sunday as activists lit oil lamps in the capital Colombo commemorating the hundreds killed in 1983 anti-Tamil riots that fuelled a deadly civil war. “Let’s not forget the slaughter of Tamils,” read a banner carried by members of North-South Solida­rity, a group of rights defenders from the country’s majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil communities. …

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “doing great” on Sunday following surgery to fit a pacemaker, as his hard-right government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan neared a key vote in parliament. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Jerusalem to oppose Netanyahu’s proposal to curb the powers of judges, which critics fear will undermine Israel’s …

US Central Command (Centcom) chief General Michael Erik Kurilla, in a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Monday, recognised Pakistan’s “continued efforts” for bringing peace and stability to the region. According to the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Kurilla called on Gen Munir in Rawalpindi today. “The visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army’s successes …